Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
January 3, 2025
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said,
‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’
I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel.”
John testified further, saying,
“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
When I was an undergraduate student, I questioned my faith and the identity of Christ. But as a freshman, I met a religious sister who invited me to join them on a retreat with Trappist monks. I was intrigued, as I did not know what monks were. I joined the group for their retreat as I wanted to learn about monks and visit the monastery.
As we arrived at the monastery for vespers, I felt something different. There was something holy about this place. There was a sense of awe, and a wave of peace came to my heart. Something struck me that night; It was not simply the beauty of the chants but an overwhelming sense of being part of something larger than myself. There was an enormous witness to the love of Christ; I credit the witness of those monks and that religious sister for my return to God and the church.
Recalling that moment of Christ’s witness in my life, we see in today’s gospel that John the Baptist boldly proclaims Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John’s words are not simply a theological statement; he was unafraid to speak the truth about his identity and ministry of what he had seen and experienced. The monks were, like John, living testimony. They were offering their lives as a living witness to God’s love.
We begin a new year still celebrating this joyous Christmas season, where Jesus came humbly to bear witness to his love. Just as John declared, “Behold,” we are called to behold Christ in the world around us. May we be witnesses offering our lives as testimonies of God’s love to all those we encounter in every small act we do.
Prayer
Almighty Father, John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching him and recognized him as your Son. Open the eyes of our hearts that we might see the face of Christ in our brothers and sisters, especially in the poor and lowly of the world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Today’s feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus is another way for the Church to call our attention to Jesus’ identity, and to encourage us to call upon him.
When Gabriel visited Mary, the angel told her, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” Similarly, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and explained Mary’s virgin conception. “You are to name him Jesus,” the angel told Joseph, “because he will save his people from their sins.”
Jesus’ name literally means “savior.” St. Paul writes to the Philippians that “God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
St. Bernard of Clairvaux was a great promoter of devotion to the holy name of Jesus. “To speak of it brings to the mind all that the name stands for,” he wrote. “To call on it calms and soothes the heart.”
There are many other references to the power of Jesus’ name in Scriptures. In the Acts of the Apostles, the name of Jesus healed the lame and brought the dead back to life. The holy name is a protection from the devil, who has been conquered by Jesus on the cross and fears his name. We conclude all of our prayers as a Church by praying in the name of Jesus Christ, for he promised that “whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you” (John 16:23).
The emblem or monogram of the holy name of Jesus—the initials IHS—is seen in many places on campus, including on the pedestal of the Statue of the Sacred Heart in front of the Dome. In the Middle Ages, Jesus’ name was written as “Ihesus,” so the monogram IHS contains the (combined) first and last letters of this name. The Jesuits have this monogram as the emblem of their order—it can be seen in the image of St. Ignatius of Loyola from the Basilica shown below.
On this feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, let every knee bend and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!