January 12, 2014

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

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.

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.

Reading 2 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.”

Gospel Mt 3:13-17

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan
to be baptized by him.
John tried to prevent him, saying,
“I need to be baptized by you,
and yet you are coming to me?”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us
to fulfill all righteousness.”
Then he allowed him.
After Jesus was baptized,
he came up from the water and behold,
the heavens were opened for him,
and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and coming upon him.
And a voice came from the heavens, saying,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

A Christian Pilgrim

THE SINLESS ONE WAS BAPTIZED BY JOHN

(A biblical refection on THE FEAST OF BAPTISM OF THE LORD, Sunday, 12 January 2014)

Gospel Reading: Matthew 3:13-17

First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7; Psalms: Ps 29:1-4,9-10; Second Reading: Acts 10:34-38

The Scripture Text

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on Him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:13-17 RSV).

Why did Jesus, the Sinless One, submit Himself to John’s baptism of repentance? Because at His baptism, Jesus accepted His mission as God’s suffering servant (see first reading taken from Book of Isaiah) on behalf of all sinful women and men. By submitting humbly to John’s baptism, Jesus gave us a foreshadowing of the “baptism” of His bloody death on the cross, where, out of love, He gave His life for the remission of our sins (Matthew 20;22, 28).

Because Jesus humbled Himself so completely, His Father proclaimed in an audible voice how delighted He was in Him (Matthew 3:17). The Holy Spirit, too, was present, anointing Jesus for the work He was about to begin. As His baptism, Jesus became the source of the Spirit for all who would believe in Him. The heavens were opened, the Spirit fell, and a new creation was inaugurated.

If we want to experience the power and grace of this new creation in our own lives, we must follow Jesus’ example. St. Gregory of Nazianzus, a fourth-century Church father, gives us this advice: “Let us be buried with Christ by baptism in order to rise with Him. Let us go down with Him in order to be raised with Him. Let us rise with Him in order to be glorified with Him”. If we want to be changed, let us ask the Holy Spirit to forge the same humility in our hearts that Jesus showed at His baptism. As we do, heaven will open for us as well.

Jesus is ever ready to renew us in His Spirit and to anoint us for mission. He wants to make us “light” and “salt” to those around us (Matthew 5:13,14). He wants His love and truth to shine through us so that others will be touched by His goodness. Ask the Lord to fill you with His Holy Spirit so that you may radiate the joy of the Gospel to those around you.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, fill me with Your Holy Spirit. May I find joy in seeking to please You, just as You found joy in seeking to please Your Father. Amen.

A Christian Pilgrim

JESUS WAS BAPTIZED BY JOHN

(A biblical refection on THE FEAST OF BAPTISM OF THE LORD, Sunday, 12 January 2014)

First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7; Psalms: Ps 29:1-4,9-10; Second Reading: Acts 10:34-38; Gospel Reading: Matthew 3:13-17

Jesus was baptized as a 30 year-old adult. Later He would call His followers to be baptized as a commitment to Him. In the very early Church, baptism was for adults only. Before they received it there was an extended period of prayer, instruction and personal decision. It was both a time for sadness and gladness, for although the person was beginning a demanding way of life, at the same time they were receiving a pledge of sustaining grace and future reward.

When the candidates would first present themselves to the baptized community of believers, they would speak of their personal lives, their views of God, Church, prayer, etc. Then the church members would relate to the candidates their beliefs and teachings on these and similar subjects. Following this mutual discussion and prayer, the church membership would decide which aspirants should be accepted for instructions and which should be rejected or postponed. Those accepted would then begin their entrance programs which culminated with their reception into the Church on the vigil of Easter. That evening still remains the most opportune time to receive adul converts into full communion.

The baptism of children did not become commonplace until about the 5^th century. In each case the parent were to speak in behalf of their children, and had to promise to raise their youngsters in the faith, before they could be baptized. This also is still the practice today, and the modern Church is reemphasizing its importance.

The deep significance of baptism is that it is the entrance into a new life of faith, intended to grow and blossom into eternity. As a ceremonial pouring of water, baptism is received only once. But it is also a day by day consignment of one’s life to the risen Lord. The funeral liturgy is a solemn reminder of our baptismal dignity. When the white pall shrouds the casket, it is a symbolic reminder of the small white robe that veiled this person as a baby many years before. “On the day of her (his) baptism”, the priest says, “she (he) put on Christ; in the day of Christ’s coming may she (he) be clothed with glory”.

The baptism of Jesus, like our own, is viewed as a public pledge to do more than the minimum and to accept the responsibility to be our brother’s keeper. A baptized person becomes a contradiction if she or he grows selfish with possessions and narrow-minded in outlook. When we see the many social sins around us, we should feel some responsibility to make improvements- and in some cases a sense of guilt for having contributed to them.

At our baptisms we don’t see any doves or openings in the sky, but we do believe that the sacrament makes us a better person and that God’s favor rests upon us.

Note: Taken from Rev. James Mckarns, GO TELL EVERYONE, Makati, Philippines: ST. PAUL PUBLICATIONS, 1985, pages 15-16.

Sunday Scripture Study

The Baptism of the Lord- Cycle A

January 12, 2014

Click here for USCCB readings

Opening Prayer

First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7

Psalm: 29:1-4,9-10

Second Reading: Acts 10:34-38

Gospel Reading: Matthew 3:13-17

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the beginning of the liturgical season of Ordinary Time. We are now in the “A” cycle of readings, which means this year our Sunday gospel will be taken mostly from the Gospel of Matthew.

In Matthew’s gospel, this is the first time we see Jesus since we are told he returned from Egypt as a child after fleeing from the murderous King Herod (Matthew 2:19-23). These 30 some years are often referred to as Jesus’ hidden or “silent” life. Traditionally, rabbis did not engage in teaching until they were 30 years old.

When John protests Jesus’ coming to him to be baptized, Jesus explains to him it is fitting to allow it “to fulfill all righteousness.” Righteousness in this context means the plan worked out by God for man’s salvation (Matthew 5:6; 6:33).

The baptism of Jesus by John marks the beginning of our Lord’s public life. His divinity is revealed and he is anointed for his mission in visible and audible signs.

(In 2002, in the document Rosarium Virginis Mariae, Pope John Paul II proposed the Baptism of the Lord as the First Luminous Mystery of the Most Holy Rosary.)

QUESTIONS:

According to St. Peter in our 2^nd Reading, when did Jesus’ public ministry begin in earnest? In what way was his power manifested from then on?

How would you apply the words of the prophet Isaiah in the 1^st reading to the anointing and mission which Jesus received at his baptism? How would you apply it to the anointing and mission that you received at your own baptism and confirmation?

Why did Jesus, who was without sin, come to John to be baptized? What “righteousness” did he fulfill (see Isaiah 53:12)? What do you think verse 17 meant to Jesus? How does this set the stage for his ministry to begin?

Why did God choose this time to announce the presence of his Son (Luke 3:16-18; Acts 10:36)? Why was it necessary to be audible (John 11:41-42)?

What kind of righteousness does God have in mind for you? What does he want the outcome of your life to be?

How has God affirmed you as his child in Christ?

Closing Prayer

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 444, 535-537, 1223-1225, 1286-1297

If you have sincere piety, the Holy Spirit will descend on you also and you will hear the voice of the Father saying to you from above: “This was not my son, but now after baptism he has been made my son.” --St. Cyril of Jerusalem

The Baptism of the Lord

Pastor’s Column

January 12, 2014

Do you know on what day you were baptized? Many Christians do not remember this date but baptism was the very beginning of our consecrated life in faith! When a baptism is performed, one of the first actions done is to place a cross on the person’s forehead and to claim that person for Christ our Savior. All of us who are baptized have actually been claimed for Christ!

Non-Catholics sometimes wonder why Catholic churches have a bowl of “holy water” (or a baptismal font) at the entrance of the church. As we pass by, we dip our hands into this water and make the sign of the cross on ourselves. Holy water is a reminder of our baptism. Whenever we make the sign of the cross, we are reminding ourselves of this first cross traced on our forehead, and that we have been claimed for Christ our Savior and that we belong to him! Though we can sometimes do this ritual without thinking about it, it is so important because with this gesture we are recommitting ourselves to our baptismal promises.

Those baptized as infants or small children still do not have faith. The church accepts the faith of the parents and godparents on behalf of the child, who are then committing themselves to pass the faith on to their children by their words and deeds. The minister performing the baptism asks of them, “Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?” Most, of course, say yes right away! But do any of us really comprehend this responsibility? It’s a tough job. It is not only godparents who have this charge but all of us are called to be good examples to others, living out our baptismal promises by our words and deeds. So much in the world can attempt to steal our faith, which is our most precious possession on earth. Our faith gives us: direction and guidance, an understanding of the purpose of our lives, that we are loved by God, and that we know where we’re going because God is guiding us.

The funeral liturgy echoes baptism. There, holy water is used on behalf of the person for the last time. As was true at their baptism, a candle is lit and the sign of the cross is placed alongside the body. Clearly, baptism begins our formal faith journey in the church and the funeral liturgy celebrates its completion.

Why was Christ baptized? After all, he didn’t have any sins to wash away, nor did he need faith. But by being baptized, Christ, the Son of God, signaled that he is one of us. Though sinless, he was prepared to take on all our sins and failings so that we might be forgiven – both in our own baptisms and in the sacrament of reconciliation.

Father Gary

Reflections from Scott Hahn

Anointed Ones: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Baptism of the Lord

Posted by Dr. Scott Hahn on 01.09.14 |

Readings:
Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
Psalm 29:1-4, 9-10
Acts 10:34-38
Matthew 3:13-17

Jesus presents himself for John’s baptism in today’s Gospel, not because He is a sinner, but to fulfill the word of God proclaimed by His prophets. He must be baptized to reveal that He is the Christ (“anointed one”) - the Spirit-endowed Servant promised by Isaiah in today’s First Reading.

His baptism marks the start of a new world, a new creation. As Isaiah prophesied, the Spirit descends upon Jesus like a dove - as the Spirit hovered over the face of the deep in the beginning (see Genesis 1:2).

As it was in the beginning, at the Jordan also the majestic voice of the Lord thunders above the waters. The Father opens the heavens and declares Jesus to be His “beloved son.”

God had long prepared the Israelites for His coming, as Peter preaches in today’s Second Reading. Jesus was anticipated in the “beloved son” given to Abraham (see Genesis 22:2,12,26), and in the calling of Israel as His “first-born son” (see Exodus 4:22-23). Jesus is the divine son begotten by God, the everlasting heir promised to King David (see Psalm 2:7; 2 Samuel 7:14).

He is “a covenant of the people [Israel]” and “a light to the nations,” Isaiah says. By the new covenant made in His blood (see 1 Corinthians 11:25), God has gathered the lost sheep of Israel together with whoever fears Him in every nation.

Christ has become the source from which God pours out his Spirit on Israelites and Gentiles alike (see Acts 10:45). In Baptism, all are anointed with that same Spirit, made beloved sons and daughters of God. Indeed, we are Christians - literally “anointed ones.”

We are the “sons of God” in today’s Psalm - called to give glory to His name in His temple. Let us pray that we remain faithful to our calling as His children, that our Father might call us what he calls His Son - “my beloved. . . in whom I am well pleased.”

Baptism of the Lord: Jesus Embraces Us

(The Baptism of Christ - Vannini, 1642)

"Allow it for now . . . This is my beloved Son . . ."

The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/011214.cfm

Is 42: 1-4, 6-7
Acts 10: 34-38
Mt 3: 13-17

Did you ever admire someone so much that you wanted to constantly imitate them? We may see this more often in children who look up to their bigger brother or sister. Or it could be among sports athletes whose abilities on the field or the court are so extraordinary that younger aspiring athletes study their every move and imitate their honed skills. In the end, such positive role models can do much good for others.

In this Sunday’s Feast of the Lord’s Baptism we find someone who so admired another that he wanted to fully identify with them. No, it isn’t John wanting to copy Jesus but rather Jesus himself who, out of divine love, seeks to fully identify with us! Every time we hear the story of Jesus’ baptism by John, we may ask the question: “Why did Jesus submit to the baptism of repentance that John was preaching in the desert?” If we say Jesus was without sin why would he seek to be baptized, to repent and be forgiven of sin? Maybe he was more fully human than we realize.

That argument was a conversation by early Christians but the baptism of Jesus, found in all four Gospels, was an event of identification. That is, as he began his public mission, Jesus in submitting to the baptism of repentance by John, was not admitting to his own personal sin but rather to ours. John himself knew this: “I need to be baptized by you and yet you are coming to me.” For the Gospel writers it was essential to establish the superiority of Jesus over John but it seems there was far more.

The prevailing explanation of scripture scholars and theologians explains it this way. We assume that sin is a normal part of being human. “Nobody is perfect,” we say. Yet, the scriptures remind us (Genesis) that God created human beings not to be sinful but to live in perfect obedience, without sin if we can imagine such a life. Jesus, fully human except for sin, is God in the flesh come among us – the Spirit of God descends like a dove to hover over Jesus after his baptism and we hear “a voice from the heavens saying ‘This is my Son with whom I am well pleased.’”

In his baptism, Jesus embraces the human condition fully and takes upon himself our guilt and sin which then reminds us the way to heal a relationship broken by sin between God and humanity is to be cleansed in the waters of baptism and to seek Christ as our hope for constant reconciliation. God has identified fully with the human condition but reminds us that sin is not a part of it. The sinless one identifies with the guilty. Water and Spirit not only restore us to right relationship with God but we become ambassadors of Jesus, sends out as “missionary disciples” to share in the mission which Jesus began.

As Pope Francis in his recent Exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel, reminds us: “In all the baptized, from first to last, the sanctifying power of the Spirit is at work, impelling us to evangelization . . . In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples (Mt. 28:19). All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith, are agents of evangelization . . . The new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized . . ." (EG: 119, 120)

Granted, all this is much to chew on. It may not be a constant thought we hold each day but each time we recall this event we are reminded of the mystery that God has worked in us and the seeds of faith planted at the moment of our baptism. And mystery it is indeed as are all the sacraments of our Church.

God’s invisible grace poured into us at baptism did not change us physically. We still look the same, speak the same, and have all of our various quirks. Babies continue to cry, soil their diapers, and babble on in spite of their baptism.

But baptism does affect an interior spiritual change; a mystery of God’s grace. The outward signs of water, oil, and fire symbolize what we cannot see – a spiritual cleansing an anointing (a being set apart and marked for Christ) and the fire of the Spirit of God which descends on us. We are changed profoundly by God’s grace and made his adopted children through these waters. As I recently heard someone put it well: “God signs the adoption papers.”

The mission is for all to hear. As St. Peter from our second reading today reminds us: “I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him . . .”

A baptismal song puts it this way: “In waters we are sent to be the heart and hands of Christ.”

Ok all you fellow missionaries! Let’s pray that our lives will always be an example to others. What a privilege we have and what a responsibility.

Almighty ever-living God

who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan

and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him,

solemnly declared him your beloved Son,

grant that your children by adoption,

reborn of water and the Holy Spirit,

may always be well pleasing to you.

(Collect of Sunday Mass)

Fr. Tim

Insight Scoop

Was it fitting and necessary for Jesus to be baptized?

"The Baptism of Christ" by Giotto (c. 1305)

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, January 12, 2014 | Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Readings:
• is 42:1-4, 6-7
• Ps 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
• Acts 10:34-38
• Mt 3:13-17

Was it fitting and necessary for Jesus to be baptized? It is an important question the answer says much about the person and mission of Jesus. It has, therefore, been taken up by theologians and Doctors of the Church over the centuries.

St. Thomas Aquinas, in the Summa Theologica (see ST 3, 39, 1-8), listed a number of objections, including, “It would seem that it was not fitting for Christ to be baptized. For to be baptized is to be washed. But it was not fitting for Christ to be washed, since there was no uncleanness in Him. Therefore it seems unfitting for Christ to be baptized.” His answer draws upon both Scripture and the Church Fathers: “I answer that, It was fitting for Christ to be baptized. First, because, as Ambrose says on Luke 3:21: ‘Our Lord was baptized because He wished, not to be cleansed, but to cleanse the waters, that, being purified by the flesh of Christ that knew no sin, they might have the virtue of baptism’.”

He also quoted St. Gregory Nazianzen, who had written, “Christ was baptized that He might plunge the old Adam entirely in the water.” He further noted that Jesus, in being baptized, was setting an example for everyone who would follow him and take up the cross of discipleship. After all, if the sinless Son of God would willingly enter the waters of baptism, how much more urgent is it that we sinners are washed in the waters of regeneration?

There are other reasons given, including one implicit in the sermon of St. Peter to the first Gentile convert, Cornelius, heard in today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles: “You know the word that [God] 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.”

Here the emphasis is on the anointing; the Greek word is echrisen (ἔχρισεν) and the root word is chrió, from which comes the word “Christ”. And the title “Christ” is itself the Greek translation of the Hebrew word, “Messiah”, which means “anointed”. The Catechism explains that this is “the name proper to Jesus only because he accomplished perfectly the divine mission that ‘Christ’ signifies. In effect, in Israel those consecrated to God for a mission that he gave were anointed in his name. This was the case for kings, for priests and, in rare instances, for prophets. This had to be the case all the more so for the Messiah whom God would send to inaugurate his kingdom definitively” (par. 436). Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit and presented as uniquely fulfilling the threefold office of prophet, priest, and king.

The term “Messiah” occurs some five hundred thirty times in the Old Testament, and the importance of the title would be difficult to overstate. For example, Psalm 45, one of the messianic psalms, states this of the anticipated Messiah: “Your throne, O god, stands forever; your royal scepter is a scepter for justice. You love justice and hate wrongdoing; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellow kings” (Ps 45:7-8). Jesus, however, was not anointed as Messiah by oil; instead, the Spirit of God descended “like a dove” and the Father spoke his words of blessing, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Thus, wrote St. Irenaeus, the one “who anointed is the Father, the one who was anointed is the Son, and he was anointed with the Spirit who is the anointing” (see CCC, 438). He further noted that this same anointing of the Holy Spirit is given to all those baptized into Jesus the Christ. Entering the waters prepared by Christ, the baptized emerge cleansed by the Holy Spirit, filled with divine life, made children of the Father.

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the January 9, 2011, issue of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

Vultus Christi

Visit Me by Night

Saturday, 11 January 2014 20:47

While praying before the Most Holy Sacrament at night:

A great work of love is being done here,
one that proceeds directly from My Eucharistic Heart
to glorify My Father and to redeem the world,
for the work of redemption is continued
in the Sacrament of My Body and Blood
until the end of time. . . .

I am here [in the Most Blessed Sacrament] for you and for the whole world.
Take your place here before Me,
and abide before My Face,
close to My Heart that is all love.

It is no little thing for a poor human creature of Mine
to prefer My Eucharistic Love to an hour of sleep in the night.
Only in heaven will you know the worth of an hour so spent.
Come to Me, then.
Visit Me, and remain with Me by night,
and I will work for you, and with you, and through you
by day.

By nocturnal adoration you will obtain from My Heart
things which cannot be obtained from Me in any other way,
especially the liberation of souls
from the influence and oppression of the powers of darkness.

More souls are saved and liberated by adoration made during the night
than by any other form of prayer:
this is the pray that unites you most closely
to My own nights passed entirely in prayer
during My life on earth.

Come to Me, then, by night,
and you shall experience My power and My presence at your side
during the day.
Ask of Me whatsoever you will
by coming to Me at night,
and you will experience My merciful help at break of day.
I love with a love of predilection
those whom I call to be with Me during the hours of the night.

The prayer of adoration at night
has the power and efficacy of that prayer made with fasting
that I recommended to My apostles
as the means of expelling demons
from the souls whom they torture and oppress.
For this reason, the demons fear and hate adoration made at night,
while the Angels rejoice over it,
and place themselves at the service of the soul who desires to do it.

From In Sinu Iesu, The Journal of A Priest

Regnum Christi

Jesus’ Humility

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

The Baptism of the Lord

Father Paul Campbell, LC

Matthew 3: 13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, thank you for this time to be with you. I believe in you. I believe that you are here with me and that you want to speak with me today. I wish to open my heart to hear your word and put it into practice out of love for you.

Petition:Lord, help me to grow in the virtue of humility.

1. Jesus Lines up with Sinners: John was preaching a baptism of repentance, and large numbers of people were coming to John to repent of their sins. They wanted to change the direction of their lives and be reconciled with God. Jesus came along with the crowd. Even though he is the sinless one, he numbered himself among the others and proceeded to the Jordan as if he, too, were a sinner like them. To appreciate this gesture, we need only to recall how much we resent it when we are perceived as guilty for something we didn’t do. It’s even costly to have our real faults pointed out to others. Yet here, even when he is so far from the slightest stain of guilt, Jesus peacefully and humbly accepts being labeled a sinner like everyone else. He does this for our sake. Am I overly concerned about how I appear to others so that this negatively affects my good deeds?

2. A Humility that Bows to the Father’s Will: John did not want to baptize Jesus, because he knew that Jesus was not like the others. Yet Jesus made it clear that this was part of the Father’s plan, and this plan was the driving force in his life. Pride did not get in the way of Jesus’ obedience. Rather, his Father’s will was the food that fed and nourished his life. “My food is to do the will of the Father and to finish his work” (John 4:34). What does my own heart “feed on”? If it is not fed on the Father’s will, then could pride be subtly at work turning me into my own highest purpose?

3. A Father’s Blessing:Heaven responded to Christ’s obedience. This moment foreshadows the definitive opening of heaven to mankind’s salvation, accomplished through Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. The heart of sacrifice is obedience, and obedience is not possible without humility. Jesus humbled himself before John the Baptist. The Father saw his obedience and was pleased, praising him out loud: “This is my beloved Son.” To listen to him is to follow his example.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, thank you for the gift of yourself. Teach me to be humble. It is hard for me to put others ahead of myself, to take second place, to let others win the praise and glory I crave for myself. Help me to be humble and to seek repentance from all sin in my life. I need your help to do your will. Strengthen and guide me in your service.

Resolution: I will do a hidden act of charity for someone.

Scripture Speaks: Our Second Birth

by Gayle Somers on January 10, 2014 ·

At the Nativity, we celebrated Jesus’ birth in flesh and blood. Today, we celebrate a second “birth”—His and ours.

Gospel (ReadMt 3:13-17)

We know from the Gospel accounts that John the Baptist raised many Messianic expectations when he preached a baptism of repentance at the Jordan River. Because of an Old Testament prophecy in the Book of Daniel, in which the angel Gabriel revealed a kind of “timetable” for the coming of the Messiah (see Dan 9), the people in Jesus’ day, knowing that the prophecy’s date had come due, were on high alert. John’s charismatic presence and his clear prophetic vocation aroused suspicion that he might be the Lord’s “Anointed.” John corrected them: “I am baptizing you with water, but One mightier than I is coming” (Mt 3:11). Why was John baptizing “with water”? It was a long-standing element in Jewish purification rituals, for obvious reasons. Water cleanses and purifies; it also sustains life. Going all the way back to the Flood, the Jews knew that water figured prominently in salvation history. By John’s day, going down into water and rising up out of it represented a sinner’s desire to turn from sin, be cleansed from its effects, and start fresh. When Jesus appeared one day at the Jordan, why then did He take His place in line and submit to John’s baptism? Why would God’s Son need to participate in a ritual like this? Even the Baptist balked at this idea: “John tried to prevent Him.”

In a most dramatic way, Jesus demonstrated that He did not come only to be human like us. That was accomplished in the Incarnation. No, He became flesh and blood so that He could step into the place of sinners and accomplish what John’s baptism only symbolized. Water, all of its own, can’t wash away the ocean of human sin! That could only happen with the death of sin itself, represented in baptism by the penitent’s disappearance under the surface of the water. Sin’s consequences mean death; man’s rebellion against his Creator requires a just punishment. When that requirement is satisfied, the penitent is free. Jesus got baptized as His first public act of identification with man’s sin and His first step to defeat it, releasing all those held captive by it. That, of course, would require Him to be submerged into death, into the grave, into the netherworld—the Cross. His victory over those would be accomplished by His Resurrection; here it is symbolized by the opening of heaven and the descent of the Holy Spirit. In the old order, death meant the end, a dissolution. In the new order Jesus came to bring, death in the water of baptism means new life, a re-birth, a truly new and eternal start.

God spoke on the day of Jesus’ baptism: “This is My beloved Son, with Whom I am well-pleased.” All those re-born in the waters of baptism that Jesus has given to His Church receive this same expression of love and delight from our Father. Jesus makes it possible for all of us to be born again into the relationship God originally intended for man and woman, blurred and distorted now by sin. His baptism is not only with water but with “the Holy Spirit and fire.” It wipes away sin and implants divine life in us. John the Baptist knew his baptism could not accomplish that! In humility, he acknowledges this: “I need to be baptized by You, and yet You are coming to me?” Still, God allowed him to participate in the first public act of the Messiah for Whom he worked so tirelessly to prepare. What a blessed day that must have been for him.

Possible response: Lord Jesus, thank You for being willing to identify with my sins and failures. Help me to live each day in the newness of life You have made possible in baptism.

First Reading (Read Isa 42:1-4, 6-7)

God, through the prophet, Isaiah, foretold that someday His “servant … My chosen one with Whom I am well-pleased” would appear within human history. The description of this Servant was fulfilled most wonderfully in Jesus, Who began His public ministry on the day of his Baptism. He was tender and caring with those on the fringes of Jewish society (the bruised reeds and the smoldering wicks), whether because of illness, poverty, or sin. He worked to be a light to the blind of all nations, not just the Jews. It was a quiet work, often done in out-of-the-way places, in homes, on the side of a hill, or from a boat. It was most fitting that on the day of His Baptism, God used the words of this prophecy (“My chosen One with Whom I am well-pleased”) to confirm that Jesus was the long-expected Messiah, Who would “bring forth justice to the nations.” He came to set the prisoners free.

Possible response: Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Servant, Jesus, to rescue all of us from sin. Teach me to listen for His quiet voice today.

Psalm (read Ps 29:1-4, 9-10)

The psalmist calls us to “give the Lord glory and praise.” When we think about the work Jesus came to do for us, beginning with His Baptism, that’s exactly what we want to do! We know that because Jesus was willing to die for sinners, “The Lord will bless His people with peace.” See how the psalmist says, “The voice of the Lord is over the waters.” We know that at Creation, the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters as God spoke the earth and its inhabitants into being (see Gen 1:2). Our Gospel tells us that God spoke over the waters of Jesus’ Baptism; once again the Spirit moved “over the water,” this time to bring forth new life for man through Jesus, to be administered through our own baptism. This should move us to sing with the psalmist, “Give to the Lord the glory due His Name.

Possible response: The psalm is, itself, a response to our other readings. Read it again prayerfully to make it your own.

Second Reading (Read Acts 10:34-38)

Here we have an account of the sermon St. Peter preached to the Gentile, Cornelius, and “all those gathered in the house of Cornelius.” By a vision and with angelic direction, St. Peter was sent to this God-fearing non-Jew in order to begin to fulfill the long-standing prophecies that the Messiah would be a light to “all the nations.” St. Peter declares that “God shows no partiality.” As St. Peter describes the ministry of Jesus to Cornelius and the others, we see that he locates the beginning of this work on the day we are celebrating liturgically today, the Baptism of the Lord, when “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.” As of that day, “He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Through baptism in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (all three of Whom are mentioned here), the Church has offered this same liberation for over 2000 years. God is still proclaiming “peace through Jesus.” He is still welcoming all those re-born in the waters of baptism as His beloved children with whom He is “well-pleased.”

Possible response: Heavenly Father, please help me to live as a child with whom You are “well-pleased,” trusting Your Son and accepting His gift of salvation.

Jesus the Servant: Appointed and Approved

by Dr. Mark Giszczak on January 10, 2014 ·

It is easy for us to take justice for granted in our society with courts, appellate courts, judges, lawyers, prisons, laws, and constitutions. We rarely personally feel the sting of injustice. I like to look back on an earlier time, the Old West, when, at least in all of the fictional presentations, a strong sheriff with integrity in town is necessary for the enactment of justice. Without the sheriff, bandits and outlaws can rob banks, steal cattle and wreak havoc. Sin is the same way—it makes a moral mess of our lives and imprisons us by addiction. We need a powerful and righteous deliverer to free us from its chains.

January 12, 2014, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7

The Suffering Servant

This Sunday’s reading from Isaiah 42 portrays the Lord’s “Suffering Servant,” who will bring justice not only to the people of Israel, but to the Gentiles as well. Isaiah contains four so-called “servant songs” (42:1-7; 49:1-13; 50:4-9; 52:13–53:12) which describe this heroic figure. This first song explains the calling of the Suffering Servant: He serves the Lord. He is upheld by the Lord. He delights the Lord. And the spirit of the Lord is upon him—just like the spirit of the Lord came upon the judges and kings of old. The Lord has appointed the Suffering Servant to fulfill a mission—bringing justice to the Gentiles (nations).

A Rescue Mission

This mission is like the mission of a just sheriff, but in the ancient world the chief law-enforcer or justice-bringer would be the king. Part of his job was to make sure that people were dealt with fairly at all levels of society, that cases were adjudicated correctly and that the poor were not oppressed. The Suffering Servant appears as a kind of Messianic king—one who will come to free people from oppression and establish the reign of justice. The Hebrew word here for justice is mishpat, which comes from the same root as “judge”—as in Gideon, Samson, etc.—in the Old Testament. So this appointed representative of God will bring justice, but he will also act with mercy. The text says “a bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench” (Isa 42:3). These images show him acting with clemency, not severity. He does not come to crush, but to rescue those who are oppressed and broken.

Land and Law

A few details help complete the picture of this messianic figure. He will bring justice “on the earth,” but these words could just as easily be translated as “in the land,” the land of Israel of course (42:4). Also, the people are waiting for his “teachings” (NAB), but this word, torah, is normally translated as “law,” and is used to name the first five books of the Bible: the Torah. If we opt for “land” and “law” in translation, we can see more clearly how Isaiah is portraying the Suffering Servant as a king—one who establishes law-based rule in a particular place. These kingly images and references to places are meant to point to a much greater, more spiritual fulfillment.

Jesus as Fulfillment

The Gospel of Matthew twice points us to how Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 42. Matthew 12:18-20 actually quotes Isaiah 42:1-3 to explain why Jesus kept his messianic role somewhat secret during his ministry: he would not cry aloud in the streets. Again, in the Gospel reading for today, Matthew 3:13-17 points to this passage. Jesus insists on John the Baptist baptizing him “in order to fulfill all righteousness” – an allusion perhaps to the justice-bringing mission of the Suffering Servant. Also, when God the Father speaks from the heavens at Jesus’ baptism, he quotes Isaiah 42:1, calling Jesus the one “with whom I am well pleased.” The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows that Jesus is fulfilling the Suffering Servant prophecies of Isaiah. The Messianic king whom God appoints to bring justice to the Gentiles is Jesus himself. He is a new kind of king who comes to vanquish the power of sin and establish God’s righteous law in our hearts. Jesus will also open the eyes of the blind and free prisoners from the dark confinement of sin. Indeed he will even be “a covenant of the people” (Isa 42:6). Normally covenants are not thought of as people, but Jesus embodies the New Covenant as priest, king, and sacrificial victim. He will perfectly fulfill man’s covenantal responsibility to God.

Appointed and Approved

Two features of the Suffering Servant passage stand out for me. First, the Servant is appointed by God. Repeatedly, the prophet emphasizes how God has called the Servant for his particular mission. The Suffering Servant is not a lone ranger with a good idea, rather he is appointed to his role by the only ultimately legitimate authority: God himself. This aspect of the Suffering Servant is crucial for us who are trying to model our own lives after the pattern of Jesus. Jesus was sent, appointed, called by God. We too need to find God’s calling for our own lives. In fact, the word “vocation” comes from the Latin vocare, the verb for “calling.” The meaning of our work, our family relationships, our role in this world is derived from God’s calling on our lives. Second, the Suffering Servant is approved by God. The Lord not only calls him, but he delights in him. The Lord is pleased with his Servant. Jesus says, “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt 22:14).

It is possible to be called, to have a vocation, but not to be living out that calling rightly, not to be approved by God. Once we discover God’s calling on our lives, we want God to delight in us, to be pleased with us, to approve of us, because by his grace we are faithful to his calling. In fact, God wants to delight in us, joyfully encouraging every small step we make toward him. He rejoices at even our most imperfect turnings toward him. Let us pray for the grace to recognize how God is calling us and to let him delight in us.

One Bread One Body

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Español

All Issues > Volume 30, Issue 1

<< Sunday, January 12, 2014 >>

Baptism of Jesus

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
Acts 10:34-38
View Readings

Psalm 29:1-4, 9-10
Matthew 3:13-17
Similar Reflections

GIVE IN

"Give in for now. We must do this if we would fulfill all of God's demands." —Matthew 3:15

The first words of Jesus in the New Testament are: "Give in" (Mt 3:15). Usually, when we hear this command, we are being stubborn, selfish, and rebellious. However, when Jesus told John the Baptizer to give in, it was in a different context. Jesus told John to give in and baptize Him, that is, to do something John was not worthy of doing. In a similar context, Jesus commands us to give in. For example, before we receive Holy Communion, we say: "Lord, I am not worthy to receive You" (see Mt 8:8). Then we give in and receive Communion despite our unworthiness.

Jesus calls us to follow Him in bringing justice to the nations (Is 42:1), opening the eyes of the blind, bringing out prisoners from confinement (Is 42:7), and healing all who are in the grip of the devil (Acts 10:38). We feel inadequate and unworthy to accomplish these great plans the Lord has for us, but the Lord tells us to "give in." We may not feel like much, but the Lord commands us to give in and believe we are children of God, loved and favored by Him, and empowered by the Holy Spirit (see Mt 3:16-17). On this last day of the Christmas season, give in and renew the face of the earth (Ps 104:30).

Prayer: Father, I believe deeply that You are my Father and that You love me. May this faith change every detail of my life.

Promise: "Here is My Servant Whom I uphold, My chosen One with Whom I am pleased, upon Whom I have put My Spirit." —Is 42:1

Praise: Alleluia! Thank You, Holy Spirit, for Christmas! Alleluia!

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Marriage=One Man and One Woman 'Til Death Do Us Part