The Universal Church celebrates Sunday, January 09, 2022, as the Baptism of our Lord. This feast concludes the Christmas cycle and is at the same time the First Sunday of the year. In the entrance antiphon we pray, "After the Lord was baptised, the heavens were opened, and the Spirit descended upon him like a dove, and the voice of the Father thundered: This is my Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
The liturgy of this Mass already points to Lent and Easter, when our baptism is so often before our eyes. This Sunday begins a series of Sundays that speak of the early ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus, who had no sins, still received baptism as a way of consecrating him for his mission on earth. Saint Luke, in the Gospel, tells us that God shows his pleasure with his Son by sending down the Holy Spirit on him in the form of a dove at his baptism. It is a moment when the Three Persons of the Trinity – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit – meet as the Father declares his delight in his Son. The Father bestows his Spirit on his Son to accompany him throughout his earthly ministry; in turn his Son will send the same Holy Spirit to strengthen his Apostles at Pentecost and send them preaching his word to the four corners of the world.
In the first reading, from the prophecy of Isaiah, the servant of Yaveh is declared the chosen one on whom God’s pleasure rests. Fortified by God’s Spirit, the servant will bring salvation to the nations and, like the Messiah, Son of David, the servant will bring true peace and justice to all men and women of good will. In the second reading, from Acts of the Apostles, Saint Peter describes Jesus’ baptism as God anointing Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.
In the course of this Eucharist, let us pray for the grace to renew our own baptismal vows so we can follow Christ more closely as he begins his public ministry on earth.
First Reading: Isaiah 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.
Comment
Our first reading is taken from the section of the book of Isaiah that is usually called the “Book of Consolation of Israel”. It proclaims divine salvation and the restoration of Zion after the return of the exiles from Babylon. The passage for our meditation is the first of the four songs of the Servant of the Lord. The Lord, who has shown his power by creating the world, now shows his determination to save man, his creature, by giving a special mission to the servant of the Lord, who will reveal to mankind God’s saving plan. This servant, whom the Lord formed from his mother’s womb (Is 49: 1), is full of humility and will establish justice and peace on earth. He will be a light to the nations and will open the eyes that are blind and set captives free.
How will the servant be able to do all these things? The Lord has put his Spirit on him. He is someone chosen by God, and has the help of the Spirit of the Lord to carry out his mission to teach his Law to the ends of the earth. He will bear witness to God before all mankind.
The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles interpret this servant as being the prophecy about Jesus, in whom the Father is most pleased, as Luke tells us in the Gospel of this day. In the unity of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is truly the light for all nations and the liberator of all the oppressed. The Gospel of Matthew is particularly explicit in showing that the Scriptures find fulfillment in Jesus. The evangelist quotes this Oracle of Isaiah (42: 2-4) to show that Jesus is fulfilled in the prophecy of the servant, who was rejected by the leaders of the people but whose quiet and gentle ways bring the light of truth to the world (Mt 12: 15-21).
Even the expression “light to the nations” is echoed by Jesus himself when he talks about his being the “light of the world” (Jn 8:12). At the Second Vatican Council, the Fathers of the Church also insisted on Christ as being truly the Light of the nations. “Because this is so, this Sacred Synod gathered together in the Holy Spirit eagerly desires, by proclaiming the Gospel to every creature, to bring the light of Christ to all men, a light brightly visible on the countenance of the Church” (Lumen gentium, 1).
What does this passage tell me as a Christian living in the city of Douala today? It tells me that a true servant of the Lord is he or she who brings true justice and peace, not through physical violence, but through gentle and peaceful ways. We therefore pray to the Lord to make of us peacemakers wherever we may find ourselves this day. Amen.
Second Reading: 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."
Comment
The Acts of the Apostles is the fifth Book of the New Testament, written between 70 and 90 AD by Saint Luke, who is also the author of the Gospel that bears his name. Acts is an account of the early preaching about Jesus Christ, the growth of the early Christian community, and the spread of the Christian message. It covers the period from the Ascension of Christ and the Pentecost, to the visit of Saint Paul to Rome, where he was placed under house arrest.
The early chapters of Acts draw a beautiful picture of the Christian community of Jerusalem as they pray together, practice common ownership of property, and preach together. The author attributes the vitality and activity of Christianity to the Holy Spirit, which plays a prominent part in Acts. Three of the key ideas that run throughout Acts are that Christ fulfills the promises made in the Old Testament, that salvation comes through him, and that the Christian community is the new chosen people.
The very composition of Acts focuses attention on the present, and on spreading Christianity “to the ends of the earth”. Thus, Acts is a fairly detailed account of early Christianity in its progress from Jerusalem to Rome.
The passage of our meditation is Peter’s short address to non-Jews at the home of a pagan, Cornelius, a Roman centurion. The conversion of Cornelius, who is regarded as the first pagan convert to Christianity, is one of the high points of the Acts of the Apostles. It is very important as it shows that the Gospel is addressed to all men and women, irrespective of race, tribe, ethnicity or religion. It also shows that the power of the Holy Spirit knows no boundaries.
Up until this point, the Gospel has only been preached to Jews. Our Lord himself had initially acted on the principle that the Gospel only had to be preached to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt 10:6).
By extending it to non-Jews, Peter clearly announces salvation to all mankind. Even though it is unlawful for him, as a Jew, to associate himself with non-Jews, Peter says that God has shown him that he should not call any man common or unclean (Acts 10: 28). He therefore tells them that God is impartial and wants all men and women to be saved through the proclamation of the Gospel.
Peter describes Jesus’ baptism by John as “God anointing Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power”. This enables Jesus to carry on his mission of doing good and healing all those who are oppressed by the devil.
What message am I taking home from this reading? I see a compassionate and understanding God who opens the door of his heart to all men and women, good or bad. One’s race, tribe, ethnic group, social, economic, religious or political standing is totally irrelevant to him. This is a good lesson for us as we tend, even in Church, to associate only with those of our own kind; those from our village, or tribe, or social status. Our God is an impartial God, as Peter tells us.
Let us pray: Lord, change my heart of stone into a heart of flesh so I may have the courage to understand and forgive my brother or sister today, as forgiveness of each other’s trespasses is what you require of us, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gospel acclamation: “Alleluia, alleluia. Someone is coming, said John, someone greater than I. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Alleluia.”
Gospel: Luke: 15-1. 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 baptising you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire." After all the people had been baptised and Jesus also had been baptised 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."
Comment
The question often asked is why Jesus Christ, Son of God, born without sin, had to be baptised. Though Jesus was without sin, he still wished to submit himself to the rite of baptism because it was required by Jewish law. As a man, Christ submitted himself to the laws of his people, the Jewish people. Saint Augustine says that “The Lord desired to be baptised so that he might freely proclaim through his humility what for us was to be a necessity” (Saint Augustine, Sermon 51, 33).
Through his baptism, Jesus left for us the sacrament of Christian baptism. As he himself tells us, through the evangelist Matthew, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28: 13).
Our baptism makes of us brothers and sisters in the Church. We are no longer strangers to one another because our baptism unites us in Christ. There is no isolated Christian. From the time of our baptism, each of us becomes part of a people, and the Church becomes one true family of God’s children. In baptism, God opens the heavens and sends us his Spirit, who takes possession of our souls, purifies them and makes them fitting dwellings for our Lord. At our baptism, God also says of us, as he says of Christ, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Like Christ, the Holy Spirit that descends on us also strengthens us for the mission God has for each of us.
Our baptism takes away our sins and makes us members of the Church of which Christ is the head. Baptism lets God enter our lives and live with us and sanctify us. Baptism cleanses us from the stain of the original sin and of any other sin we might have committed before our baptism.
Jesus gave us baptism as a means of purifying our human nature and freeing it from the affliction of sin. “Thanks to the Sacrament of Baptism,” Saint Leo the Great tells us, “you have been turned into a temple of the Holy Spirit. Don’t ever let it happen that you drive away so noble a guest by your evil deeds, or ever again submit to the power of the demon: for the price you were bought with is the blood of Christ” (Saint Leo the Great, Christmas Homily 3).
As Jesus’ baptism marks the beginning of his divine ministry, so also does our own baptism mark the beginning of a new life for us: the life of love and service. As we celebrate Christ’s public ministry, we too look at our own beginnings. Just as the Holy Spirit anoints Christ for his prophetic mission, so too does the Holy Spirit, the great enabler, strengthen us for our own mission among our brothers and sisters and in our community. Holy Spirit, continue to guide us and protect us as we, in our different ways, carry God’s message of salvation to the world. Amen.
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