The Baptism of the Lord Gospel Reflection

Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

"You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

Here in today's Gospel, we see a clear depiction of the Blessed Trinity. Jesus comes to be baptized by John; the Holy Spirit descends as a dove upon Jesus; & God the Father expresses His pleasure in Jesus as His beloved Son. God is also pleased with us! As Matthew Kelly of Dynamic Catholic often says, we are called to become "the best version of ourselves." How do we do that? We acknowledge that we have been called & claimed at our baptism by God as His beloved sons & daughters. 

One of my favorite parts from our children's baptisms was the scent of the baptismal oil that lingered on their foreheads afterwards. It was a fragrant reminder of the claim our Lord had just made on them. They were (& still are) His beloved children, chosen specifically for us to lead them to a life pleasing to Him. That chrism oil symbolizes the call to become priest, prophet, & king in Christ. 

        * As a priest, we are given the powers to offer prayers & sacrifice for the conversion of sinners. 

        * As a prophet, we are witnesses to the Gospel & God's plan for our salvation. We must immerse ourselves in God's Word so that we may know Him more intimately & share Him with others.

        * As a King, we are to rule over ourselves so that we can be servant leaders to others. We are not meant to be dictative, tyrannical rulers over others. We must rule ourselves in such way that we recognize our own faults & become humble enough to serve & lead others to Christ.

Let us take up that call we received at our baptisms & live our lives in a way that honors & pleases our Lord. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gospel Reflection - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Image
Genesis 2:18-24 & Mark 10:2-16 Both the first reading and the Gospel speak to the sanctity of the bonds of marriage and family.  In the first reading, we hear about God creating Eve to be a suitable partner for Adam.  The two become one flesh, man and woman joined together to not only keep one another company, but to procreate and tend to the land.  In the Gospel, once again those Pharisees are trying to trip up Jesus.  His reply is an admonishment to their hardened hearts, reaffirming that marriage is for one man and one woman and that no human can separate what God has joined.   Unfortunately, we have become a throwaway society.  We overbuy food that ends up spoiled and tossed.  Clothing and furniture tears or breaks and rather than repairing them, we throw them out.  We get rid of things in good condition when the newest model is released (game systems, cell phone).  The same applies even to marriages and friendships.  I have...
Read more

10th National Eucharistic Congress Highlights

Image
On May 17, 2024, four pilgrimage routes began in Mississippi, Connecticut, Wisconsin, & California. The purpose was to cross our nation, presenting Jesus to the people of America, & meeting in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress July 17. Along the way, with Jesus present in the monstrance, the perpetual pilgrims made stops at parishes, schools, & prisons. You can read more about the pilgrimage HERE . About 60,000 people gathered at The National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, July 17-21, to adore our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, attend Mass daily, pray together, & listen to great speakers.  Fr. Mike Schmitz, Monsignor James Shea, Bishop Robert Barron, Jonathan Roumie, Sr. Bethany Madonna, Chris Stefanik, & more shared their great love of our Lord & how much of an impact the Eucharist has had in their lives.  Unfortunately , I couldn't make it to Indiana, but I was able to watch many of the speakers live & on YouTube....
Read more

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Image
Well, here we are already...the 4th Sunday of Advent has arrived!  Have you finished your Christmas shopping & wrapped all the presents, baked your holiday delectables, mailed your Christmas greeting cards, decorated your home to rival any display of Martha Stewart's? If you're like most people, you probably answered that you're nowhere near being finished. But you know what? That's perfectly fine because none of those items are important in the grand scheme of things.  The bigger & most important question to be answered is, "Have you prepared your heart to receive Jesus on Christmas Day?" After all, without Jesus' humble birth in a stable over 2000 years ago, none of the other things above would have any significant meaning! Today's Gospel tells us that Mary, upon being told that she would bring our Savior into the world, set off in haste to her cousin, Elizabeth. Advanced in age, Elizabeth was experiencing a miraculous pregnancy, foretold by...
Read more