January 15
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”
Reflection
Ordinary Time again! In case you feel like you’re missing something, don’t worry! Jesus’ Baptism was celebrated last Monday. With the way the calendar works this Liturgical Year, the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord falls on the Monday immediately following the Epiphany. With that being said, however, our readings today still draw us into what feels like a continuation of recalling Jesus, his Baptism, and the incredible implications of his birth for us.
We hear from the second of the four “Servant Songs” in the prophet Isaiah that will find their fulfillment in Jesus–the servant of the Lord–through whom we encounter the “glory” of God. From the moment of our Baptism, we are grafted onto God and made sharers in his life—literally we become beloved children of our heavenly Father. From that moment we take on the capacity to be temples that bear God’s presence dwelling within us. In an unfathomably intimate way, God claims us with such profound love so that we might belong to him. Just like a loving parent desires to provide for every possible need for their child out of love, so too, the Lord offers himself for us and to us.
It's important for us to reflect on this moment of our Baptism, because the more we reflect and grow in our appreciation for the gift of our new life, or our new identity as beloved sons and daughters that we have received, the more this truth has a claim on us. We reap the overwhelming benefits and blessings that come with this relationship with God: our eternal home of heaven, the availability of the Sacraments, grace here and now that sustains us through life—and all of this comes to us freely, without any merit on our part. Yet, at the same time, we must live differently for having received this 'sonship'/identity. When we fall into sin, we find ourselves turning away from this ultimate good, this ultimate union with God, toward significantly lesser and fading pleasures instead. We choose ourselves rather than choosing the One who first chose us and called us to his love.
So, borrowing from the Lord’s words through the prophet Isaiah, let’s take to heart that it’s not enough for us to simply know this identity that the Lord has lovingly bestowed upon us in Baptism. It’s not enough to simply cling to our status as beloved children, but rather it must be lived out. We must become a “light to the nations” that others may come to know the glory of God. The Spirit of the Lord that descended upon Jesus descended upon us in Baptism and was strengthened in us again in Confirmation as an advocate and source of life for us. May the Holy Spirit continue to guide us in our efforts to live, not only as servants, but as sons and daughters who desire others to come to know the salvation and power of God in our world.
Peace,
Fr. Brendan Foley
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