JANUARY 13, 2013 : FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord  
Lectionary: 21

Reading 1 Is 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 Is 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 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.

Or Ps 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 all—
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 Ti 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.

GospelLK 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.”

www.usccb.org

Scripture Study

January 13, 2013 BAPTISM OF THE LORD

This Sunday the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord which marked the beginning of Jesus public ministry. It focuses on the revelation of Jesus to the nation as Messiah by John the Baptizer who revealed Him to those who were awaiting the fulfillment of God's promises. In many ways this is the same celebration as last week when in the Epiphany Jesus was revealed to representatives of the Gentile world. The question first asked by John of why he should baptize Jesus is a good one. Jesus is baptized not to show His need of repentance but to show the extent of ours. Jesus' baptism is another way in which He chose to identify with us, not in our noble or great moments but in our sinfulness. By stepping into that stream Jesus stepped more deeply into our humanity. Later He would continue this identification with sinners by sharing meals with them. With this celebration the Christmas Season ends although the echoes of the revelation theme will continue in the Gospel reading for next Sunday.

NOTES on First Reading:(Isaia 40)

* 40:2 Service: servitude and exile.

* 40:3-5 The figurative language here describes the actual return of the exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem. It is the Lord who leads them; their road is made easy for them. Matthew 3:3 and parallels see in these verses a prophecy of the Baptizer and Christ. 

NOTES on First Reading: (Isaia 42)

* 42:1-4 This is the first of Isaiah's Four Servant of the Lord Songs. The other three are 49:1-7; 50:4-11;52:13-53:12. All four of them are poems and are usually set as poetry in English translations as they are here in the NAB. Over the years many individuals and groups have been proposed for the role of the unnamed servant: historical Israel, ideal Israel, Old Testament historical characters before or during the lifetime of the prophet, the prophet himself. Christian tradition has always seen the fulfillment of these prophecies in Jesus Christ.

* 42:1 The spirit was promised to the messianic king in Isa 11:1 and to the entire messianic community in Joel 3. The New Testament interprets this as having occurred at the Baptism of Jesus, Mark 1:11 and the transfiguration, Matt 17:5.

NOTES on Second Reading: (Act 10)

* 10:34-43 Peter's speech to the household of Cornelius is probably fairly typical of early Christian preaching to Gentiles. For this speech Luke has taken material that was already part of the still young Christian tradition and reworked it to some extent. It is full of Luke's universalist themes and language.

* 10:35 God's choice of Israel to be the special people of God so that He might reveal Himself to the world did not mean that He withheld divine favor from all the other peoples of the earth. All peoples of the world are loved by God.

* 10:36-43 This speech has the ring of Luke speaking more directly to his Christian readers rather than Peter speaking to the household of Cornelius, as is indicated by the opening words, "You know." The speech traces the continuity between the preaching and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth and the proclamation of Jesus by the early Christians. The emphasis on this divinely ordained continuity (Acts 10:41) is meant to assure Luke's readers of the fidelity of Christian tradition to the words and deeds of Jesus.

* 10:38 The early church saw the ministry of Jesus as an integral part of God's revelation. For this reason they were interested in conserving the historical substance of the ministry of Jesus. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit this tradition led to the writing and preservation of the four gospels. The passion and urgency in the tone of the remaining verses (up to 44) of this speech clearly show the depth of this desire to pass on the teaching of Jesus. 

* 42:2-3 The servant accomplishes his mission quietly. To cry out meant to be one in special need. He stands quiet and strong instead. Not breaking the bruised reed or quenching a smoldering wick is a reference to extraordinary mercy and respect for others. He even recognizes the strength in the weakness of others. The NAB omits the last part of verse 3,"he will introduce justice effectively" and the first part of verse 4, "he will never fail nor be discouraged" although the Jerusalem Bible leaves it in as do most of the translations that follow the Hebrew text rather than the Greek.

* 42:4 Coastlands was sometimes used for apostate Israelites scattered throughout the general population of Babylon. Often it referred to the lands of the Mediterranean or to the pagan lands of the west. In either case they are called to conversion.

* 42:5 This verse is skipped over in the reading as given above.

* 42:6 To be given "as a covenant to the people and a light to the nations" goes far beyond the realm of the office of any king, prophet, or priest in usual Old Testament usage. Here the grandeur of the promises speaks of an exceptional personage in the role of the servant.

* 42:7 People must recognize their blindness and imprisonment before they can be cured or freed. These ideas help to explain Isa 6:9-10.

NOTES on Second Reading: (Titus 2)

* 2:11-15 Underlying the admonitions for moral improvement in Titus 2:1-10 as the moving force is the constant appeal to God's revelation of salvation in Christ, with its demand for transformation of life.

* 2:13 The blessed hope, the appearance: literally, "the blessed hope and appearance," but the use of a single article in Greek strongly suggests an epexegetical, i.e., explanatory sense. Of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ: another possible translation is "of our great God and savior Jesus Christ." 

NOTES on Gospel:

* 3:15 They were awaiting the arrival of the Messiah or anointed one who would be the agent of Yahweh and restore Israel.

* 3:16 By the early Christian community, the Spirit and fire were probably understood in the light of the fire symbolism of the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). For John and his preaching, however, the Spirit and fire are probably related to ideas of purifying and refining(Ezekiel 36:25-27; Malachi 3:2-3). John says that another is coming who will be more powerful in His ability to purify them (Holy Spirit and fire rather than water). Students were not permitted to unfasten the sandal strap of their teacher as it was the work of a slave. John claims to be unworthy to even claim the title of slave for the one who is coming.

* 3:17-20 These four verses are skipped in the reading. I include them here because they form a transition in the narrative of Luke's Gospel.

* 3:17 He will separate the good from evil like the winnowing fork separated the fruitful from the chaff. This language along with that of 3:7 and 3:9 is probably a fair portrayal of John and may explain his questions in 7:18-23 when he sees Jesus separating good from evil in a much less dramatic manner.

* 3:18 Luke identifies the messages of John and Jesus as so similar that he considers John as starting the preaching of the Good News which Jesus will complete.

* 3:19-20 One explanation of these two verses is that Luke inserts this report of John's imprisonment in order to separate the ministry of John the Baptist from that of Jesus. It is literary device used by Luke to emphasize his understanding of the periods of salvation history: 1. The time of promise, the period of Israel, comes to an end with the work of John the Baptist; 2. The time of fulfillment, the period of Jesus, begins with the baptism of Jesus and the descent of the Spirit upon him; 3. The period of the church, Luke's third epoch of salvation history is begun in the Acts of the Apostles (also by Luke).

Another suggested explanation is that Luke's literary style is to always remove one character from the scene of his gospel before introducing a new one into the action. Here Luke removes John before beginning to follow the actions of Jesus in the rest of the story. The events that befell John foreshadow the future of Jesus who is about to preach the same message.

* 3:21-22 Luke focuses on the heavenly message identifying Jesus as Son. He alludes to Isaiah 42:1 and thus identifies Him as "the" Servant of Yahweh. Jesus' relationship to the Father has already been announced in the infancy narrative (Luke 1:32,35; 2:49); it occurs here at the beginning of Jesus' Galilean ministry and will reappear in Luke 9:35 before the travel narrative of Luke's gospel. Later (Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38) Luke will interpret this incident as a type of anointing of Jesus.

* 3:21 Luke is the only one of the gospel writers to tell us that Jesus was praying when the Holy Spirit came down upon Him. Prayer is to be an important element in Luke's portrait of Jesus who will be shown at prayer in all of the important points of His ministry.

* 3:22 Luke takes the Jewish simile of a "dovelike descent" found in Mark and turns it into an Hellenistic "dovelike form". The emphasize is on the dove as a symbol of the hopes and promises of God that are to be realized in Jesus. Jesus does not become something that He was not before or even get something that He did not have before. What does happen is that Jesus is revealed again and in a different way to be who He is in order to begin a new phase of His mission.

www.st-raymond-dublin.org

Meditation:"Baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire"

 Do you want to be on fire for God? John the Baptist said that the Messiah would "baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Fire in biblical times was associated with God and with his action in the world and in the lives of his people. God sometimes manifested his presence by use of fire, such as the burning bush which was not consumed when God spoke to Moses (Exodus 3:2).  The image of fire was also used to symbolize God's glory (Ezekiel 1:4, 13), his protective presence (2 Kings 6:17), his holiness (Deuteronomy 4:24), righteous judgment (Zechariah 13:9), and his wrath against sin (Isaiah 66:15-16). It is also used of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11 and Acts 2:3). God's fire both purifies and cleanses, and it inspires a reverent fear of God and of his word in us. Jesus came to give us the fire of his Spirit that we may radiate the joy and truth of the gospel to a world in desparate need of God's light and truth. His word has power to change and transform our lives that we may be lights pointing others to Christ. Like John the Baptist, we too are called to give testimony to the light and truth of Jesus Christ. Do you want the Lord's power, grace, and love to burn brightly in your life? Ask him to fill you with his Holy Spirit.
John preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:3). Why did Jesus, the Sinless One, submit himself to John’s baptism? In this humble submission we see a foreshadowing of the “baptism” of his bloody death upon the cross. Jesus’ baptism is the acceptance and the beginning of his mission as God’s suffering Servant. He allowed himself to be numbered among sinners. Jesus submitted himself entirely to his Father’s will. Out of love he consented to this baptism of death for the remission of our sins. Do you know the joy of trust and submission to God?
The Father proclaimed his entire delight in his Son and spoke audibly for all to hear. The Holy Spirit, too, was present as he anointed Jesus for his ministry which began that day as he rose from the waters of the Jordan river. Jesus will be the source of the Spirit for all who come to believe in him. At his baptism the heavens were opened and the waters were sanctified by the descent of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, signifying the beginning of a new creation.
How can we enter into the mystery of Jesus’ humble self-abasement and baptism? Gregory of Nazianzus, a seventh century Church father tells us: “Let us be buried with Christ by Baptism to rise with him; let us go down with him to be raised with him; and let us rise with him to be glorified with him." Do you want to see your life transformed? And do you want to become a more effective instrument of the gospel? Examine Jesus’ humility and ask the Holy Spirit to forge this same attitude in your heart. As you do, heaven will open for you as well. The Lord is ever ready to renew and refashion us through his Spirit and to anoint us for mission as his ambassadors. We are called to be “light” and “salt” to those around us. The Lord wants his love and truth to shine through us that others may see the goodness and truth of God’s message of salvation. Ask the Lord Jesus to fill you with his Holy Spirit that you may radiate the joy of the gospel to those around you.
"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and inflame my heart with the joy of the gospel. May I find joy in seeking to please you just as you found joy in seeking to please your Father".
www.dailyscripture.net

Strength in Humility

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Father Shawn Aaron, LC  Luke 3:15-16, 21-22 Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. 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." Introductory Prayer: Almighty and eternal God, you are high above us in the heavens, and yet you are so near to me. I know that you love me infinitely. I rest in your love; I find my strength and hope in you alone. Thank you for loving me despite my sinfulness and complete unworthiness. In return, I offer you my whole self, along with my intense desire to put you first in my life. Petition: Jesus meek and humble of heart, make my heart more like yours. 1. One Mightier Than I Is Coming:John knows who he is not. Proper self-knowledge is an essential step on the path to sanctity. John is attracting the attention of the multitudes in Israel. Many people would be flattered or even intoxicated with this notoriety. Yet John is not grasping for power, nor does he seek to be someone he is not. He is preparing people’s hearts for the true Christ. The Evil One will continually try to get us to look to ourselves and our own talents in an attempt to distract our eyes from God and his plan for us. John gives us a shining example of the triumph of humble self-knowledge over the wiles of the devil. When we are totally oriented toward God, we give rise to the desire to eliminate from our personal life any lie, vanity, and inflated opinion of ourselves. We begin to live in the truth, giving all the gifts God has granted us their real value. We use them for the service of his Kingdom, without taking anything for ourselves, since everything is his. 2. I Am Not Worthy to Loosen the Thongs of His Sandals: There is no holiness without humility. Simply understood, humility means living in the truth. This humility is born of a proper understanding of our relationship to God. It has nothing to do with a lack of self-respect – Jesus was humble, yet with utter self-possession and strength! Humility is the awareness that even our greatest talents come from God and are meant for his glory. In the end though, even John’s humility will pale in comparison to the humility that Jesus models for us in his life. “The one who serves does not consider himself superior to the one served, however miserable his situation at the moment may be. Christ took the lowest place in the world — the cross — and by this radical humility he redeemed us and constantly comes to our aid” (Pope Benedict XVI,God Is Love, 35). Once again we see that Jesus asks of us only what he himself has been willing to embrace. He is the source of the strength I need to practice this humility in my daily life. 3. Jesus Was Also Baptized: By being baptized, Jesus associates himself with sinful humanity. He has taken our flesh in the Incarnation. Now he sets out on the path of taking our sins upon himself so that he might redeem us from them. If it was a scandal for the Jewish people that God would become a man, how much more scandalous was it that he would be baptized, a manifest sign of repentance for sins? So great is God’s love for us that even this act is not beneath him. It is one of many steps by which he will allow his love for us to lead him even to the ignominy of the cross. Have I truly contemplated how important I am to Jesus? Conversation with Christ: Blessed Lord, you went to the extreme of the cross to prove your love for me. You have borne my pride, and with your love and humility, you have proven yourself stronger than my greatest sin. Give me the strength and courage to follow you down the path of self-giving and humble service to those around me. Free me from the shackles of pride. Resolution: Today I will read and reflect upon the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1262-1270.

www.regnumchristi.com

SUNDAY, JANUARY 13
FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD
LUKE 3:15-16, 21-22
(Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-38)
KEY VERSE: "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased" (v 22). 
READING: Throughout Jewish history it was traditional for Jews to demonstrate repentance through washing ceremonies. John the Baptist was preaching repentance for the coming of God's reign. His baptism may have been related to the purifying washings of the Essenes at Qumran near the Dead Sea. The people were filled with expectation of the Messiah, and they wondered if John was God's anointed one. John answered that his baptism was only a preparation for "one mightier" who would baptize with "the Holy Spirit and fire" (v 16). At the heart of Christian baptism is dying to one way of living and then rising to a whole new way of life. The word baptism comes from a Greek word (baptisma) that means to become submerged in water. In baptism, the elect are plunged into the death and resurrection of Christ (Ro 6:3-5). Although Jesus had no need of repentance, he entered the murky waters where the people had been baptized, thereby uniting himself with sinful humanity. The baptism of Jesus was another "epiphany," or manifestation of the divine presence. While Jesus was praying, the Spirit descended upon him, and God's voicewas heard confirming Jesus as the "beloved Son" (v.22). On Calvary, Jesus would undergo a baptism of fire that would bring salvation to the whole world (Lk 12:49-50). This transforming firewould be poured out on the Church at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). 
REFLECTING: Does my life give evidence that I am God's beloved son or daughter?
PRAYING: Father, Son and Spirit, I renew my Baptismal vows to renounce sin and believe in the truth you have revealed.

FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD
Baptism forgives all sin and incorporates one in the life of the Trinity. Believers are given a share in the divine nature. In addition, baptism makes one a member of the body of Christ and of the visible manifestation of that body, the Church, and provides a share in the mission of Jesus. Water is the main symbolic element that conveys the sacrament of baptism, along with the words: "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." That triple plunging, or immersing, in the water symbolizes dying to the old self. Coming up out of the water corresponds to being born as a new person in Christ (Catechism of the Catholic Church p. 1239-40).

www.daily-word-of-life.com

O bless the Lord, my soul 
‘You are my Son: today I have fathered you.’
Jesus has just been baptised by John. There’s a crowd nearby. Many of them have also been baptised. Jesus feels the enormity of the occasion and kneels to pray. Then, suddenly, something happens to change everything. The heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove and God speaks to his son.

What an overwhelming experience it must have been for everyone who witnessed the event. Jesus had shown both acceptance of his humanness and solidarity with the people. The loving words of his father must have given him strength and courage to set out on the mission that would lead to the cross. May we too accept the privilege and the responsibility of our own baptism. May it decide how we live our lives.
 www.churchresources.info



January 13
Blessed Jutta of Thuringia
(d. 1264?)

Today's patroness of Prussia began her life amidst luxury and power but died the death of a simple servant of the poor.

In truth, virtue and piety were always of prime importance to Jutta and her husband, both of noble rank. The two were set to make a pilgrimage together to the holy places in Jerusalem, but her husband died on the way. The newly widowed Jutta, after taking care to provide for her children, resolved to live in a manner utterly pleasing to God. She disposed of the costly clothes, jewels and furniture befitting one of her rank, and became a Secular Franciscan, taking on the simple garment of a religious.

From that point her life was utterly devoted to others: caring for the sick, particularly lepers; tending to the poor, whom she visited in their hovels; helping the crippled and blind with whom she shared her own home. Many of the townspeople of Thuringia laughed at how the once-distinguished lady now spent all her time. But Jutta saw the face of God in the poor and felt honored to render whatever services she could.

About the year 1260, not long before her death, Jutta lived near the non-Christians in eastern Germany. There she built a small hermitage and prayed unceasingly for their conversion. She has been venerated for centuries as the special patron of Prussia.

Comment:

Jesus once said that a camel can pass through a needle’s eye more easily than a rich person can enter God’s realm. That’s pretty scary news for us. We may not have great fortunes, but we who live in the West enjoy a share of the world’s goods that people in the rest of the world cannot imagine. Much to the amusement of her neighbors, Jutta disposed of her wealth after her husband’s death and devoted her life to caring for those who had no means. Should we follow her example, people will probably laugh at us, too. But God will smile.

January 13
St. Hilary
(315?-368)

This staunch defender of the divinity of Christ was a gentle and courteous man, devoted to writing some of the greatest theology on the Trinity, and was like his Master in being labeled a “disturber of the peace.” In a very troubled period in the Church, his holiness was lived out in both scholarship and controversy. He was bishop of Poitiers in France.

Raised a pagan, he was converted to Christianity when he met his God of nature in the Scriptures. His wife was still living when he was chosen, against his will, to be the bishop of Poitiers in France. He was soon taken up with battling what became the scourge of the fourth century, Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ.

The heresy spread rapidly. St. Jerome said “The world groaned and marveled to find that it was Arian.” When Emperor Constantius ordered all the bishops of the West to sign a condemnation of Athanasius, the great defender of the faith in the East, Hilary refused and was banished from France to far off Phrygia (in modern-day Turkey). Eventually he was called the “Athanasius of the West.” While writing in exile, he was invited by some semi-Arians (hoping for reconciliation) to a council the emperor called to counteract the Council of Nicea. But Hilary predictably defended the Church, and when he sought public debate with the heretical bishop who had exiled him, the Arians, dreading the meeting and its outcome, pleaded with the emperor to send this troublemaker back home. Hilary was welcomed by his people.

Comment:

Christ said his coming would bring not peace but a sword (see Matthew 10:34). The Gospels offer no support for us if we fantasize about a sunlit holiness that knows no problems. Christ did not escape at the last moment, though he did live happily ever after—after a life of controversy, problems, pain and frustration. Hilary, like all saints, simply had more of the same.

www.americancatholic.org

LECTIO: THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD (C)

Lectio:  Sunday, January 13, 2013 
The Baptism of Jesus and  his manifestation as the Son of God
Luke 3:15-16.21-22
1. Opening prayer

Lord, our God and our Father, grant us to know the mystery of the baptism of your Son. Grant that we may understand it as the Evangelist, Luke, understood it; as the early Christians understood it. Father, grant that we may contemplate the mystery of Jesus’ identity as you revealed it at his baptism in the waters of the Jordan and who is present in our baptism.
Lord Jesus, by listening to your word, teach us what it means to be children in You and with You. You are the true Christ because you teach us to be children of God as you are. Grant us a deep awareness of the action of the Spirit who invites us to listen to the word with docility and attention. 
Holy Spirit we ask you to calm our anxieties and fears so that we may become more free, simple and meek in listening to the voice of God who reveals himself in the word of Jesus Christ, our brother and redeemer. Amen!
2. Reading
a) A key to the reading:

The account of the baptism of Jesus, presented to us in this Sunday’s liturgy, invites us to meditate on it and touches on a crucial question concerning our faith: Who is Jesus? At the time of Jesus and throughout history, this question has been answered in infinite ways and these indicate the attempt of human beings and believers to understand better the mystery of the person of Jesus. However, in this meditative exercise of ours, we wish to draw deeply from the more genuine and reliable source, the word of God. In describing the scene of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan, Luke is not interested in telling us the historical and concrete details of this event, but rather invites us who read the Gospel in this liturgical year, to consider the main elements that enable us to grasp the identity of Jesus.
b) A division of the text to help us with the reading:

This passage from Luke contains two declarations on the identity of Jesus, namely the declaration of John (3:15-16) and that of God himself (3:21-22).
- The first declaration is provoked by the people’s reaction to the preaching and baptism of conversion of John: might he not be the Messiah? (3:15). John replies that there is a substantial difference between his baptism by water and Jesus’ baptism administered in the «Holy Spirit and fire» (3:16).
- The second declaration comes from heaven and is made during Jesus’ baptism. In the background, there are the baptised from among whom the figure of Jesus comes forward to be baptised (3:21). The focal point of the scene is not the baptism, but the events surrounding it: the heavens open, the Spirit descends on him and a voice is heard proclaiming Jesus’ identity (3:22).
c) The text:
 15 As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ, 16  John answered them all, "I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased."
3. A moment of prayerful silence
In the silence, try to bring to life in your heart the Gospel scene just read. Try to assimilate it and make the words your own, thus identifying your thoughts with the content or meaning of the words.
4. A few questions
to help us in our meditation and prayer.
a) What effect did the “voice of God” declaring Jesus “the” only, beloved Son of God, have on you?
b) Is this truth a shared and conscious conviction for you?
c) Has the baptism of Jesus convinced you that God is not distant, closed in his transcendence and indifferent to humanity’s need of salvation?
d) Does it not surprise you that Jesus goes down into the water of the Jordan to receive the baptism of penance, becoming one with sinners, he who is sinless?
e) Jesus is no sinner, but he does not refuse to become one with sinful humanity. Are you convinced that salvation begins with the law of solidarity?
f) You, who have been baptised in the name of Christ, «in the Holy Spirit and fire», are you aware that you have been called by God to experience God’s solidarity with your personal history, so that you may no longer identify with sin that isolates and divides, but with love that unites?
5. A key to the reading

for those who wish to deepen their understanding.
I. The context of the Jesus’ baptism
After the childhood accounts and in preparation for the public activities of Jesus, Luke tells us of John the Baptist’s activities, the baptism and temptations of Jesus. These introduce Jesus’ own activities and give them meaning. The Evangelist includes in one unique and complete frame all the activities of John: from the beginning of his preaching on the banks of the Jordan (3:3-18) to his capture by Herod Antipas (3:19-20). When Jesus appears on the scene in 3:21 to be baptised, John is no longer mentioned. Through this silence, Luke makes explicit his reading of salvation history: John is the last prophetic voice of the promise of the Old Testament. Now the centre of history is Jesus, and it is he who begins the time of salvation, which is extended into the time of the Church. 
A not insignificant element in the understanding of the events previous to those of John the Baptist and of Jesus is the geographical and political description of Palestine in the thirties. The Evangelist wants to present a historical dimension and a theological meaning to the Jesus event. He wants to say that it is not worldly political power (represented by Tiberius Caesar) nor religious power (represented by the high priests) that gives value or meaning to human events; but rather it is “the word of God that rests upon John, son of Zachary, in the desert” (Lk 1:2). For Luke, the new or developed aspect of the history inaugurated by Jesus, lies in this context or political situation of profane and religious dominance and power. In previous times, in the accounts of the prophets, the word of God was addressed to a particular historical-political situation, but in John’s message there is an urgency: God comes in the person of Jesus. Thus the word of God calls John the Baptist from the desert to send him to the people of Israel. The task of this last prophet of the Old Testament is to prepare for the coming of the Lord among his people (Lk 1:16-17.76). He accomplishes this task by preparing all to receive God’s forgiveness through the baptism of conversion (Jer 3:34; Ez 36:25), which means a change in the way of seeing one’s relationship with God. Changing one’s life means practising fraternity and justice according to the teaching of the prophets (Lk 3:10-14). As opposed to religious or social conformism, the reader of Luke’s Gospel is invited to be open to the person of Jesus, the saving Messiah. Moreover, Luke emphasises that the prophet John did not pretend to be the rival of Jesus. On the contrary, the prophet of the Jordan saw himself as entirely subordinate to the person of Jesus: «the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie» (3:16). Again, Jesus is stronger because he gives the Spirit.
John’s life comes to a violent end in the manner of the classical prophets. The authenticity of a prophet is measured by his freedom in facing political power. Indeed, he courageously denounces the evil actions of Herod towards his people. There are two reactions to the call of the prophet: the people and sinners become converted, whereas the powerful react with repressive violence. John ends his days in prison. Through this tragic event, John anticipates the fate of Jesus who is rejected and killed, but who becomes the point of reference for all those persecuted by repressive power.
Finally, the Jordan is the physical setting of John’s preaching. Luke means to establish a close tie between this river and the Baptist: after his baptism, Jesus will never go to the Jordan again and John will never cross into Galilee and Judea, because these are places reserved for the activities of Jesus.
II. A commentary on the text
1. The Baptist’s words concerning Jesus (Lk 3:15-16)
In the first scene of the Gospel passage of today’s liturgy, John prophetically affirms that there is one “who is mightier” than he who is to come. This is the answer of the prophet of the Jordan to the opinion of the crowd that he might be the Christ. The crowds here are called the people in expectation. For Luke, Israel is considered a people open and prepared to receive the messianic salvation (at least during the time before the crucifixion). John’s words draw on the images of the Old Testament and act to exalt the mysterious person whose imminent coming he announces: «he who is mightier than I is coming» (3:16).
a) the figure of “the mightier”
The Baptist begins to paint the figure of Christ with the adjective “mighty” already used by Isaiah of the king-Messiah: «mighty, powerful like God» (9:5) and a term used in the Old Testament to signify an attribute of the Creator, considered sovereign of the universe and of history: «Yahweh is king, robed in majesty, Yahweh is robed in power, he wears it like a belt» (Ps 93:1). The expression “one is coming” echoes a title of messianic flavour found in Psalm 118, a processional hymn sung during the feast of the Tabernacles: «Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord». Luke applies this hymn to Jesus when he enters Jerusalem. The famous messianic proclamation in the book of the prophet Zachariah bears the same message: «See now, your king comes to you…» (9:9).
b) A humble gesture: «the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie»
This is another way the Evangelist describes the figure of Christ and has a typically oriental flavour: «to untie the thong of the sandals». This is the task of a slave. The Baptist sees himself as a servant of the Messiah who is to come, moreover he feels humble and unworthy:«the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie».
Then he presents the baptism that the proclaimed person will perform: «he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire». In Psalm 104:3 the Spirit of God is defined as the principle that creates and regenerates all being: «Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth». The fire, however, is par excellence the symbol of divinity: it brings heat and enkindles, animates and destroys, it is the source of warmth and death.
2. The words from heaven concerning Jesus (Lk 3:1-22)
In the second scene we have a new profile or revelation of Christ. This time, it is God himself, and not John, who paints the figure of Christ with solemn words: «You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased». This introduction and definition of Christ is supported by a real and particular heavenly choreography (the heavens open… the Spirit descends in the form of a dove… the voice from heaven) to show the divine quality of the words pronounced on the person of Jesus.
a) The dove is the symbol of the Spirit of God who possessed the prophets, but who now is infused in his fullness on the Messiah foretold by Isaiah: “On him the Spirit of Yahweh rests” (11:2). The symbol of the dove shows that with the coming of Jesus the perfect presence of God takes place who manifests himself in the pouring out fo his Spirit. It is this fullness of the Holy Spirit that consecrates Christ for his saving mission and for the task of revealing to people the definitive word of the Father. It is certain that the sign of the dove shows the reader of the passage concerning the baptism that God is about to meet with humanity. This meeting is verified in the person of Jesus. The Baptist presented Jesus as the Messiah – who in the OT remains simply a man, even though perfect – and now God defines Jesus as the “beloved” Son. This title shows the supreme presence of God, which goes beyond that experienced in the cult or any other aspect of life in Israel.
b) The divine voice is another sign accompanying the revelation of Jesus in the waters of the Jordan. The voice recalls two texts of the Old Testament. The first is a messianic hymn that cites some words of God addressed to his king-Messiah: “You are my son, this day I have begotten you” (Ps 2:7). In the OT both the figure of the king and the Messiah were considered as adoptive sons of God. Jesus, however, is the beloved son, synonymous with the only son. The second text that throws light on the words pronounced by the voice from heaven is a passage taken from the Hymns of the servant of the Lord and that the liturgy of the word of this Sunday gives us for the first reading: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights” (Is 42: 1). Two figures presented by Isaiah converge in Jesus: the hope of the Messiah-king and the figure of the suffering Messiah. It would not be improper to say that the scene of the baptism as presented by Luke is a true catechesis on the mystery of the person of Jesus, Messiah, king, servant, prophet, Son of God.
c) Again, from the voice from heaven we can see the transcendent, divine, unique quality of Jesus. This belonging of Jesus to the world of God will become visible, palpable, experienced in his humanity, in his belonging in the midst of people, in his wandering along the roads of Palestine. 
Thus the Word of God this Sunday, through the account of Jesus’ baptism, is meant to introduce Jesus to the world in a solemn way. This presentation will be complete only on the cross and in the resurrection. Indeed, on the cross, two faces of Christ are presented, the human-saving face through his death on the cross for our redemption, and the divine face in the profession of faith of the centurion: “Indeed, this is the Son of God!”.  The word of God on this day of the Lord, invites us to contemplate and adore the face of Christ that St. Augustine presented in one of his reflections: “In that face we can also see our features, those of the adoptive son revealed in our baptism”.
6. Psalm 42
When we experience the silence of God in our life, let us not grow discouraged, but let us always cultivate our thirst for Him together with all our brothers and sisters. Let us walk on the roads of the Kingdom, sure to find his presence in Christ Jesus.
Seeking the face of God
As a hart longs for flowing streams,
so longs my soul for thee, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and behold the face of God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
while men say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
These things I remember, as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng,
and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving.
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help
and my God.
7. Closing prayer
Lord God, when your Son Jesus was being baptised by John the Baptist in the Jordan he prayed. Your divine voice heard his prayer that opened the heavens. The Holy Spirit too revealed his presence under the form of a dove. Listen to our prayer! We implore you to sustain us with your grace so that we may behave truly as children of the light. Grant us the strength to abandon the habits of the old man so that we may be constantly renewed in the Spirit, clothed and imbued by the thoughts and feelings of Christ. 
Lord Jesus, you willed to be baptised by John the Baptist with the baptism of penance. We turn the eyes of our heart to you so that we may learn to pray as you prayed to the Father at your baptism, with filial trust and complete faithfulness to his will. Amen!
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