Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 01-09-06, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Reading I
Is 42:1-4, 6-7

Thus says the LORD:
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
upon whom I have put my spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
a bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.

I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

or

Is 55:1-11

Thus says the LORD:
All you who are thirsty,
come to the water!
You who have no money,
come, receive grain and eat;
come, without paying and without cost,
drink wine and milk!
Why spend your money for what is not bread,
your wages for what fails to satisfy?
Heed me, and you shall eat well,
you shall delight in rich fare.
Come to me heedfully,
listen, that you may have life.
I will renew with you the everlasting covenant,
the benefits assured to David.
As I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander of nations,
so shall you summon a nation you knew not,
and nations that knew you not shall run to you,
because of the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you.

Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call him while he is near.
Let the scoundrel forsake his way,
and the wicked man his thoughts;
let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.

For just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
and do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
so shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
my word shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.

or

Acts 10:34-38

Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered
in the house of Cornelius, saying:
“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him.
You know the word that he sent to the Israelites
as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all,
what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.”

Or

1 Jn 5:1-9

Beloved:
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God,
and everyone who loves the Father
loves also the one begotten by him.
In this way we know that we love the children of God
when we love God and obey his commandments.
For the love of God is this,
that we keep his commandments.
And his commandments are not burdensome,
for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.
And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.
Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by water and blood.
The Spirit is the one who testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three that testify,
the Spirit, the water, and the blood,
and the three are of one accord.
If we accept human testimony,
the testimony of God is surely greater.
Now the testimony of God is this,
that he has testified on behalf of his Son.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10

R. (11b) The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Give to the LORD, you sons of God,
give to the LORD glory and praise,
Give to the LORD the glory due his name;
adore the LORD in holy attire.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters,
the LORD, over vast waters.
The voice of the LORD is mighty;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The God of glory thunders,
and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
The LORD is enthroned above the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as king forever.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.

or

Is 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

R. (3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Gospel
Mk 1:7-11

This is what John the Baptist proclaimed:
“One mightier than I is coming after me.
I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
and was baptized in the Jordan by John.
On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open
and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.
And a voice came from the heavens,
“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

From: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7

First Song of the Servant of the Lord

(Thus says the Lord,) [1] "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my
chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he
will bring forth justice to the nations. [2] He will not cry or lift
up his voice, or make it heard in the street; [3] a bruised reed he
will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will
faithfully bring forth justice. [4] He will not fail or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait
for his law.

[6] "I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken
you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the
people, a light to the nations, [7] to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who
sit in darkness."

Commentary:

42:1-9. The Lord, who revealed his power by creating the world
(40:12-31) and showed his determination to save mankind by his
intervention in history (4l:1-29), now announces a new stage in his
plans (v. 9). To advance them he will give a special mission to the
“servant of the Lord”; in the prophetic text, this personage plays the
key role in making known and putting into effect the salvific plans of
God. Four passages over the course of chapters 42-55 speak of the
servant and his mission; these passages may originally have made up a
poem of their own. These oracles are usually called the "Songs of the
Servant". Most biblical scholars see 42:1-9 as being the first song
or, rather, the first stanza of that poem. The other three passages
are: 49:1-6; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12. They combine to make a very
beautiful poem, but they raise difficult questions as to style and
content. They have been the subject of a great deal of commentary, and
the identity of the “servant” is still a matter of debate. Those who
consider the four passages to be parts of the one poem take it that
the “servant” in each is one and the same person and has one and the
same mission. Scholars who do not regard the four passages as
originally part of a single poem interpret the person and mission of
the servant as being different in each.

There are basically three theories as to who the servant is. One
theory is that he is a particular individual--a king of the house of
Judah, or the prophet himself or, Of course, a future Messiah, who
will redeem Israel The second theory is that the servant is a
collectivity he stands for Israel, or for some group within Israel The
third theory argues that the servant is meant to be depicted
ambiguously--that is in a way that allows him to be interpreted in
both of the ways mentioned previously--as a person of significance but
someone who can symbolize all Israel.

In this first song (vv 1-9) the servant certainly comes across as a
figure of mystery: v. 1 gives him very special universal
transcendental attributes, Verses 2-3a show his humility but they are
followed immediately by verses saying that he is someone able to
“establish justice in the earth”, to be “a light to the nations’
someone who can “bring light to the nations” and “open the eyes that
are blind arid set captives free...". The "servant" can do all this
because the Lord has “put his Spirit on him” (cf. v. 1), that is, he
is someone chosen by God and he has the help of the Spirit of the Lord
to carry out his mission to teach his Law to the very ends of the
earth. So, these words could be describing the prophet’s own
conviction that he has a mission to perform--to proclaim the word of
God; a mission that he did not seek but, rather, had given to him. But
the servant could also stand for the whole people of Israel (cf.
41:8)--for in the same way were the people chosen by God to bear
witness to him before all mankind concerning the Law they had received
from the Lord.

The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles without attempting to
discover exactly who this servant was originally (or whom he was meant to
stand for) interpreted the main features of the servant as being a
prophecy about Jesus, in whom the Father is most pleased, and who, in
the unity of the Holy Spirit is truly the light for all nations and
the liberation of all the oppressed. For example, in the accounts of
the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan and of the Transfiguration, the
voice of the Father refers to those features: This is my beloved Son
with whom I am well pleased (Mt 3:17); "This is my Son, my Chosen;
listen to him!” (Lk 9:35). The Gospel of Matthew, which makes a point
of showing that the Scriptures find fulfillment in Jesus, explicitly
quotes vv. 2-4 of this oracle of Isaiah to show that in Jesus is
fulfilled the prophecy of the servant, who was rejected by the leaders of the
people and whose quiet and kindly teaching would bring the light of
truth to the world (Mt 12:15-21). And later in his Gospel, when St
Matthew recounts the passion and death of our Lord (cf. Mt 27:30), he
again makes the link between Christ and the servant.

The expression “light to the nations” (v. 6) seems to find an echo in
what Jesus says about his being the light of the world (Jn 8:12; 9:5)
and also in the "Benedictus" of Zechariah (Lk 1:78-79). There is an
evocation of v. 7 in Jesus' reply to the messengers from John the
Baptist who ask him whether he is he who is to come (cf. Mt 11:4-6: Lk
7:18-22); cf. the note on 29:15-24. And so St Justin will say,
commenting on vv. 6-7: "Everything that is said here, my friends,
refers to Christ and to the peoples who have been enlightened by his
presence" (Dialogus Cum Tryphone", 122,2).

The Church in the Second Vatican Council acknowledges her duty to
strive to use every opportunity to show that Christ is truly, the
“light of the nations” (v. 6): "Christ is the Light of nations.
Because this is so, this Sacred Synod gathered together in the Holy
Spirit eagerly desires by proclaiming the Gospel to every creature, to
bring the light of Christ to all men a light brightly visible on the
countenance of the Church ("Lumen Gentium", 1).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Mark 1:7-11

The Ministry of John the Baptist

[7] And he (John the Baptist) preached, saying, "After me comes he who
is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop
down and untie. [8] I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit."

Jesus Is Baptized

[9] In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized
by John in the Jordan. [10] And when he came up out of the water,
immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon
him like a dove; [11] and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved
Son; with thee I am well pleased."

Commentary:

8. "Baptizing with the Holy Spirit" refers to the Baptism Jesus will
institute and shows how it differs from the baptism of John. In John's
baptism, as in the other rites of the Old Testament, grace was only
signified, symbolized. "By the baptism of the New Law, men are
baptized inwardly by the Holy Spirit, and this is accomplished by God
alone. But by the baptism of John the body alone was cleansed by the
water" (St. Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologiae, III, q. 38, art. 2 ad
1). In Christian Baptism, instituted by our Lord, the baptismal rite
not only signifies grace but is the effective cause of grace, i.e. it
confers grace. "Baptism confers the first sanctifying grace and the
supernatural virtues, taking away Original Sin and also personal sins
if there are any, together with the entire debt of punishment which the
baptized person owes for sin. In addition, Baptism impresses the
Christian character in the soul and makes it able to receive the other
sacraments" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 295). The effects of Christian
Baptism, like everything to do with the sanctification of souls, are
attributed to the Holy Spirit, the "Sanctifier". It should be pointed
out, however, that like all the "ad extra" actions of God (i.e. actions
external to the intimate life of the Blessed Trinity), the
sanctification of souls is the work of all three Divine Persons.

9. Our Lord's hidden life takes place (apart form his birth at Bethlehem
and the time he was in Egypt) in Nazareth of Galilee from where he comes
to receive John's baptism.

Jesus has no need to receive this baptism of conversion. However, it
was appropriate that he who was going to establish the New Alliance
should recognize and accept the mission of his Precursor by being
baptized with his baptism: this would encourage people to prepare to
receive the Baptism which WAS necessary. The Fathers comment that our
Lord went to receive John's baptism in order to fulfill all
righteousness (cf. Mt 3:15), to give us an example of humility, to
become widely known, to have people believe in Him and to give
life-giving strength to the waters of Baptism.

"Ever since the Baptism of Christ in the water, Baptism removes the sins
of all" (St Augustine, "Sermon" 135).

"There are two different periods of time which relate to Baptism--one
the period of its institution by the Redeemer; the other the
establishment of the law regarding its reception. [...] The second
period to be distinguished, that is, the time when the law of Baptism
was made, also admits of no doubt. Holy writers are unanimous in
saying that after the Resurrection of our Lord, when he gave to his
Apostles the command to go and 'make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost' (Mt 28:19) the law of Baptism became obligatory on all who were
to be saved" ("St. Pius V Catechism", Part II).

10. The visible presence of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove marks
the beginning of Christ's public ministry. The Holy Spirit will also
appear, in the form of tongues of fire, on the occasion when the Church
begins its mission to all the world on the day of Pentecost (cf. Acts
2:3-21).

The Fathers usually interpret the dove as a symbol of peace and
reconciliation between God and men. It first appears in the account of
the flood (Gen 8:10-11) as a sign that God's punishment of mankind has
come to an end. Its presence at the beginning of Christ's public
ministry symbolizes the peace and reconciliation he will bring.

11. At the very beginning of his public life the mystery of the Holy
Trinity is made manifest: "The Son is baptized, the Holy Spirit descends
in the form of a dove and the voice of the Father is heard" (St Bede,
"In Marci Evangelium expositio, in loc."). "The Holy Spirit dwells in
him," the same author goes on, "but not from the moment of his Baptism,
but from the moment he became man." In other words, Jesus did not
become God's son at his Baptism; he is the Son of God from all eternity.
Nor did he become the Messiah at this point; he was the Messiah from the
moment he became man.

Baptism is the public manifestation of Jesus as Son of God and as
Messiah, ratified by the presence of the Blessed Trinity.

"The Holy Spirit descended visibly in bodily form upon Christ when he
was baptized so that we may believe him to descend invisibly upon all
those who are baptized afterwards" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Summa
Theologiae", III, q. 39, a. 6 and 3).

Catholic Culture

Collect:
Almighty, eternal God, when the Spirit descended upon Jesus at his baptism in the Jordan, you revealed him as your own beloved Son. Keep us, your children born of water and the Spirit, faithful to our calling. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Recipes:

» Kutia
» Christ's Diapers

Activities:

Prayers:

» To Jordan's Water

January 09, 2006

Solemnity of the Baptism of Our Lord (end of Christmas season)

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Baptism of Our Lord. This brings to an end the season of Christmas. The Church recalls Our Lord's second manifestation or epiphany which occurred on the occasion of His baptism in the Jordan. Jesus descended into the River to sanctify its waters and to give them the power to beget sons of God. The event takes on the importance of a second creation in which the entire Trinity intervenes.

In the Eastern Church this feast is called Theophany because at the baptism of Christ in the River Jordan God appeared in three persons. The baptism of John was a sort of sacramental preparatory for the Baptism of Christ. It moved men to sentiments of repentance and induced them to confess their sins. Christ did not need the baptism of John. Although He appeared in the "substance of our flesh" and was recognized "outwardly like unto ourselves", He was absolutely sinless and impeccable. He conferred upon the water the power of the true Baptism which would remove all the sins of the world: "Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him Who takes away the sin of the world".

Many of the incidents which accompanied Christ's baptism are symbolical of what happened at our Baptism. At Christ's baptism the Holy Spirit descended upon Him; at our Baptism the Trinity took its abode in our soul. At His baptism Christ was proclaimed the "Beloved Son" of the Father; at our Baptism we become the adopted sons of God. At Christ's baptism the heavens were opened; at our Baptism heaven was opened to us. At His baptism Jesus prayed; after our Baptism we must pray to avoid actual sin.

- Right Rev. Msgr. Rudolph G. Bandas

Customs on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
In the Ukraine the faithful gather in the front of the church where a cross of ice is placed. Since there are no rivers near churches, a tub is filled with water and is placed in front of the ice cross. During special and very unique services the water is blessed and brought home. This is taken in before breakfast is eaten. The remains are kept during the year to keep the home safe from fire, lightening and sickness.

The priest visits his parishioners to bless their homes with the holy water that the New Year may be one of cooperation with the gift of God; His Son and the participation in the Life He has come to lead us in toward Salvation. The evening meal is very much a repeat of the Holy Supper except that there are no restrictions on meat and dairy products. It starts with Kutia, which has been saved from Christmas Eve.

The Sixteenth Day of Christmas

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	We Are Born Again
Author:	Fr. Frank E. Jindra
Date:	Monday, January 9, 2006

Is 42:1-4, 6-7 / Mk 1:7-11

When Jesus was baptized, he was baptized in “water made holy by the one, who was baptized.” As we are celebrating the close of the Christmas season today, it is more-than-fitting the Church should give us this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

When we are baptized, a similar election and declaration comes from God the Father as He adopts us through the Sacrament of Baptism. While we may never hear — here — the Father say “You are my beloved child in whom I am well pleased”, the fact that we ARE baptized means He has made that declaration.

Through Jesus, the Father has declared you worthy of adoption. Don’t let anything leave you feeling as though you are not worthy enough. I know those kinds of tapes that play in the back of your mind and recesses of your heart: “if God really knew what a mess I am, He wouldn’t want to hang around with me” — or some sort of thought.
Jesus’ Baptism is the pattern for ours — including that declaration from the Father! That is one of the reasons Jesus was baptized: that we might see how beloved of children we are to the Father.

Christmas celebrates that “unto us a child is born.” The end of the Christmas season celebrates our being “born again of water and the Holy Spirit.”

“Gloria in Excelsis Deo:” we are born again.

Mk 1:7-11
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
7	And he preached, saying: There cometh after me one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.	et praedicabat dicens venit fortior me post me cuius non sum dignus procumbens solvere corrigiam calciamentorum eius
8	I have baptized you with water; but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.	ego baptizavi vos aqua ille vero baptizabit vos Spiritu Sancto
9	And it came to pass, in those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.	et factum est in diebus illis venit Iesus a Nazareth Galilaeae et baptizatus est in Iordane ab Iohanne
10	And forthwith coming up out of he water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit as a dove descending, and remaining on him.	et statim ascendens de aqua vidit apertos caelos et Spiritum tamquam columbam descendentem et manentem in ipso
11	And there came a voice from heaven: Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.	et vox facta est de caelis tu es Filius meus dilectus in te conplacui

A Voice in the Desert

Monday January 9, 2006 Baptism of the Lord

Reading I (Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7) Reading II (Acts 10:34-38)

Gospel (St. Mark 1:7-11)

As we celebrate today the feast of Our Lord’s Baptism, it is a point that asks us the question: What does Baptism mean for us? If Jesus was baptized, first of all the question is: Why? Obviously, He had no sin that needed to be removed, so why would He be baptized? The saints tell us that the reason He was baptized was in order to make the waters of Baptism holy. It was not that He had to be baptized because of any sin of His own, but rather the point with regard to sin has to do with ours. Being that all of us who are baptized enter into the Mystical Body of Christ, it would be fitting then that Christ Himself would be baptized in order that all of the sins of the members of the Mystical Body would be removed by Baptism.

It also is fitting that He would be baptized because Our Lord will ask us to do nothing unless He was willing to do it first. We see that throughout His entire life. He took on all the suffering that we might have to endure – He walked to the Cross, He was crucified. There is nothing that He refused to do. So if He asks us to do something, we see that He was willing to do it first. He is not sitting back saying to us, “I want you to suffer, but I don’t want to do it myself. I want you to be baptized, but I won’t be.” He, as the leader, walks in front of us; He walks ahead so that we can follow; and He lays out for us exactly what will be required of each of us.

Now He also speaks in the Gospels about another baptism, and that baptism is His death, His suffering and His death. And so Saint Paul tells us that when we are baptized, we are baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ so that we share in the fullness of the very person of Jesus Christ. Consequently, when we are baptized, we become children of God, members of the one Son of God – with Whom God is well pleased – at that time.

Of course, what we do with our lives is not always so pleasing to God, but the reality of the matter is that we are all members of Jesus Christ. We are all baptized. Consequently, as children of God, even if we have not done what we should, we can still get things turned around. We can still live now the way we are supposed to. The grace is there and the ability is there, not of our own accord, but by His strength. If we are members of Jesus Christ then we have the strength of Christ to be able to do what needs to be done. We can live virtuous and holy lives in this world. So if we look back and think, “I’ve squandered my baptismal inheritance,” that is not entirely true because, thankfully, the baptismal inheritance that is ours is infinite. Perhaps we have done with that inheritance some things we should not, but the inheritance ultimately is God. If we will turn our hearts to God and allow ourselves to be filled with Him then we have exactly what He wants for us. He wants us to be united with Himself, and He wants us to live what we have promised in Baptism.

Saint Peter, in the second reading, tells us that Jesus went about doing good and healing all those who were oppressed by the devil. Well, what is Baptism? It is removing us from the power of Satan and putting us into Jesus Christ. What we need, then, to do in our day-to-day lives is reject all of the things of the devil, all the temptations, the sins, the whole thing. We need to reject it all so we can live according to the way of Christ. If Jesus came to heal those oppressed by the devil, all we need to do is look in the mirror and realize that we are among those because all of us have fallen so many times that the devil has a hold. But that hold can be broken, and it is broken by Christ. If we will turn to Him and we will enter into ourselves so that He can heal those wounds in our hearts, then we can be free of the oppression of Satan and we can have the true freedom of the children of God. The Holy Spirit Who came upon us at the moment of Baptism, and in fullness at Confirmation, is present within if we are in the state of grace. Satan has no power over the Lord, so we have everything we need if we are willing to do it. It is frightening, it can be very painful, but if we are willing to look at those ugly things inside, we can break the bondage of Satan and we can live in the fullness of the freedom that was given to us at Baptism. We can live as children of God with whom He is well pleased.

* This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.

The Word Among Us

Monday, January 09, 2006

Meditation
Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7

In order to be baptized by John, the people of Jerusalem had to take a long, hot hike through the wilderness. Surely a trek to the Jordan would have recalled for many of them the Israelites’ journey with Moses through the desert. For forty years their ancestors traveled through the wilderness, facing the challenge of trusting God and living according to his word. Surely this memory would have helped them arrive in a state of repentance, ready to receive the baptism of John with humble, open hearts.

But then came Jesus. He walked the same desert path of repentance that they did, but not because of any personal sin on his part. Rather, he came as a man in solidarity with his people, taking upon himself the role of the suffering servant who was “numbered with the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12). He embraced the repentance John preached for us.

Just as at the Jordan the mantle was passed from the prophet Elijah to Elisha, so now the mantle is passed from John to Jesus—and with even greater consequence. A new covenant was initiated, and the redemption that this baptism foreshadowed began to unfold. From that point on, everything that Jesus said and did was for our sake. Every miracle, every parable, every teaching, every word of comfort or confrontation was done with us in mind. From that moment forward, Jesus began to gather to himself all our sins, all our hopes and dreams, all our longings and passions, so that he could bring them to the cross for our healing, cleansing, restoration, and resurrection.

What goes through your mind when you think about your baptism? Do you see it as an introduction into all of the blessings that Jesus won on the cross? Do you bow down in wonder that you have been not only crucified with Christ but also raised up with him to God’s right hand? Do you know how privileged and honored you are? Spend some time in prayer today pondering the link between Jesus’ baptism and yours. Sit quietly before the Father and let him call you his beloved child, one in whom he is well pleased.

“Thank you, Jesus, for bringing me from the darkness of sin into the light of your grace. Stay with me, Lord, that I may remain with you forever.”

Psalm 29:1-4, 9-10; Acts 10:34-38; Mark 1:7-11

One Bread, One Body

<< Monday, January 9, 2006 >>

Baptism of Jesus

Isaiah 55:1-11
1 John 5:1-9

Isaiah 12:2-6
Mark 1:7-11

View Readings

HAPPY BAPTISM TO YOU

"He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit." —Mark 1:8

At the wedding feast of Cana, Jesus saved the best till last, and on this last day of Christmas He's doing the same (Jn 2:10). "On the last and greatest day of the festival" (Jn 7:37), we see "the Spirit of God descend like a dove and hover over Him" (Mt 3:16). We hear a voice from the heavens saying, "This is My beloved Son. My favor rests on Him" (Mt 3:17).

The Lord brings these Scriptures to us so we can share in His baptism. He desires for us to receive the recreating power of the Spirit and affirmation from the Father. He wants us to walk with Him — in His death and resurrection, in His miracles and healings, in His sufferings and persecutions, and also in His baptism at the river Jordan. Jesus says, "Father, all those You gave Me I would have in My company where I am" (Jn 17:24). "If anyone would serve Me, let him follow Me; where I am, there will My servant be" (Jn 12:26).

Today your baptism and confirmation will be renewed. You will know in a new way the Father's love and the Spirit's power. With Jesus you will begin a new dimension of ministry, "doing good works and healing all" who are "in the grip of the devil" (Acts 10:38). You are to "open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness" (Is 42:7). Yes, we are talking about you. Believe and receive the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: "Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest, and in our hearts take up Thy rest."

Promise: "The love of God consists in this: that we keep His commandments — and His commandments are not burdensome." —1 Jn 5:3

Praise: Praise Jesus, Who took on our nature and became one like us in all things but sin.

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