Parents know that a new born baby brings with him an indescribable sense of joy, peace and awe. New born babies have the magic of somehow connecting us with life, beauty, and wonder. Still, parents do not know what the future journey of their baby will be like. Parents do not know if their baby would be a great artist, a teacher, a nun, a priest or a doctor. This revelation of who the baby would become comes as he or she starts to grow and to show signs of what he or she likes. We can see some signs when they become children, teens and young adults. For example, a little girl playing to be a nurse, might become a great doctor. Her playing as a nurse becomes the sign.
In today’s Gospel, we see John the Baptist pointing at Jesus as “the Lamb of God.” John the Baptist saw a sign of “the Spirit” descending “like a dove from the sky” and remaining upon him. John the Baptist heard that “On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” These signs gave John the Baptist the assurance of who Jesus is: “He is the Son of God." As the Lamb of God, Jesus’ journey on this earth was described: he is the suffering servant, slaughtered like a lamb, the one who carries our sins. He is also our Passover. John the Baptist knew Jesus was the Lamb of God because of the signs but also because John the Baptist saw Jesus, spent time with Jesus.
As we continue our Christmas days, the word inspires us to realize the importance of spending time with Jesus in prayer, studying the word, and having meaningful relationships to really see Jesus, to appreciate whom he is and his mission. Spending this time together becomes then an encounter of mutual revelation in which we could say that the more we know who Jesus is, the more we know who our neighbor is, and the more we know who we are.