Tag: John the Baptist

Posted on

Happy Pause

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Third Sunday of Advent Mass Readings

First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-6A, 10
Responsorial: Psalm 146:6-10
Second Reading: James 5:7-10
Gospel: Matthew 11:2-11

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/121519.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

Happy Gaudete Sunday! Today marks halfway through Advent, and so we celebrate because the Messiah is near! It’s like when you’re dieting or fasting, and you give yourself a “cheat day” – a day to pause. We can use the break in our diet, for example, to celebrate what we’ve accomplished so far. Maybe this break can help us see where we’re trying to get to and so motivates us to keep pushing ahead.

Maybe we can look at Gaudete Sunday in the same way – a break from all the introspection and self-reflection we’ve been doing this Advent. So many of the readings we’ve listened to this Advent have encouraged us to be patient. Indeed, our second reading from James today counsels that we should be patient with each other as well, not complaining or gossiping about people. Let’s be honest, after a while all this waiting can be quite frustrating! So, a break is a healthy and welcomed respite.

We pause to remind ourselves why we are going through this Advent so that we can face the time to come with fierce determination to welcome Jesus home – to welcome him into our lives.

But who is Jesus? Is he really who he says he is? That’s precisely the question that John the Baptist seems to be mulling over to himself while he’s in prison. Did he really have doubts? Remember, this is after John baptizes Jesus and after he witnesses the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon him. Can he really after witnessing what he saw have doubts?

Well of course a very correct way of looking at John the Baptist is that through his question which he gave to his disciples to give to Jesus might have been designed to help lead them to Jesus, because that’s the heart of John’s ministry, isn’t it? He’s supposed to prepare the way for the Lord by giving the people knowledge of salvation, right? We find that in the Canticle of Zechariah Luke 1:76-77. So, can he really be having any doubts?

Let’s follow where that question leads for just a little bit. Can a person have doubts after having an encounter with Jesus Christ? Well, the short answer is yes, a person can. I see it all the time and I’ve experienced it myself, too. How many of us, for example, when someone close to us passes away hasn’t looked up and wagged your finger to heaven saying, “You’d better be there”?

Perhaps having doubts or second thoughts is natural – a normal part of being a human being. I mean, doubts must creep into our thoughts from time to time. Normal…but is it healthy?

G.K. Chesterton wrote, “There is the prevalence of a sort of casual and even conversational skepticism, making even the idle thoughts of an idle fellow busy in the interests of doubt and despair. I mean that a man, without thinking at all, will throw off some flippant phrase which is always (by a strange fatality) a sort of feeble revolt against all traditional truth.”

Do you mind if I read that again? “There is the prevalence of a sort of casual and even conversational skepticism, making even the idle thoughts of an idle fellow busy in the interests of doubt and despair. I mean that a man, without thinking at all, will throw off some flippant phrase which is always (by a strange fatality) a sort of feeble revolt against all traditional truth.”

Okay, as per usual, Chesterton delivers a full course meal in a small package! There’s so much here to discuss, but I want to focus in on a few points. Chesterton says, “I mean that a man, without thinking at all…” What does he mean by that?

Well, idle thoughts are different from actual thinking because, as Chesterton tells us, “Thinking means connecting things.” Idle thoughts then are disconnected. Doubts are random. There is no thinking when there is no philosophical foundation producing the ideas. Heavy, right? Too often so many of us experience a buffet of superficial thoughts and we seem to be getting so much better at creating the superficial all the time especially with the help of reality TV, social media and cable news programs. We keep our thinking on the surface and rarely if ever go down into the deep.

Perhaps Holy Mother Church presents this reading to us today to suggest that if we experience doubts, we’re in good company. So, by pausing from the austerity of Advent for a moment, we can find the courage to lay down our doubts. We are reminded that it is to the Messiah that our lives are directed. Jesus is the Messiah – the one has come to heal us of our wounds – perhaps they’re physical impairments or physical wounds, or perhaps they are deep emotional wounds. These wounds – this pain can totally consume our lives and prevent us from being present to the people around us, like our families and our friends. These wounds can prevent us from becoming the people God made us to be.

So, on this Gaudete Sunday, we are reminded that we need to let Jesus purify our lives. We need to get to reconciliation and invite in the Holy Spirit. We need to give up our pain and allow ourselves to be healed. Yes, we are getting excited about celebrating Jesus’ birthday on the 25th, but we pause today to celebrate with great joy for the coming of Jesus Christ.

Homework! I encourage you to reflect on the following three questions this week – yes three questions. It’s hard not to receive extra homework when Chesterton is about!

  1. First, do I have doubts? If yes, invite the Holy Spirit in through prayer to help you lay down your doubts.
  2. Second, do I have any wounds – any pain that distracts me from time to time. If yes, ask the Holy Spirit for the grace to lay your wounds down at the foot of the cross so that you can get on with the life God has given you.
  3. Third, ask yourself, “As I look around me now, can I sense that light, that holy presence here, and invite God’s joyful light into my life?”

I think by doing our homework, we, as disciples, can re-commit ourselves to the task of joyfully preparing for the coming of Jesus. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples!

One quick announcement before we part. Beginning in 2020, we’re adding a second day of reflections! Every Wednesday I’ll be sharing a reflection on some aspect of the Church’s teachings. If you have questions that you’d like for me to answer or thoughts about topics I should tackle first, please drop me a line to rudy @ deaconrudysnotes .org. I’ll work through your suggestions first, and I’ll supplement by going through the Catechism of the Catholic Church on weeks when I don’t receive any. Sound good? Good!

The Lord be with you. May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

References:

  1. Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel Of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2014.
  2. Lectio Divina Of The Gospels. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2019.

Catechism Links:

  1. John the Baptist, 523 http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p122a3p3.htm#523, and 717-720 http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c3a8.htm#717
  2. Signs of the Kingdom, 547-549 http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p122a3p3.htm#547

Mass Readings:

First Reading
Isaiah 35:1-6A, 10
The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.

Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
they will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee.
Responsorial
Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10.
R. (cf. Is 35:4) Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD God keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Second Reading
James 5:7-10
Be patient, brothers and sisters,
until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth,
being patient with it
until it receives the early and the late rains.
You too must be patient.
Make your hearts firm,
because the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another,
that you may not be judged.
Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.
Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters,
the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Alleluia Isaiah 61:1 (Cited in Luke 4:18)
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Matthew 11:2-11
When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ,
he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,
“Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”

As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
“What did you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in fine clothing?
Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why did you go out? To see a prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Posted on

A Voice Crying Out in the Wilderness

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Second Sunday of Advent Mass Readings

First Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10
Responsorial: Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
Second Reading: Romans 15:4-9
Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120819.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

“It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths,’” (Matthew 3:3).

Can you imagine it? It’s a calm day and you’re going about your business when something unusual breaks the quiet. A man with bushy hairy wearing an animal skin outfit and cinched about the waist with a strap of leather, and who eats locusts and honey, and who has a wild look in his eyes steps out onto the street and begins to yell. How would you react? What would you think about him? I’d liken him to one of those guys you might see every now and then wearing sandwich boards signs that read, “Repent! The end is near!” I tell you I’d think he was a bloody loon! And yet, people were drawn to John the Baptist – they were drawn to his message of repentance and forgiveness in preparation for the coming of the Lord.

Why? I believe it’s because sometimes we can’t see what’s directly in front of us. Sometimes we are so caught up in the mechanics of our lives or so numbed in our modern time by what we see on the news or in shows or movies that we are blind to the truth. Sometimes it takes a dramatic event, not unlike jumping into freezing cold water, to wake us up. John the Baptist was that “splash of cold water” that some of the people in Judea needed to start waking up from their slumber. It’s that whole idea of the blue pill or red pill from the Matrix.

Some people are content going about their lives without giving any real thought to their lives or their futures in this life or the next. As long as everything works out reasonably consistent with their plan, they are content to go about their everyday lives ignoring the hunger in their hearts – ignoring the nagging question, “is this all there is?” In comes John the Baptist saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2).

People – perhaps those with a burning hunger in their hearts that could not be satisfied with possessions, relationships, alcohol, pornography, food or sex. Those who understood that only God can fill the holes in their hearts were drawn to the Baptist. But they weren’t the only ones drawn to him. Scripture says that many of the Sadducees and Pharisees were coming to his baptism. Now, we don’t know their motivation. We do not know if they were really coming to be baptized by the son of the priest Zechariah, or if they were coming out of curiosity. Either way, John catches sight of them and begins rebuking them.

He calls out, “You brood of vipers!” (Matthew 3:7), and he tells them, “Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance,” (Matthew 3:8), implying they were not coming to be baptized with right intention. He challenges them to provide evidence for their conversion by producing fruit. Now this is key. He is not telling them that they need to produce fruit to be reconciled or in order to be saved. There is nothing – nothing we can do to earn our way into heaven! Salvation is an unmerited gift freely given. But if they repent, if they believe if they really believe that God would save them, then their lives should be totally transformed.

The love of God should reverberate in their lives the way a stone breaks the surface of a still pond sending ripples out in every direction. And if it doesn’t? John warns that, “…every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire,” (Matthew 3:10). He goes on to say that, “…one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals…He will…gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire,” (Matthew 3:11-12).

Whoa!

The message of John the Baptist is not limited to a specific point of time. His words echo across time and space and meet each of us on our journeys right here, right now. Holy Mother Church presents this reading at this time of year as a sort of splash of cold water to get our attention. Advent is not only a time to slow down. Advent is also a time for a little introspection – call it an end of the year review or a status check if that makes it easier. The point is that we who are baptized should live lives consumed by the love of God, because as St. Paul tells us, “yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me,” (Galatians 2:20). We should allow the love of God to transform how we behave amongst our families, friends and strangers, how we conduct ourselves in public and online, and how we manage our jobs and businesses. How do we do that? Well, that leads me to homework!

After having received the Word of God proclaimed and the Eucharist, I encourage you to reflect on the following questions.

  1. First, ask yourself, what are the things that keep me distracted from hearing the voice crying out from the wilderness?
  2. Second, how is my baptismal call countercultural?

I think if we do these things, they will stimulate a little introspection to help us as we prepare not just to celebrate the memorial of Christmas, but to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ Jesus. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

References

  1. Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel Of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2014.
  2. Lectio Divina Of The Gospels. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2019.

Catechism Links:

  1. St. John the Baptist, 523 http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p122a3p3.htm#523
  2. John’s baptism of repentance, 535 http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p122a3p3.htm#535
  3. Christ’s baptism, 535 http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p122a3p3.htm#535
  4. Baptism in Christ, 1227 http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p2s2c1a1.htm#1227
  5. The effects of Baptism, 1262 http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p2s2c1a1.htm#1262
  6. Baptism makes us adopted son of God, 1265 http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/1265.htm

Mass Readings

First Reading
Isaiah 11:1-10
On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
a spirit of counsel and of strength,
a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide,
but he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra’s den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.
On that day, the root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
the Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.

Responsorial
Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
R. (cf. 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
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. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
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. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
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. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
May his name be blessed forever;
as long as the sun his name shall remain.
In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.

Second Reading
Romans 15:4-9
Brothers and sisters:
Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction,
that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures
we might have hope.
May the God of endurance and encouragement
grant you to think in harmony with one another,
in keeping with Christ Jesus,
that with one accord you may with one voice
glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you,
for the glory of God.
For I say that Christ became a minister of the circumcised
to show God’s truthfulness,
to confirm the promises to the patriarchs,
but so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
As it is written:
Therefore, I will praise you among the Gentiles
and sing praises to your name.

Alleluia Luke 3:4, 6
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths:
all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Matthew 3:1-12
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea
and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
A voice of one crying out in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
John wore clothing made of camel’s hair
and had a leather belt around his waist.
His food was locusts and wild honey.
At that time Jerusalem, all Judea,
and the whole region around the Jordan
were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees
coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.
And do not presume to say to yourselves,
‘We have Abraham as our father.’
For I tell you,
God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees.
Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit
will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
I am baptizing you with water, for repentance,
but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.
I am not worthy to carry his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand.
He will clear his threshing floor
and gather his wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Posted on

13 The Baptism of the Lord

John the Baptist baptising Jesus Christ in a river

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Hello! Today we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Today’s Gospel comes from Luke 3:15-16, and 21-22. There is so much going on in today’s readings! We can’t possibly cover them all in the few minutes we have together, but hopefully this podcast will serve as a good supplement to what you hear preached this weekend in church. So let’s jump right in!

So John is baptizing people. Interesting footnote: neither John nor Jesus invented baptism. The ritual purification of sins by bating had been practiced by the Jews for centuries and is the equivalent to our Sacrament of Reconciliation.<1> But John preached that this bath was necessary to prepare for the coming of the Messiah.

Now, the question that people often ask is, if Jesus is just like you and just like me in every way except sin, why does He need to be baptized by John? Why does He need to enter this sin-cleansing ritual?

Well, on one level, if John is telling people they must be baptized to access the Messiah, then Jesus entering the water is a way of his signaling to the rest of us that God is not asking us to do anything that Jesus is not willing to do. Jesus entering the pool and the heavens opening up so that God’s grace poured down affirms that baptism is the way to enter into this community – the way to enter the Church.

On another level, Jesus entering the pool and accepting baptism by John was His acceptance of God’s will for His life and it marked the beginning of his mission as God’s suffering Servant. He subjects himself to John in baptism just like He will subject himself to those who would later crucify him.

Also, Jesus enters this water that is ritually filled with the sins of the people. He immerses Himself in the water and He carries these sins with Him all the way to the cross. Out of love, He consented to His baptism of death for the remission of our sins.

As we end this Christmas season and begin Ordinary Time, we do so knowing that, in our own Baptism, we become the adoptive sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, members of His Church. This means that we, too, are called to humbly submit ourselves to God’s wise and loving plan for our lives.

On the day of our Baptism, as Pope St. John Paul II explains, we were anointed with the Oil of Catechumens, the sign of Christ’s gentle strength, to fight against evil. Blessed water was poured over us, an effective sign of interior purification through the gift of the Holy Spirit. We were then anointed with Chrism to show that we were thus consecrated in the image of Jesus, the Father’s Anointed One. The candle lighted from the Paschal Candle was a symbol of the light of Faith which our parents and godparents must have continually safeguarded and nourished with the life-giving grace of the Spirit.<2>

The Church teaches that, “Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door which gives access to the other Sacraments,” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1213). So we are challenged by the Gospel to grow in our baptism every day. Today then is a good day to pause and to review our baptismal promises.

During baptism, we are asked, or for infant baptism our parents and godparents were asked, “Do you believe in God the Father, the maker of heaven and earth?” In other words, do you believe in God – that there is a God and that you are not that God?

The second question, “Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?” In other words, do you believe that, although you are not God, the one who is equal to God did not think being in the form of God was anything to be clung to, so emptied Himself, taking on the form of a servant and becoming human like all other human beings (Philippians 2:6–7)? Can you believe that what you and I are, a creature, is so powerful, so important, so wonderful that God has chosen to be a creature along with you?

And finally, “Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting?” That the Spirit and the Church are linked in this third question is significant. Do you believe that the Spirit of God is present in the world, not first and foremost in you or in me, but in us? In other words, do you believe that the Spirit dwells primarily not in individuals but rather in the community – in the Church? It’s not enough to drink a cup of coffee on your porch, watch the sun rise and say to yourself, “I’ve praised and worshipped God.” If we are physically able to go to Church, then through our baptism we are called to be part of the community and present every weekend. If we are not physically able to go to church, then we should let the church know. There are ways to watch the mass on television or via the internet, but the church would like to send someone to you to bring you the Eucharist so that even at home, you’re connected to the community.<3>

At various times throughout the year, our liturgy begins with a sprinkling rite, where the priests and deacons go out into the community sprinkling us with water. So, too, has it long been a custom for people to bless themselves with holy water when entering a church. These are reminders and reaffirmations of our baptism. It’s a way for us to recommit ourselves to baptism again and again. At every stage of our lives, we are called to discover anew what baptism really demands of us.

Homework! After having been nourished by the Word of God proclaimed and by the Eucharist, please reflect on these questions:

  1. First, what does it mean to believe in a God a that is not you?
  2. Second, what does it mean to believe in your own holiness and goodness?
  3. Finally, what are some ways this year that you can deepen in your baptismal promises? Some examples might be going to mass on a regular basis and perhaps an occasional daily mass; going to confession once a month; joining a faith formation or Bible study program at your parish or through a trustworthy online source.

You’ll find the homework in the notes for this podcast or on the website, deaconrudysnotes.org. I think by doing our homework, we can be mindful of our baptism and we can challenge ourselves to grow in our faith so that we can be better disciples of Jesus Christ. Do you get it? Well, good! May each of us grow in our baptism through the grace of Jesus Christ. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. +Amen!

Notes
<1> Until the fall of the Temple in 70 AD, it was common for Jewish people to use a special pool called a Mikveh – literally a “collection of water” – as a means of spiritual cleansing, to remove spiritual impurity and sin. Men took this bath weekly on the eve of the Sabbath. Women, took this ritual bath monthly. Converts were also expected to take this bath before entering Judaism. To this day, the Orthodox Jews still retain the rite. See also: The Gospel of Luke, by Pablo T. Gadenz, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, a Division of Baker Publishing Group, 2018, 81-83.
<2> John Paul II, “Feast of the Baptism of the Lord,” Vatican Website, January 7, 2001, para. 2, accessed January 12, 2018, http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/homilies/2001/documents/hf_jp-ii_hom_20010107_baptism.html
<3> “Rite of Baptism for Children.” In The Rites of the Catholic Church, the Roman Ritual Revised by Decree of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and Published by the Authority of Pope Paul VI. Study ed. Vol. 1. 2 vols., 360-466. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1990.

Further reading
Himes, Michael J. The Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism. Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2004.