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First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
Responsorial: Psalm 104:1-30
Second Reading: Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7
Gospel: Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010922.cfm
Today we celebrate the baptism of the Lord. And it gives us an opportunity to reflect on some aspects of our own baptism.
You know, we just came through Christmas, and we’ve already reflected on the Incarnation and the Nativity. Right? We said that God loves you and loves me so much that he’s willing to enter into the chaos of our lives. Why? Why does God want to enter our world?
Because he wants to save us, right? He wants all of us to be saved. That’s his great desire. Not that everyone in the world will be saved. We’re not talking about universalism. But he desires everyone to be saved. That’s what Paul is talking about. In today’s reading his letter to Titus. He’s exploring that desire of God to save us. That should be enough to convert us so that we begin to live a life of virtue that Paul starts to talk about that in Titus. Jesus is the manifestation of God’s desire to save us all.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is baptized by water, and the veil that separates heaven and Earth pulls apart, and we hear God say, “You are my beloved.” The apostles and the first disciples imitate what they see and they go out and baptize new believers. To this day, Christians across denominations baptize new believers, and by our baptism, you and I become adopted sons and daughters. of God. Just like God says to Jesus, “You are my beloved,” so too does God say to you, and God says to me, “You are my beloved.”
Whoa! That’s pretty amazing! It’s astonishing to me because there have been times in my life when I did not feel very beloved. There was a time in my life when I totally bought into what the world says beauty and success look like. And you know, that’s a real challenge for me because nothing I do is going to transform me into a six-foot-tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed cut guy. It’s not going to happen. Sorry, Gold’s Gym!
The other problem that I faced during this time of year is that I would create all these New Year’s resolutions that were completely unattainable – totally false. I would invest my time, my effort, and my money chasing a fantasy. And that’s exactly what the devil wants me to do. The Devil wants me to be a true believer who is so busy I end up doing nothing.
But my brothers or sisters, I have good news! Our baptism sets us free – free from all those false images of beauty free from all those false images of success that we see on TV and in the movies.
But wait, there’s more. Our baptism unites us into a community of believers. And that’s awesome because I don’t have to walk this journey alone. And God didn’t place me in a community so that I could just put my head down and be quiet. No, Jesus engaged the apostles and the disciples. And so too, we have to engage one another. And that’s wonderful because maybe there’s something you have – some gifts or some talent that can help me become the best version of myself. And maybe there’s something I can offer you that can help you become the best version of yourself. And so, we help each other and as a community, we flourish according to God’s design.
But wait, there’s more! What did Jesus do after His baptism? He went out into the world to spread the good news. He did miracles, He ministered to people. And so, we to have an opportunity to reach outside of our parish to other people, because the world is full of people who are anxious, who are scared, who have this desire to believe in something bigger than themselves, but they’re not sure what to do. We have an opportunity to reach out to them.
But how do we do that?
We do that by participating in our own parish community. Our bulletin is full of all sorts of opportunities. Why do we do these things? Why do we have Christmas with Santa or the Christmas Encuentro? Or later this week we have the Lunch & Learn and later this month country dancing? Why do we have all these activities planned all the way through to Vianney Fest in October? Why do we do that? We do them for lots of reasons. But one of the reasons we do that is so that we can meet each other. You see, there are so many new faces in our parish community, and so many people are moving into the area. We want to create opportunities where we can meet each other and build relationships with each other
Why? Because maybe one of us might say to our new friend, “Hey, I noticed you signed up for Deacon Gene’s class that’s about to start where they’re going to unpack the scriptural foundation of the Mass. I was afraid to go along but because you signed up, I’ll go with you.” Or later this year, when we start doing street evangelization, you might say to your new friend, “Whoa, you’re going to go out and give out rosaries and pray with people on the street? That freaks me out! But if you do it, I’ll do it!” If we work together in our community, imagine the amazing things we can do.
And God has blessed us with the wonderful facilities here at St. John Vianney. I know it’s a patchwork of facilities, but they’re still wonderful. It’s a foundation where we can come to, to help ourselves, to help each other, and to reach out. But it requires our work, right? It requires all of us to take care of it and to donate our time. We have to donate our talents and we have to make financial contributions to the parish. Other churches bring speakers. It costs money to bring speakers. It costs money to put on retreats. It’s going to cost us some money to do St Paul Street Evangelization.
One day wouldn’t it be nice if all the lights up there? See all those lights that are out? If you’ve ever been down this road right next to the church at night, you might have noticed it has no lighting and no signage. Wouldn’t it be nice if it had proper lighting and signage so the visitors to our campus could actually find the PAC or the Vianney Center or St. Francis? Wouldn’t it be nice when we walk out those doors if the Marian garden was restored? Wouldn’t it be nice if the labyrinth down at the end of the property was restored? And those two stations of the cross that have fallen over? Wouldn’t it be nice if they were reset in concrete the way they’re supposed to be? And there’s no lighting down there and that would be kind of nice.
The point is none of those things should be any one person’s responsibility. It takes all of us working together. Somebody in the community might say, “You know what? I don’t have time and I don’t have money. But I know how to design a garden. That’s what I do. And I can design a garden for you that integrates with the irrigation and the electrical, so I’ll donate that.” Someone else might say, “I can’t physically do the work, but I’ll write a check and I’ll help pay for that garden.” And someone else might say, “I have all the time in the world. I’ll plant all the bushes you want” or “I know how to do electrical work so I can do some of the light electrical projects around the property.” Wouldn’t that be awesome? That just a few examples. But it takes all of us working together and being willing to step up and own our baptism.
Are you willing to approach Father and say, “Father, what do you need to help us be successful and accomplish our mission as a parish?” If we work together, imagine the hearts that we could save! Our baptism sets us free from all the false images the world throws at us. Our baptism unites us with other believers. And our baptism empowers us to reach out into this world to bring a message of hope to people who desperately need to hear it.
Homework, nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I ask you to reflect on one New Year’s resolution. Whether you’re a student in high school or college, or you’re a retiree at home, we all got to do it.
Find a mirror in your home. Walk up to that mirror look yourself in the eye and say to yourself, “You are beloved. You are part of a community. What are you going to do this year to help your community? You are beloved. You are part of a community. What are you going to do this year to help your community?”
I think if all of us do our homework, it will help us become the intentional disciples that God desires us to be. Do you got it? Do you get it? Are you going to do it? Good! Let’s get out there and make new disciples!
Image Credit: Dave Zelenka. Baptism of Christ, Retrieved January 9, 2022. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baptism-of-Christ.jpg. JPG file.
References:
1. Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2018. Kindle.
2. Montague, George T. SM. First and Second Timothy, Titus. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008. Kindle.
Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Beloved Son: 444
2. John the Baptist: 535, 696
3. Jesus’ baptism: 535-37, 565, 608, 1223-25
4. Descent of the Spirit: 701, 1286
5. Jesus at prayer: 2600
The Baptism of the Lord https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010922.cfm
Lectionary: 21
Reading 1
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.
OR:
Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her service is at an end,
her guilt is expiated;
indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD
double for all her sins.
A voice cries out:In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!
Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill shall be made low;
the rugged land shall be made a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Go up on to a high mountain,
Zion, herald of glad tidings;
cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord GOD,
who rules by a strong arm;
here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.
Responsorial
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.
OR:
Psalm 104:1b-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28, 29-30
R. (1) O bless the Lord, my soul.
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
you are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
You have spread out the heavens like a tent-cloth;
R. O bless the Lord, my soul.
You have constructed your palace upon the waters.
You make the clouds your chariot;
you travel on the wings of the wind.
You make the winds your messengers,
and flaming fire your ministers.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul.
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them allC
the earth is full of your creatures;
the sea also, great and wide,
in which are schools without number
of living things both small and great.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul.
They look to you to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul.
If you take away their breath, they perish and return to the dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul.
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.”
OR:
Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7
Beloved:
The grace of God has appeared, saving all
and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires
and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age,
as we await the blessed hope,
the appearance of the glory of our great God
and savior Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness
and to cleanse for himself a people as his own,
eager to do what is good.
When the kindness and generous love
of God our savior appeared,
not because of any righteous deeds we had done
but because of his mercy,
He saved us through the bath of rebirth
and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
whom he richly poured out on us
through Jesus Christ our savior,
so that we might be justified by his grace
and become heirs in hope of eternal life.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.
OR:
Cf. Luke 3:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
John said: One mightier than I is coming;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
The people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
After all the people had been baptized
and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,
heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him
in bodily form like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven,
“You are my beloved Son;
with you I am well pleased.”