January 9
The Baptism of the Lord
Give a Mass Offering
Mass Intentions
Sat., 4:00 PM - Stanley Blanchfield / Family
Sun., 7:30 AM - Sarah & Victor Villani / Anthony & Gisella Martelliti
Sun., 10:30 AM - Aungier & McManus Families / Karen & Erin
Sun., 5:00 PM - Roxanne McAloon Compoli / Elaine Lostumbo<b
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Readings
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.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
R. (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.
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.”
Gospel Acclamation
Cf. Lk 3:16
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
John said: One mightier than I is coming;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Luke 3:15-16, 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 baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized 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.”
“The Lord will bless his people with peace.”
Reflection
Today is the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. We might wonder why someone like Jesus, who is totally sinless, needs to be baptized, but there are some very good reasons for this to take place. In many ways, the things that were done by Jesus were not just done for the benefit of the specific person helped. For example, when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he certainly helped Lazarus out of a difficult situation. But even more importantly, Jesus demonstrated to the world the power of God over death. This was a kind of advertisement to the world that there was something going on that was otherworldly. The same thing can be said of Jesus’ baptism. When he came up out of the water, amazing things began to happen: the heavens being opened, the Holy Spirit descending upon him, and a voice coming from heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.”
Imagine if you were standing there watching these events unfold. Upon hearing and seeing these cosmic happenings, you might begin to think that this Jesus was a special person, and truly the Son of God. This is an important thing to comprehend. The coming of Jesus and all of the astounding events around his birth, his life, and his resurrection are signs to us of the love of God being manifested in our world. God became one of us because he wanted us to realize our need for him in our lives. From the prophecies of Isaiah to the transformation of Peter that we see in the Acts of the Apostles, lives are changed, and God’s Kingdom is shared. Let us recognize the power and glory that come with Jesus’ first public appearance in the feast of Jesus’ baptism.
Peace of Christ,
Deacon Dare
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