January 10, 1999The Baptism of Our Lord |
With the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, the Christmas season officially comes to an end. It has been a season of grace, joy and prayer for our parish community, thanks to the hours and hours of work of the Art and Environment committee, the musicians, and all involved in the liturgy this Christmas season. The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, by John the Baptist sets the stage for his public ministry which will be proclaimed in the short space of Ordinary Time which is in front of us.
Dr. Reginald Fuller in Preaching the Lectionary, notes regarding this text that Matthew relates this event (the Baptism of the Lord) as an inner experience of Jesus - his call a unique eschatological ministry, but that at the same time by Matthew recording it in his Gospel, makes it clear for the readers an epiphany of who Jesus was. In the coming weeks we shall read of JesusÕ words and deeds, culminating first in his transfiguration, and then, after the move to Jerusalem, in his passion. The baptism of Jesus puts us in the right frame of mind to hear these stories, the whole of our redemption. This liturgical pilgrimage with Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem is a paradigm of our whole Christian life of discipleship, which was inaugurated for us at our baptism.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, Shalom (which we translate as peace) has a variety of meanings all of them branching out from the basic notion of completeness. It includes the blessing of good health and wholeness and can express the bond that exists between good friends as well as friendly relations between nations. In the Christian Scriptures it is used with grace in the form of greetings to recipients of letters or messages. St. Paul began his letters with grace and peace in his opening greetings. It is meant to convey the fuller meanings of the Hebrew word that it translates. More than the absence of strife, it describes the condition of heart and mind that comes from being enfolded in the love of Christ. The grace and peace of Christ be with all of you.
As we focus on the baptism of the Lord the liturgy invites us to pause and renew our own commitment, The Lord Jesus came to proclaim the Good News of salvation. In this public act at the Jordan river Jesus publicly accepted His mission.
I should like to suggest that each of us open ourselves to that voice from heaven and be receptive to the Father's call beyond our selfishness and smugness. We have here an opportunity to recommit ourselves to the baptismal promises to renounce Satan and, positively, follow the Way of the light.
One way to do this is to focus on doing God's will. That requires that each one of us accept that the divine will is particular for each person. This calls for attentiveness and the receptivity to listen.
Therefore, baptism is not just a ceremony that happened a long time ago. Rather, it's a continual call to deepen the call to discipleship and live in the freedom of the children of God.
Fr. Ron
Today is the last Sunday of the Christmas season as well as the beginning of Ordinary Time of the church year. Today we sort of bridge the gap from the lesson of Christmas to the task of leading our day to day lives. Throughout the scripture readings we are reminded that we are to imitate the Lord Jesus in our thoughts, words, and actions. Do we partner with the Lord in our daily lives, do we acknowledge His presence with us, and do we help bring Jesus into our daily world?
The Church has dedicated this final year of preparation for the Jubilee as a time of reconciliation. It is a time for each of us to extend our hands to the inactive or fallen away Catholic, who may wish to be reconciled with the Church.
It is a time for ecumenical reconciliation, as we pray for the healing of divisions between the religions. Pope John Paul II holds out the hope that the Great Jubilee Celebration in the year 2000 will see the Christian churches closer to that full communion for which Christ prayed.
It is a time for forgiving debts, and for helping the poor obtain justice. Perhaps this is the year for your family to do something extra special for a worthy cause. How do you see your family involved in the area of social justice? What amount of good could possibly happen if every single family at St. Anne's parish chose to do something out of the ordinary to help the poor? How much good can you imagine?
It is a time for each of us to reconcile with someone we may have hurt or need to forgive. Our Christian faith is based on forgiveness. We know that forgiveness can heal, restore, and reunite. We also know that it is a conscious choice. Can you imagine the possibilities for the world if everyone would choose to forgive? Can you imagine the possibilities for world peace? Can you imagine more peaceful family life? Perhaps it is the time for you to forgive yourself and seek forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Perhaps it is time for you to reconsider the blessings offered in this sacrament. Perhaps it is time for you to extend the hand of forgiveness.
Can you imagine the possibilities that the Great Jubilee presents to us?
The poor having enough food because everyone shared what they had.
The unreconciled having peace because someone said please forgive me.
The coming home to the Church because someone invited them back.
The end to war because people chose to love and to live justly.
The unity of the human family world-wide because we see each other as our brother or sister.
There were 4 other kids from my 8th grade class who went to St. John's Seminary for high school. These four wanted to give it a try because they had been invited and encouraged by the assistant pastor in our parish. (I went because I wanted to be like Bing Crosby in the movie "Going My Way", but that's another story!)
As we begin National Vocation Awareness Week today, I invite you to consider the three "I's" to vocations: 1)I-magination. (Imagine who in our parish would make a good priest or religious). 2)I-nterest. (Taking "interest" in a young person is a great way to encourage them to listen to the Holy Spirit). 3)I-nvite. (Don't be afraid to "invite" a young person to consider a religious vocation. It has been shown that the single greatest reason that people don't choose a religious life is simply this: no one ever asked them. Let's ask.
1. ISAIAH 42:1-4, 6-7.
The prophet Isaiah has words of encouragement for God's people. He will make an everlasting covenant with them. His Servant is a figure who stands at the dawn of a new age. The darkness is still to be seen, but the light of the new dawn is breaking through.
APPLICATION: In our baptism, God has granted us the victory of Justice and formed us as his people.
2. ACTS 10:34-38.
Today's reading is taken from Peter's speech to Cornelius, who is about to be brought into the Church. It is a short summary of the preaching and healing ministry of Jesus.
APPLICATION: Be willing to stop for others. They are part of life's infinite value here and hereafter.
3. MARK 1:7-11.
After receiving John's baptism, Jesus stands revealed as God's chosen and beloved, the one who will bathe the world in saving waters. Mark has God setting God's seal of approval on Jesus' initiation of a new way of being; a way that includes loving others even at great cost to himself.
APPLICATION: Jesus came (comes) to make all things new, to challenge the way they've always been.
Fr. Eugene R. Sinz
TOP 10 CHURCH MOMENTS OF THE LAST TWO MILLENNIA, PART I:
The Second Vatican Council: The doors of the church were opened to the world at Vatican II (1962-65), giving birth to a New Penecost and a Church more fully committed to the contemporary needs of the modern world.
The First Vatican Council: The popes had lost their political power, but this Council (1869-71) enhanced the potential for papal ministry in the Church and spurred an internal spiritual renewal of the church.
The Council of Trent: The bishops at the Council of Trent (1545-63), which defined key doctrines of the Church and introduced many reports, sparked the Counter Reformation.
The Protestant Revolt: In 1517 Martin Luther publicly challenged Church teaching, signalling the start of the Protestant Reformation.
Rise of the Mendicant Orders: At the start of the 13th century Dominican and Franciscan friars took religious life out of the cloister and into the world, bringing about widespread church renewal.
SCRIPTURE READINGS: The prophet Isaiah relates God saying: I open the eyes of the blind, free prisoners and make you a light for all. The second reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, tells us that God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power to do good works and heal all in need. The Gospel reiterates that the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove, and a voice from heaven said, You are my beloved Son. On you my favor rests.
MESSAGE: The Word of God opens up for us the glory of an only Son. We come to see with the eyes of faith the chosen one who was given human form and set as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, the model for doing good works and healing, the beloved Son on whom God's favor rests. This encounter is an experience of God's magnificence, an insight into our own identity, and a summons to embrace our own mission. This feast of the Baptism of the Lord is a fitting close to the Christmas Season, in which we make present in our lives again the Incarnation of the Son of God, and the beginning of Ordinary Time, in which we apply that mystery of Christ's life to ourselves who are the Body of Christ, the Church.
APPLICATION: We, as the corporate person of a parish, assimilate the Word of God on this feastday of the Baptism of the Lord into our lives in three ways:
God's Grace: For 136 years we have been blessed with knowing and experiencing right before us the saving mission of Jesus Christ to call us to conversion, to form us into his Body the Church, and to fill us with the Good News so that we can share it with others.
Our Identity: Because we remember and make present the grace of God, we see ourselves as the beloved children of God. We experience each other Ñ not as rivals nor competitors nor adversaries Ñ but as co-heirs and co-workers, and thereby approach each other with support and affirmation, mutual admiration and wonder. We recognize each others' value and rely on each others' contribution which makes a strong evangelizing community based on the Eucharist.
Our Mission: We see our mission as the continuation of Jesus' own mission to sanctify, to teach, and to lead. We deepen our holiness through good liturgy, strengthen our knowledge and wisdom through continuing education, and guide one another and the people around us through good example and effective service.
This is how the feast of the Baptism of the Lord becomes for us a renewal of our own baptism.
Father Benet OFM
Jesus comes out of the water, drawing the world with him, as it were, and raising it up when it had hitherto been sunk in the abyss. He sees the heavens, not being rent, but opening of their own accord. The first Adam had of old closed heaven to himself and us, just as he had seen the earthly paradise being closed to him, with a fiery sword barring access.
The Holy Spirit bears witness. Here all is in perfect harmony, for the testimony comes from heaven, just as he to whom the Spirit bears witness has come from heaven.
St. Gregory of Nazianzus
We are urged to move quickly beyond the intimate scene of Jesus' birth toward the more challenging vision of his baptism. In short, we are asked to move in the direction of life itself: from concern for intimacy to concern for community.
A Christian parish becomes its best self when it accepts the challenge of community. The parish community, as the real expression of a local church, cannot limit its attention to the search for justice and intimacy among its own members; it must be prepared to take up the cross, standing against evil and injustice wherever they exist in the world. This may seem like a harsh message for the Christmas season, but in fact it is the church's message at all times, in all seasons. There is ultimately, only one mystery Christians celebrate: the paschal mystery, Jesus' dying and rising in a new human community called church.
Nathan Mitchell
THEME: MANIFESTATION - The quiet expectation of Advent and its fulfillment in the Incarnation open to the entire universe on this feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The beloved one over whom the single star and angels hovered and whom shepherds and magi honored, now walks to the banks of the River Jordan. His public and saving ministry begins. This is the second epiphany, or manifestation, of the gift of God's Son. Again the heavens open and a servant and beloved Son is presented to us.
...Reflections on Jesus, The Holy Spirit, and the Father, by Pope John Paul II.
God The Father Is Love...The Church, as a reconciled and reconciling community, cannot forget that at the source of her gift and mission of reconciliation is the initiative, full of compassionate love and mercy, of that God who is love (see 1 John 4:8) and who out of love created human beings (see Wisdom 11:23-26; Genesis 1:27; Psalms 8:4-8)...He created them so that they might live in friendship with Him and in communion with one another.
God is faithful to His eternal plan even when man, under the impulse of the evil one (see Wisdom 2:24) and carried away by his own pride, abuses the freedom given to him in order to love and generously seek what is good, and [instead] refuses to obey his Lord and father. God is faithful even when man, instead of responding with love to God's love, opposes Him and treats Him like a rival, deluding himself and relying on his own power, with the resulting break of relationship with the One who created him. In spite of this transgression on man's part, God remains faithful in love.
It is certainly true that the story of the Garden of Eden makes us think about the tragic consequences of rejecting the Father, which becomes evident in man's inner disorder and in the breakdown of harmony between man and woman, brother and brother (see Genesis 3:12ff; 4:1-16). Also significant is the Gospel parable of the two brothers (the parable of the "prodigal son"; see Luke 15:11-32) who, in different ways, distance themselves from their father and cause a rift between them. Refusal of God's fatherly love and of His loving gifts is always at the root of humanity's divisions.
But we know that God, "rich in mercy" (Eph 2:4), like the father in the parable [of the prodigal son], does not close His heart to any of His children. He waits for them, looks for them, goes to meet them at the place where the refusal of communication imprisons them in isolation and division. He calls them to gather about His table in the joy of the feast of forgiveness and reconciliation.
This initiative on God's part is made concrete and manifest in the redemptive act of Christ, which radiates through the world by means of the ministry of the Church. [RP n. 10]
With this series of historical vignettes we review the history of the parish and archdiocese.
The day for the solemn dedication of the new Cathedral was October 26, 1834. Nothing was spared to make this one of the most memorable days in the early religious history of St. Louis. Invited were Bishop Flaget of Bardstown, Bishop J. Purcell of Cincinnati, and Bishop-elect S.G. Brute of Vincennes, Indiana, who was to be consecrated in St. Louis. In addition, all the missionaries of the diocese who could do so came from their various missions to St. Louis, as did the Jesuits of the city, and the priests of the Congregation of the Missions. Clergy and laity alike were caught in the festive spirit of this significant event and outdid each other in making the most earnest preparations for the dedication. Hand-woven ornaments for the altars, carpets, candelabra and furniture were brought from local homes to add to the solemnity of that day. The church choir left nothing undone to provide a fitting musical program. Three companies of militiamen from St. Louis were invited. A corps of artillery were formed and drilled for the day; the military band from Jefferson Barracks was scheduled to perform.
On Saturday evening of the celebration at 5 p.m. three bells of the new church, weighing 2600, 1900 and 1300 pounds respectively pealed out in joyful announcement of the opening of the celebration. At once the artillery responded, and the military band joined its melodious notes to the majestic sound of the bells and the thunder of guns. The great day had arrived!
On Sunday at the appointed hour, the clergy assembled with the prelates in the bishop's house, whence accompanied by a guard of honor, they marched in stately procession to the sanctuary of the old church, where the relics of the Holy Martyrs, destined for the consecration of the altar were enclosed in a gilded urn. Then the clergy, prelates and celebrant, preceded by the band and escorted by the guard of honor, walked to the main door of the new church where a great assembly of people of the city was already gathered to witness the grand ceremony. All the impressive symbolic rites of dedication were carried out in dignified order, culminating in the triple procession around the church. Three time the consecrating bishop struck the door with his golden pastoral staff intoning the solemn words: Attollite Portas, etc. (Open the doors, etc.), at which prayers and chants were redoubled to beg from God a happy entrance into the new church. At the third command the door was opened with stately solemnity before the bishop and ministers, who alone were to witness the blessing of the edifice on the inside.
The second part of the ceremony inside of the cathedral lasted about three hours, during which time two missionaries on the outside gave detailed explanations in French and English of the august ceremonies being performed by the consecrator.
Finally the consecrating prelate, the other bishops and clergy emerged from the church, and together with the militia and the guard of honor, went in majestic procession to the old church to bring back the sacred relics. This indeed was a triumphant and colorful procession, including the militia, the altar boys in red cassocks and white surplices, and the clerics. Then in solemn honor, the sacred relics, on their little throne, were carried by four priests; behind them came the three prelates with their attendants, and the consecrating bishop with his own ministers.
The Pope, Billy Graham, and Oral Roberts were in a 3-way plane crash over the Atlantic Ocean. Tragically, they all died and went to the pearly gates together. "Oh, this is terrible," exclaims St. Peter, "I know you guys think we summoned you here, but this is just one of those coincidences that happen. St. Peter was fretting, "Since we weren't expecting you, your quarters just aren't ready. We can't take you in just yet and we can't send you back."
Then he got an idea. He picked up the phone, "Lucifer, this is Pete. Hey, I got these 3 guys up here. They're ours, but we weren't expecting them, and we gotta fix the place up for 'em. I was hoping you could put them up for awhile. It'll only be a couple of days. I'll owe you one."
Reluctantly, the Devil agreed. BUT...Two days later...
"Pete, this is Lucifer. Hey you gotta come get these 3 clowns. This Pope fellow is forgiving everybody, the Graham guy is saving everybody, and that Oral Roberts has raised enough money to buy air conditioning."
In Jesus' Love, Fr. John
