The Baptism of the Lord

Lectionary: 21

Reading I

Isaiah 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.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 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 II

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.”

Alleluia

Cf. Mark 9:7

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered:
This is my beloved Son, listen to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 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.”

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

Today marks the end of the Christmas Season and the Church’s entrance into Ordinary.  It is also the day we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord This mystery, a previous mentioned, is also revealed during the Epiphany, along with the Birth of Jesus and the Wedding Feast at Cana. Jesus’ baptism was an event mentioned in all four Gospels, documented by the authors, and is an event that we are encouraged to examine in relation to our own faith-lives. Jesus did not need to be baptized. In fact, when He knelt in the waters in preparation, John the Baptist initially refused, exclaiming, “You should be baptizing me.” Jesus’ response was that it was necessary for them to fulfill “all righteousness.” In other words, Jesus was doing this to serve as an example for all of us to follow. John the Baptist was performing a baptism of repentance. Even though this type of baptism was not necessary after the arrival of Jesus, the need for repentance remained. It is repentance, the commitment to change one’s ways, that is necessary for a changing of heart, conversation, and ultimately salvation. Without these things occurring, how can salvation be given or even experienced by us? The world has received revelation through Jesus Christ and it must either be recognized or ignored at some point, which will then prepare us for Final Judgement.  The Holy Trinity was also revealed in its entirety for the first time in the history of creation: The Son was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended, and the Father spoke so to give authority to Jesus.

 

The Apostle Peter spoke today about there being no partiality with God and that conducting oneself rightly along with a fear of God is where we can enter into a relationship with Him. Without these things, sin will always get in the way, along with our pride and ego. Fearing God prevents us from sinning; not because of the consequences but more because there should be a fear of disappointing God. This is a good way to approach sin and Christian Conduct. Sin can be re-defined as disappointing God, instead of turning away from Him or ignoring Him. Just as a child gets upset when disappointing their parents, so must we at disappointing God. +When we do disappoint Him, which we will, there is a process of forgiveness and redemption that has been developed to bring us back into right relationship with God. These actions by us both prepare ourselves for receiving forgiveness and empower us to go forward as new creations transformed by the forgiving experience. It is not the actions that lead us to the result. It is the actions that prepare us to receive the result, because the result was always here in the first place with the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It just has to be claimed, much like our birthright as Children of God.

 

After Jesus was baptized, He immediately withdrew into the desert to suffer temptation for 40 days. As Christians, how do we prepare ourselves each day to face the evils of this world and to combat our own temptations. It is healthy to ask ourselves if we are doing enough to prepare ourselves for rough waters ahead or to be continuously transformed by the Christian Experience. Christianity is not a destination, it is a way of life revealed through Jesus Christ, who is indeed the son of God. I state this again today to emphasize the point that our faith was founded by Jesus Himself. The expectations set forth as a result of us being Christian, were revealed by Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church was established by the same Jesus Christ. Just as these things might sound obvious to us now, what Peter said may have been the same. Just as it was then, the same problem persists now: Just because something is obvious and acknowledged, does not mean there will not be those who refuse to follow it, instead choosing the easier path. This is not uncommon. I firmly believe all of us reading this letter today can relate to that: no one is perfect and we all fall short, but for the grace of God.

 

Keeping these things in mind, we must always work on our foundation and continuously “get back to the basics.” It is here where certain things can be recognized and acted upon. During Jesus’ baptism, God gave Jesus complete authority over us and His creation. We learn of Jesus’ authority and His expectations through Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church. We can then receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit by remaining in Communion with God to strengthen us in our journey through life. These things can be monumental tasks of we approach them with any pride and ego whatsoever. If we remove those, then our walls of resistance will soon come down. There is a difference being with Jesus Christ and not being with Jesus Christ. When all distractions are forced out and the focus becomes Jesus Christ, things will always get better.

 

Renewal, commitment, and a dedication to our faith are the keys to a deep relationship with God. Prayer, worship, and Sacred Scripture add cement to the foundation. Repentance gives us the opportunity to be forgiven and do better. It all starts with recognizing who Jesus is and how much of an impact will we let Him have on our lives.

 

Deacon Tom

 

The Epiphany of the Lord

Lectionary: 20

Reading I

Is 60:1-6

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem!  Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.

Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

R.(cf. 11)  Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

 

Reading II

Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6

Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God's grace 
that was given to me for your benefit, 
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations 
as it has now been revealed
to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

 

Alleluia

Mt 2:2

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mt 2:1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod, 
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 
"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage."
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled, 
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, 
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, 
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel."
Then Herod called the magi secretly 
and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 
"Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word, 
that I too may go and do him homage."
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, 
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures 
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, 
they departed for their country by another way.

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 It is very true that we live within a broken world. We ourselves can be considered broken people who, if it wasn’t for Jesus Christ, would be lost and consumed by this same world.  The Christmas Season continues with this acknowledgement. If we were not sinful and broken, then there would be no need for Jesus Christ, thus we would all be in a continuous state of grace and in a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. There is a true wantonness for this from God. That is why He sent His only son to suffer, die, and to be resurrected for our salvation and redemption. The methodology for us to receive the forgiveness for our sins and for us to obtain eternal life is first ask for forgiveness, then we must also repent (a changing of our ways). Committing ourselves to doing better in the future sets us on the right path and naturally opens ourselves up to God as a direct result. This can be termed metanoia, or a “change of mind.” A confession of sin can lead to metanoia or metanoia can lead to a confession of sin. Regardless of which is done first, the different roads lead to the same result. Through a relationship with Jesus Christ, we can all achieve both

 

. In the First Scripture Reading today, God gives us a vision of Him through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Light always overcomes darkness and that light is Jesus Christ. We learn that, reference to light leads us back to Jesus Christ. This concept is enforced by the Apostle John:

 

“What came to be through him was life, and this life was the life of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.”

 

What a beautiful message and a beautiful vision, enforcing a promise of, not only salvation, but a total transformative experience. Metanoia is only the beginning. A person’s mind cannot be the only thing to change when someone is affected.. Whatever one part of a person does, (mind, body, sprit), the other two parts usually follow, being led by the first part. If our thought change, our body and soul will follow. We cannot separate the three parts of us and expect that the action of one part will not have an influence on the others. We do not have the capability of sealing off one from the other. Yes, we can ignore and even devalue, but we can never “cut it off” from a that which is part of a complete person. With God comes all of the gifts of grace and the Holy Spirit. These supernatural things will affect us, if we let God do the work that He promised to do.

 

It is alluded to further that with an absence of Jesus Christ, the darkness returns. The three Magi traveled a great distance to pay homage to the Child Jesus, They were Medes, a priestly class from the Persian Empire. They followed the designated star for over 900 miles until they arrived in Bethlehem. The Medes were well known for their Astrology, and the reading of constellations in the night sky. Yet, here they were following a star to pay homage to a supposed king with an understanding that He was also a priest and prophet. Their race and religion offered no barriers to their salvation, making us understand that there are also no barriers to our salvation; only the ones that we create ourselves. The Magi, being who they were, knew fully well what the scripture readings from the prophet Isaiah entailed. It wasn’t promising a king, but someone and something far greater. It was fitting that they were the first few to understand it without the truth being revealed to them by someone else. They then accepted the truth and went to pay him homage. That truth can be revealed to us in a variety of ways, but usually not with what can be considered Divine Revelation. Interestingly enough, all the Magi were foreigners, not Jewish, and did not even worship God. Yet, they came bearing gifts and prophecy.  

 

Our faith-life will always be brought back to the manger because of what it represents. It is a dogma of our faith that the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us. It is also a Dogma that He is the Son of God. Not minimizing this, can bring increase the impact of this Christmas Season with us and gradually encourage us to stop reducing God to a secondary roll in our lives. As the star guided the Magi and as the light shines from Jerusalem, so too can Jesus Chrise shine in our hearts, bring about a change of everything; our body, our mind, and our soul.

 

Deacon Tom