Reading 1
Is 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.
Ps 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10Responsorial PsalmR. (11b) The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Give to the LORD, you sons of God,
give to the LORD glory and praise,
Give to the LORD the glory due his name;
adore the LORD in holy attire.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters,
the LORD, over vast waters.
The voice of the LORD is mighty;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The God of glory thunders,
and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
The LORD is enthroned above the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as king forever.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Reading 2
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.”
Gospel
Mt 3:13-17
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan
to be baptized by him.
John tried to prevent him, saying,
“I need to be baptized by you,
and yet you are coming to me?”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us
to fulfill all righteousness.”
Then he allowed him.
After Jesus was baptized,
he came up from the water and behold,
the heavens were opened for him,
and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and coming upon him.
And a voice came from the heavens, saying,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Meditation: Matthew 3:13-17
The Baptism of the Lord
This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17)
What a scene this must have been! Opened heavens, a booming voice, and a dove descending upon Jesus. Clearly, God considered Jesus’ baptism to be a very important event, since he pulled out all the stops to celebrate it.
But more than just a celebration, Jesus’ baptism was a moment of revelation. On the banks of the Jordan River, the entire Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit—revealed itself. Here, at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, God made himself known in a new and powerful way. By revealing himself as Trinity—something that not even faithful Jews had conceived as possible—God made it clear that something new was about to happen. The kingdom that Jesus was sent to inaugurate was not just a continuation of what had come before. God was up to something dramatic, and he wanted everyone to pay attention.
In this scene, we see each Person of the Trinity in action. Eager to “fulfill all righteousness,” Jesus willingly submits to baptism by John (Matthew 3:15). Speaking from heaven, the Father announces that he is “well pleased” with his Son (3:17). And the Holy Spirit rests on Jesus, setting him apart for his mission (3:16). All three Persons are united in love and they are united in their desire to bring about our salvation.
As united as the Persons of the Trinity are, God wants us to know that it is not an exclusive community. Every day, God invites us to enter into his life and join in his mission. And for that, we too need the anointing of the Holy Spirit—just as Jesus received. And we also need to know how much our Father loves us and is pleased with us—just as he told Jesus. And that makes sense, doesn’t it? After all, God’s deepest desire is that we all become like Jesus and keep building his kingdom!
“Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I accept your invitation! I want to be part of your communion of love.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion
(Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7; Psalm 29:1-4,9-10; Acts 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17)
1. In the first reading, Isaiah prophetically speaks of the coming of Christ, the chosen servant who is pleasing to God. It also speaks of his ministry “To open the eyes of the blind, bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.” How do these works of Jesus apply to your life?
2. In the Responsorial Psalm, we are invited to give to the Lord “glory and praise” (Psalm 29:1). What are some reasons from your own life that lead you to give the Lord glory and praise?
3. In the second reading, through his visit to Cornelius’ home, God broke through Peter’s misconceptions and prejudices towards non-Jews to reveal to him that the gift of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior was not for the Jewish people alone (as he had previously believed), but also for Gentiles as well. In the Church we see some of this in reverse now, that is, there are misconceptions and prejudices towards Jewish people. What are some of these prejudices? What steps you can take as Christians to help eradicate these prejudices and promote mutual understanding between Christians and Jews?
4. In the Gospel, God the Father speaks these words to Jesus: “This is my beloved son; with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Do you believe that in spite of your own sins and weaknesses that you too are a beloved son/daughter of your heavenly father? Why or why not?
5. Spend a few minutes in prayer and reflection and allow God the Father to speak these words to you: “You are my beloved son, you are my beloved daughter; with you I am well pleased.” What impact did this quiet time of reflection have on you?
6. The meditation ends with these words: “As united as the Persons of the Trinity are, God wants us to know that it is not an exclusive community. Every day, God invites us to enter into his life and join in his mission. And for that, we too need the anointing of the Holy Spirit&mdashjust as Jesus received. And we also need to know how much our Father loves us and is pleased with us&mdashjust as he told Jesus. And that makes sense, doesn’t it? After all, God’s deepest desire is that we all become like Jesus and keep building his kingdom!” Take some time now to pray for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit and that you would have a deeper experience of the Father’s great love for you. Also pray that you would be transformed more and more into the image and likeness of Jesus and be used in building his kingdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment