Deacon Tom Anthony

 

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