1st Sunday after Epiphany (John 1 : 29-34) Homily of His Excellency, Selim Sfeir Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
“Our Lord gave us his treasures of life.
Through Baptism’s grace we were sanctified.
He pardoned our sins and made us his own.” -Hymn, The Father’s Own Son
The Gospel of this First Sunday after the Epiphany we read that St. John the Baptist, with great prudence and modesty, did not compel or urge his disciples to follow Christ but only pointed Him out to them: “Behold the Lamb of God …” He does this so that they might, by themselves more ardently pursue after such a great good when they discover it by themselves. When a man discovers a jewel being sold for a ridiculously cheap price, and he tells other merchants how great is its worth and value, it causes them of their own accord to find a way to buy it. It is surprising that only two of John’s disciples followed Jesus. Of all people, John the Baptist could have demanded his disciples to leave him and follow Christ from a position of authority. He was, after all, the “greatest man ever born of woman.” Instead, he gracefully avoids disrespecting the freedom of his followers.
Like the Star of Bethlehem, John points to Christ and he leaves it to the freedom of his disciples to follow Christ or not. Like the Magi who found and adored Christ, Andrew (and we presume John, the author of the gospel) found Christ and followed Him in the greatest adventure of the human race. Like the Star of Bethlehem, like John the Baptist, we must continually point to the Lord. We point to the Lord when we are faithful to our daily prayer, faithful to our Sunday Mass, constant in our friendship, and determined in our helping the sick and the poor.
Catechism of the Catholic Church #1730
God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions. “God willed that man should be left in the hand of his own counsel,” (Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes #17) so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him.
† Selim Sfeir
Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus