The Lamb of God

A Thought on Sunday

The Lamb of God

from the desk of Fr. Ignatius Waters, CP

Sunday 13th April 2014

All in the April evening

April airs were abroad;

I saw the sheep with their lambs

And thought of the Lamb of God

These are the last lines of the well known poem written by Katherine Tynan who was born at Whitehall Dairy Farm in Clondalkin in 1861.

Some years ago, my nephew, Dermot, who grew up in Georgia in the States, took Aimee, his wife, on a tour of Ireland. It must have been this time of year because Aimee fell in love with the lambs and sheep all over the country and took hundreds of photos! When they arrived at Granny’s in Trim, Granny had a big pot of tea ready and a huge plate of sandwiches. They were really enjoying the sandwiches when American Aimee asked casually, “What kind of sandwiches are these?” When Granny said “Lamb – lamb sandwiches!” poor Aimee nearly got sick! She couldn’t think of eating those beautiful little creatures!

When John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, “Look, there is the Lamb of God!” he’s thinking of all the lambs sacrificed in the temple every day and especially at the Pasch, sacrificed and eaten! So he’s really saying, “Look, there is the lamb to be sacrificed in the future!” How did John, so early on, see so clearly what was to come?

When Jesus at the Last Supper says, “This is my body given for you, this is my blood poured out for you,” we should feel as bad, as disturbed, and as uncomfortable as Aimee with the sandwiches! I can’t eat this! I can’t take this! This is too much! It’s just we’re so used to hearing about eating the Lamb of God and drinking his blood that it doesn’t horrify us as it did the first disciples.

Years ago, lads in love, starry eyed and carried away, used declare, “You’re so gorgeous, I could eat you!” And they thought they were paying a compliment! Of course they want to eat you like they devour a good meal but they never thought of offering themselves to be eaten! Did they? Like Jesus did? But, with Jesus, needless to say, it’s a completely different kind of eating. There is no language that can explain it. When we eat the Lamb of God we become part of what we eat. We become part of God. We become part of the mystery that God is! At every mass we say, “By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity”.

Just now, we are entering into Holy Week when the Good Shepherd becomes the Lamb of God. The Lamb of God is slain so that we can eat that lamb and enter into deep communion with Jesus and God.

It is rightly called the ‘mystery of our salvation’ but what a joyful mystery it is.