Daily Retreat 01/20/08
2008 Jan 20 SUN: SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Is 49: 3. 5-6/ Ps 39(40): 2. 4. 7-8. 8-9. 10 (8a. 9a)/ 1 Cor 1: 1-3/ Jn 1: 29-34
From today’s readings: “I will make You a light to the nations, that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.... Here am I, Lord; I come to do Your will.... Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.... Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world....”
No re-baptism, but re-look at baptism
You will remember (at least I hope you remember!) that last Sunday, the Church celebrated the great feast of the Baptism of Jesus the Lord. The Scripture selection for that day recounted the event of Jesus approaching John the Baptist. John, surprised that the Lord should seek Baptism at his hand, protested, saying, "Lord, it is I who should be baptized by Thee!"
Jesus, however, insisted, and so in the end John did baptize Jesus, and this event marked the beginning of our Savior's public ministry. It seems strange, then, that this pivotal event in our Lord's life is not celebrated as a great holyday of obligation, a famous feastday which every good Catholic would be expected to know by heart, to immediately be able to answer the question, “In which month does the Church celebrate the Baptism of the Lord?” - “In January, of course, the month after the celebration of His birth.” You and I know the answer now, of course, but did you know it before last week, and how many will remember it after the passing of a few more weeks....
However, the fact that this feast passes unnoticed by so many is merely an accurate echo of the event itself. After all, very few of the Lord's disciples were present at His Baptism. Even to those who may have been present, such as Andrew, the significance of this moment must have been totally lost. In the end, it could very well have been only John the Baptist, and Jesus Himself, who grasped the importance of this encounter.
But never fear! While most of the disciples missed the Baptism of the Lord, (including you and I), the Church has invited, even insisted, that all followers of Christ, all who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, reflect on the significance of His Baptism. And that's what the scripture readings for this Sunday are all about: with the help of Isaiah the prophet and John the Baptist, you and I, though not fortunate enough to have been present at the event, can come to fully appreciate the Baptism of Our Lord.
The first point we note is our Lord’s example of this sacrament’s necessity. Baptism is the sacrament essential for salvation, either sacramental Baptism in the Church, or at least Baptism by desire for those who lack the opportunity of Baptism in the Church. Our Lord insisted that He Himself had to be baptized, so you and I, who are His followers, even more so need the waters of Baptism.
Second, our Lord gave us an example of humility. He was born in a lowly stable, He died the ignoble death on a cross, and at the moment of beginning His public ministry, He stooped once again to be baptized by His servant John. Thus, to be Christ-like means to be humble, and you and I are daily faced with the challenge of humbling ourselves in imitation of our Master.
Third, as the ritual of Baptism reminds us, Jesus sanctified the waters of Baptism at that moment. In contrast, for you and me and all other Christians, it is the waters of Baptism which make us holy, which gives us new birth as children of God. But for Jesus, Who is Holiness, Who is the Son of God, it was the waters themselves that were made holy at His Baptism, so that all Christians could share a taste of His living waters.
And, even though few of His disciples could themselves recall the Baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit inspired all four of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, to include this event in their Gospels. Only two of them recorded the events of the Birth of Jesus, but all four recorded His Baptism. Hmm. This is an invitation then, insisting that all of His followers were called to reflect on significance of the Lord’s Baptism, and the same holds true for you and me: most of us were baptized as babies, and so we lack a personal memory of this event. But, as you and I look to the distant past today, meditating on the Baptism of the Lord, we also reflect on the significance of our own Baptism. So, when we stand today to profess the holy Faith into which we were baptized, let us do so with gratitude in our hearts for those cleansing waters, with humility in the recognition that salvation comes from Jesus, not ourselves, and with resolution to follow the footsteps of the Lord by living lives pleasing to our heavenly Father!
Is 49: 3. 5-6/ Ps 39(40): 2. 4. 7-8. 8-9. 10 (8a. 9a)/ 1 Cor 1: 1-3/ Jn 1: 29-34
From today’s readings: “I will make You a light to the nations, that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.... Here am I, Lord; I come to do Your will.... Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.... Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world....”
No re-baptism, but re-look at baptism
You will remember (at least I hope you remember!) that last Sunday, the Church celebrated the great feast of the Baptism of Jesus the Lord. The Scripture selection for that day recounted the event of Jesus approaching John the Baptist. John, surprised that the Lord should seek Baptism at his hand, protested, saying, "Lord, it is I who should be baptized by Thee!"
Jesus, however, insisted, and so in the end John did baptize Jesus, and this event marked the beginning of our Savior's public ministry. It seems strange, then, that this pivotal event in our Lord's life is not celebrated as a great holyday of obligation, a famous feastday which every good Catholic would be expected to know by heart, to immediately be able to answer the question, “In which month does the Church celebrate the Baptism of the Lord?” - “In January, of course, the month after the celebration of His birth.” You and I know the answer now, of course, but did you know it before last week, and how many will remember it after the passing of a few more weeks....
However, the fact that this feast passes unnoticed by so many is merely an accurate echo of the event itself. After all, very few of the Lord's disciples were present at His Baptism. Even to those who may have been present, such as Andrew, the significance of this moment must have been totally lost. In the end, it could very well have been only John the Baptist, and Jesus Himself, who grasped the importance of this encounter.
But never fear! While most of the disciples missed the Baptism of the Lord, (including you and I), the Church has invited, even insisted, that all followers of Christ, all who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, reflect on the significance of His Baptism. And that's what the scripture readings for this Sunday are all about: with the help of Isaiah the prophet and John the Baptist, you and I, though not fortunate enough to have been present at the event, can come to fully appreciate the Baptism of Our Lord.
The first point we note is our Lord’s example of this sacrament’s necessity. Baptism is the sacrament essential for salvation, either sacramental Baptism in the Church, or at least Baptism by desire for those who lack the opportunity of Baptism in the Church. Our Lord insisted that He Himself had to be baptized, so you and I, who are His followers, even more so need the waters of Baptism.
Second, our Lord gave us an example of humility. He was born in a lowly stable, He died the ignoble death on a cross, and at the moment of beginning His public ministry, He stooped once again to be baptized by His servant John. Thus, to be Christ-like means to be humble, and you and I are daily faced with the challenge of humbling ourselves in imitation of our Master.
Third, as the ritual of Baptism reminds us, Jesus sanctified the waters of Baptism at that moment. In contrast, for you and me and all other Christians, it is the waters of Baptism which make us holy, which gives us new birth as children of God. But for Jesus, Who is Holiness, Who is the Son of God, it was the waters themselves that were made holy at His Baptism, so that all Christians could share a taste of His living waters.
And, even though few of His disciples could themselves recall the Baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit inspired all four of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, to include this event in their Gospels. Only two of them recorded the events of the Birth of Jesus, but all four recorded His Baptism. Hmm. This is an invitation then, insisting that all of His followers were called to reflect on significance of the Lord’s Baptism, and the same holds true for you and me: most of us were baptized as babies, and so we lack a personal memory of this event. But, as you and I look to the distant past today, meditating on the Baptism of the Lord, we also reflect on the significance of our own Baptism. So, when we stand today to profess the holy Faith into which we were baptized, let us do so with gratitude in our hearts for those cleansing waters, with humility in the recognition that salvation comes from Jesus, not ourselves, and with resolution to follow the footsteps of the Lord by living lives pleasing to our heavenly Father!
posted by FrPitstick | 1/19/2008
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