SUNDAY OF THE  BAPTISM OF THE LORD -  JANUARY 10, 2016

Ø  This Sundays is at the end of the Christmas-Epiphany cycle and at the  beginning of the Ordinary time.  

Ø  The baptism of the Lord, is an epiphany of the Lord, as well as the Magi and the Wedding at Canna.  

FIRST READING   Is 42:1-4. 6-7

God speaks of his servant whom he loves, his chosen one

ü  Upon him he has poured out his Spirit.   

ü  Thus he will  bring justice to the nations not crying out, not shouting,

o   He will not   make his  voice heard in the streets   

o   He shall  not break the bruised reed  

o   And a smoldering wick he shall not quench 

ü  He will have patience, he will know how to wait for each one’s  appropriate time 

ü  He will have mercy and compassion,  

ü  Until justice is established on the earth   

ü  The coast lands, the far distant lands, will wait for his teaching  

ü  What a beautiful description of the mercy of our God.  

ü  To reflect ln these words may help us during this year dedicated to the mercy of God, to learn how to be merciful, This is the invitation that the Father through Pope Francis makes to us. 

ü  The Reading continues. In the first part God speaks of his servant, in the second part God speaks to the servant. 

ü   I have called you for the victory of justice

ü  I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people,

ü  a light for the nations, light to help the nations to see justice, which is the kindness and mercy of our God

ü  I have put you to open the eyes of the blind, to open the eyes whose light has gone out

o   It may be the physical light, but also the spiritual light

o   The servant has the mission to help us to  see as God sees

o   To see ourselves, to see the other  companions of the life journey, as God sees us, now he sees our truth

o   This light will give freedom to prisoners

§  …to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

§  But especially to those who are prisoners of their own passions, their own darkness 

 Responsorial Psalm:    Ps 28: 1a y 2. 3ac-4. 3b y 9b-10

R. 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

v   In the first verse we are invited to praise God in his temple.  

v  The other two are a description of the voice of God.  

v  Through our voice we let others know us.  

v  The voice of the Lord is strong it can be heard over the noise of the flood waters.   

v  This voice is all powerful, as God is powerful, this voice is his powerful Word that in the fullness of time became a baby, to reach us.    

o   But this thunder is the cry of a baby in need of his mother   

o   This thunder is the voice of the humble man, the carpenter of Nazareth.   

o   This thunder is the voice of the missionary teacher who bends over any human need, who embraces all those who have gone stray, all those in need of having their dignity respected.   

o   This thunder is the soft but strong Word which resounds inside every man and woman, calling us to the conversion of  heart  

o   This thunder that calls us to be moved by the suffering of our brothers and sisters.    

o   Thunder that calls us to be merciful as the Father is merciful, whose voice is heard over the flood waters. 

SECOND READING  Titus 2:11-14. 3,4-7

      This letter is addressed to a “brother”, it can be also anyone of us 

o   The grace of God has been manifested to save us and it has taught us…  

o   This grace, this kindness of God is Jesus who speaks to us and teaches us the way which leads us to salvation. 

o   He has done this giving himself for us, so that his love, which is as powerful as the voice of God over the flood waters, may conquer us, may help us to learn where is our real good. 

      The author of  the letter says that He has saved us revealing to us the kindness of God  

o    He has done this not because we deserve it, but because of his mercy  

o   Mercy which has also a meaning of fidelity, fidelity to the promises   

o   All of this, the salvation, has been accomplished by the Most Holy Trinity who has made us anew through our baptism, by the mediation of Christ, our Lord.  

o   This grace which we have received at our baptism makes us heirs

      Again mercy, mercy which recreates and saves, that does not allow to die the flame which is almost extinguished, but revives it.     

GOSPEL – Luke 3,15-16. 21-22

Ø  People are expecting the Messiah, and looking at John they start thinking that he might be the one announced by the prophets  

Ø  John tells them that he is not, that the Messiah is someone greater than he,  whose  baptism will   be not only of water but of the Spirit and fire.   

o   Fire which destroys, fire which purifies, fire which burns inside not only what is bad, but which is the  strength which leads us to act what is good with passion.  

Ø  Jesus is waiting to be baptized with the rest of the men there present who confess their sins  

Ø  He does  not have any sin, on the contrary, He comes to take away the sin of the world “this is the lamb of God who takes away….”   

Ø  Maybe he has gone to the Jordan with other young men of his home town, he has gone attracted by the same strength, the same fire, the same light which made him stay  in the Temple when he was a teenager.   

Ø  Strength and attraction to Yahweh whom he experiences as Abba.   

Ø  And at his baptism  the Father reveals his Son, his beloved in whom he is well pleased  

Ø  Jesus hears the voice of the Father which resonates inside as a thunder, as light, as a brilliant fire that enlightens his whole life.   

Ø  Yes, what you experience inside is true, I am your Abba, and I have a mission for you: to  say to all that I love them,  that my fatherly heart is moved  by mercy when I see the misery, the suffering, the sin  of my children.     

Ø  Yes, communicate to your brothers and sisters who  I am, and do this loving them as I love them  

Ø  Yes, you are my beloved son, the only begotten, share your sonship with all, seek them, carry them on your shoulder,   cure their wounds, dry their tears, do all of this even if they do not listen to you, even when they take your life without knowing that you are giving  them eternal life.     

Ø  You who are God like me, love them with a human heart so that they may  understand that I am the true Love.   

 

CLARETIAN CORNER

 

 Let the one who reads these notes not wonder to see them so disordered, because I never thought that I had to write such things. So, I started with such confusion and shame that I had not been able to do it in order. That’s why many things, which out to be at the beginning, are in the middle and others, which are to be in the middle are at the end. They will also miss the dates, because of my own carelessness but not for lack of truthfulness, since by the grace of God, I have always abhorred lies.  Let it be for the glory of God and of the most Blessed Mother.    Venerable María Antonia París, Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters, Autobiography 232.

The matter of canonries is not so carefully scrutinized. I'm not suggesting that Her Majesty or the Attorney General have themselves ever been implicated in simony, but God knows whether or not office-hunters have made deals with or offered presents to some members of the circle that surrounds them, and surely these could not pass God's scrutiny. For this reason I have never meddled in this business of soliciting canonries. Would to God that all priests sought to be the last and the least among their brothers, as our Divine Master taught us. The best canonry is to love God deeply and save souls, so as to obtain a place of distinction in the glory of heaven. There can be no doubt that it will stand a priest in better stead to have been a missionary than not to have been a canon. Let him choose now what he would prefer to have chosen at the hour of his death. St. Anthony Ma. Claret, Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters, Autobiography 631.   

BIBLIOGRAPHY

CLARET, San Antonio María. Autobiografía 631.

PARIS, María Antonia. Autobiografía 232.