'Each one of us is wanted and loved by God.' Sunday Reflections, Baptism of the Lord, Year B.

Baptistry, San Marco, Venice

Italian Mosaic Artist [Web Gallery of Art] 

Where The Epiphany is a holy day of obligation and is celebrated this year on Saturday 6 January, the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus is celebrated on Sunday 7 January. Where The Epiphany is celebrated on Sunday 7 January the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus is observed on Monday 8 January.

The Feast of the Baptism of Jesus ends Christmas Time and Ordinary Time begins the following day.

Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland)

Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)

Gospel Mark 1:7-11 (English Standard Version Anglicised: India)

[John the Baptist] preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

 

Léachtaí i nGaeilge

Pope Benedict XVI baptises in the Sistine Chapel Feast of the Baptism of the Lord 2011

FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD

BENEDICT XVI

ANGELUS

Saint Peter's Square, Sunday, 8 January 2012

 [I have highlighted parts of Pope Benedict's talk]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we are celebrating the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This morning I conferred the Sacrament of Baptism on 16 infants and for this reason I would like to offer a brief reflection on the fact that we are children of God. First of all, however, let us start with our being, quite simply, children: this is the fundamental condition that brings us all together. We are not all parents, but we are certainly all children.

Being born is never a choice, we are not asked first whether we wish to be born. Yet, in life, we can develop a free attitude with regard to life itself: we can regard it as a gift and, in a certain sense 'become' what we are: children. This transition marks a turning point of maturity in our existence and in our relationship with our parents, which is filled with gratitude. It is a transition that also renders us capable in turn of being parents, not biologically, but morally.

Also before God we are all children. God is at the root of every created being’s life and is the Father of every human person in a special way: he has a unique and personal relationship with every human being. Each one of us is wanted and loved by God. And also in this relationship with God, we can be 'reborn', so to speak, in other words become what we are. This happens through faith, through a profound and personal 'yes' to God as the origin and foundation of our existence. With this 'yes' I receive life as a gift of the Father who is in Heaven, a Parent whom I do not see but in whom I believe and whom, in the depths of my heart, I feel is my Father and the Father of all my brethren in humanity, an immensely good and faithful Father.

On what is this faith in God the Father based? It is based on Jesus Christ: he himself and his history reveal the Father to us, enable us to know him as much is possible in this world. Believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, makes it possible to be 'born from above', that is, from God, who is Love (cf. Jn 3:3).

Moreover, let us bear in mind once again that no individual makes him or herself a human being. We are born without doing anything ourselves, the passivity of being born precedes the activity of what we ourselves do. It is also the same at the level of being Christian: no one can become Christian solely by one’s own will, being Christian is also a gift that comes before our own action: we must be reborn in a new birth. St John says: 'to all who received him... he gave power to become children of God' (Jn 1:12).

This is the meaning of the Sacrament of Baptism. Baptism is this new birth that precedes our own action. With our faith we can go to meet Christ, but he alone can make us Christian and give to our will and to this desire of ours the response, dignity and power to become children of God, which we ourselves do not possess.

Dear friends, this Sunday of the Baptism of the Lord brings Christmas Time to an end. Let us give thanks to God for this great mystery which is a source of regeneration for the Church and for the whole world. God made himself the Son of Man so that man might become a son of God. Let us therefore renew our joy in being children, as men and women and as Christians; born and reborn to a new divine existence. Born from the love of a father and a mother and reborn from the love of God through Baptism.

Let us ask the Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ and of all who believe in him, to help us to live truly as children of God, not in words, or not only in words, but with deeds. St John writes further: 'this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us' (1 Jn 3:23).

First Holy Communion after Baptism and Confirmation

Holy Family Home for Girls, Bacolod City, Philippines 

Traditional Latin Mass

Feast of the Holy Family

The complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 01-07-2024 if necessary).

Epistle: Colossian 3:12-17. Gospel: Luke 2:42-52.  

Christ Among the Doctors

Master of the Catholic Kings [Web Gallery of Art] 

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers (Luke 2:46-47; Gospel).