Behold the Lamb: Our Identity and Mission

Voice over by Eliz

Isa 49:3.5-6, Psalm: 39, 1Cor 1:1-3, Jn 1:29-34

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Today, the Word of God tells us not only who Jesus is, but, in light of that truth, who we are called to be. Through the voice of the prophet, the testimony of the Baptist, and the greeting of an Apostle, we are invited to behold the Lamb of God and discover our own identity and mission in Him.

The prophet Isaiah sings of a mysterious figure known as the “Servant of the Lord.” This Servant’s vocation is intimate: “The Lord said to me: You are my servant… through whom I show my glory.” Yet this vocation immediately explodes beyond personal holiness to a mission of universal scope. “It is too little,” God says, “for you to be my servant… I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” This is the stunning pattern of God’s call: we are drawn into relationship with Him not for ourselves alone, but so that His life and glory might radiate through us to a world in shadow. The Servant is chosen to be a conduit of divine light.

Centuries later, on the banks of the Jordan, this prophecy finds its living fulfillment. John the Baptist points to Jesus and declares, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” With this title, John reveals the shocking means by which the Servant will become a “light to the nations.” He is the Lamb—the innocent victim of sacrifice, prefigured in the Passover, whose self-offering will atone for sin and break the power of darkness. John testifies that he saw the Spirit descend and remain on Jesus, confirming Him as the “Chosen One of God.” Jesus is the Servant-Lamb, anointed by the Spirit to accomplish the mission of universal salvation through the sacrifice of love.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul writes not to philosophers or princes, but “to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy.” Do you hear the echo? Just as the Servant was called and set apart for God’s glory, so are we. Through Baptism, we have been incorporated into Christ, the Lamb. We have been washed, sanctified, and justified in His name (1 Cor 6:11). Our primary identity is no longer “sinner” or “citizen of Corinth,” but “sanctified in Christ.” And from this identity flows our mission. Paul adds a crucial phrase: “together with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are not isolated believers. We are part of a universal communion, the Church, called collectively to be that “light to the nations.”

Jesus is the definitive Servant and Lamb. We, the Church, are His Body. Therefore, our identity and mission are derived from His.

First, our identity is “in Christ.” We are the sanctified, the chosen, the ones upon whom the Spirit rests through the sacraments. This is our dignity and our foundation. Before we do anything for God, we must receive and rest in who we are because of the Lamb.

Second, our mission is communion and witness. We are called to be a light, but not as isolated beacons. We are called “together with all.” Our unity in the Church is the first witness to a fractured world. As Pope Francis emphasizes, we evangelize primarily by the attraction of communion and joyful belonging.

Third, our method is sacrificial love. The Lamb conquered sin not by power, but by loving sacrifice. Our way of being a light is the same: the daily sacrifice of self-will, the patient bearing of burdens, the forgiveness of enemies, the works of mercy.

So today, let us accept John the Baptist’s invitation: “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Look upon Him in prayer and in the Eucharist. See the one who takes away your sin and calls you to holiness. And then, go forth from this encounter knowing who you are. You are a servant sanctified in Christ, called to let His light shine through your ordinary life—in your home, your work, your community—so that His salvation may reach, even through you, to the ends of the earth. Amen.

May God bless you all!