Readings for Sunday, January 10, 2021

The Baptism of the Lord  / Lectionary: 21

  Il-Ħadd fuq l-Epifanija /  Il-Magħmudija   tal-Mulej

 

 Reading 1         ISAIAH 55:1-11 

Thus says the LORD: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread, your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David. As I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of nations, so shall you summon a nation you knew not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you, because of the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you. Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near. Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts; let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above the earth so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.

Qari I         mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Iżaija 55:1-11

Hekk jgħid il-Mulej:“Intom li bikom l-għatx, ejjew għall-ilma; intom ukoll li m’għandkomx flus. Ejjew, ixtru u kulu b’xejn, inbid u ħalib bla ħlas. Għaliex taħlu fluskom f’dak li mhuwiex ħobż, u ġidkom f’dak li ma jxebbax? Isimgħu minni, u tieklu tajjeb, u ruħkom titpaxxa b’ikel bnin. Agħtuni widen u ersqu lejja, isimgħu u tieħdu r-ruħ. Nagħmel patt magħkom għal dejjem, biex iseħħu l-favuri mwiegħda lil David. Ara, jien qegħedtu xhud fost il-ġnus, prinċep u leġiżlatur fuq il-popli. Int ġens li ma tafx bih issejjaħ;ġnus li ma jafukx jiġru lejk, minħabba fil-Mulej, Alla tiegħek, il-Qaddis ta’ Iżrael, għax lilek żejjen bil-ġieħ. Fittxu l-Mulej sakemm tistgħu ssibuh, sejħulu sakemm hu fil-qrib! Ħa jħalli triqtu l-midneb, u l-bniedem il-ħażin fehmietu; ħa jerġa’ lura għand il-Mulej u jħenn għalih, għand Alla tagħna għax hu jaħfer ħafna. Il-fehmiet tiegħi mhumiex fehmietkom, u t-triqat tiegħi mhumiex triqatkom, oraklu tal-Mulej. Għax daqskemm huma ogħla s-smewwiet mill-art, daqshekk ieħor huma triqati ’l fuq minn triqatkom, u l-fehmiet tiegħi mill-fehmiet tagħkom. Bħalma x-xita u s-silġ jinżlu mis-smewwiet, u ma jerġgħux lura mnejn ġew bla ma jsaqqu l-art, imma jġegħluha tnissel u tnibbet, u tagħti ż-żerriegħa ’l min jiżra’ u l-ħobż ’il min jiekol, hekk jiġri minn kelmti: hija toħroġ minn fommi, u ma terġax lura vojta, imma tagħmel dak li jogħġob lili, u ttemm dak li nkun bgħattha tagħmel”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej..

 Responsorial Psalm       ISIAH 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

God indeed is my saviour; I am confident and unafraid.  My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my saviour. R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation. 

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds,proclaim how exalted is his name. R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth. Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel! R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation. 

Salm Responsorjali        Iżaija 12:2-3,4bċd,5-6R/. (3): 

Kollkom ferħana timlew l-ilma mill-għejun tas-salvazzjoni.

Alla s-salvazzjoni tiegħi, jiena nittama u ma jkollix mniex nibża’. Għax qawwieti u għanjieti hu l-Mulej, għalija sar is-salvazzjoni. R/.

Roddu ħajr lill-Mulej, sejħu ismu, għarrfu lill-ġnus bl-għemejjel tiegħu, xandru li ismu huwa fl-għoli. R/. 

Għannu lill-Mulej għax għamel ħwejjeġ kbar; ħa jkun dan magħruf mal-art kollha. Aqbeż bil-ferħ, għanni, int li tgħammar f’Sijon, għax kbir hu f’nofsok il-Qaddis ta’ Iżrael? R/.

 Reading 2      1 John 5:1-9

Beloved:  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the Father loves also the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith. Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one who testifies, and the Spirit is truth. So there are three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are of one accord. If we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is surely greater. Now the testimony of God is this, that he has testified on behalf of his Son.

Qari II       mill-Ewwel Ittra ta’ San Ġwann Appostlu 5:1-9

Ħuti, kull min jemmen li Ġesù hu l-Messija hu mwieled minn Alla, u kull min iħobb lill-Missier iħobb lil min twieled minnu. Minn dan nafu li nħobbu lil ulied Alla, meta nħobbu ’l Alla u nagħmlu l-kmandamenti tiegħu. Għax din hi l-imħabba ta’ Alla, li nżommu l-kmandamenti tiegħu; u l-kmandamenti tiegħu mhumiex tqal; għax kull min hu mwieled minn Alla jegħleb lid-dinja. Din hi r-rebħa fuq id-dinja: il-fidi tagħna. Għax min hu dak li jegħleb lid-dinja, jekk mhux min jemmen li Ġesù hu l-Iben ta’ Alla? Dan huwa dak li ġie bl-ilma u d-demm, Ġesù Kristu; mhux bl-ilma biss, iżda bl-ilma u d-demm. U l-Ispirtu hu li jixhed, għax l-Ispirtu hu l-verità. Tlieta huma dawk li jixhdu: l-Ispirtu, l-ilma u d-demm, u t-tlieta jaqblu fix-xhieda tagħhom. Jekk aħna nilqgħu x-xhieda tal-bnedmin, ix-xhieda ta’ Alla hija aqwa; din hija xhieda li Alla jagħti dwar Ibnu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel       MARK 1:7-11

This is what John the Baptist proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Evanġelju        Qari skont San Mark 1:7-11

F’dak iż-żmien, Ġwanni l-Battista kien ixandar u jgħid: “Ġej warajja min hu aqwa minni, li jien ma jistħoqqlix nitbaxxa quddiemu u nħoll il-qfieli tal-qorq tiegħu. Jiena għammidtkom bl-ilma, iżda huwa jgħammidkom bl-Ispirtu s-Santu”.  U ġara li f’dawk il-jiem ġie Ġesù minn Nazaret tal-Galilija, u tgħammed minn Ġwanni fil-Ġordan. U minnufih hu u tiela’ mill-ilma ra s-smewwiet jinfetħu, u l-Ispirtu bħal ħamiema nieżel fuqu; u mis-smewwiet instama’ leħen: “Inti ibni l-għażiż; fik sibt l-għaxqa tiegħi”.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

////////////////////////////////////////

/Reflections for the 

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Fr. Antony Kadavil (Vatican News) reflects and comments that at his Baptism in the Jordan, Christ reveals himself to repentant sinners.

Introduction: The Christmas season, celebrating the self-revelation of God through Jesus, comes to an end with the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. Christmas is the feast of God’s self-revelation to the Jews, and Epiphany celebrates God’s self-revelation to the Gentiles. At his Baptism in the Jordan, Christ reveals himself to repentant sinners. The Baptism of the Lord Jesus is the great event celebrated by the Eastern Churches on the feast of Epiphany because it is the occasion of the first public revelation of all the Three Persons in the Holy Trinity, and the official revelation of Jesus as the Son of God to the world by God the Father.  It is also an event described by all four Gospels, and it marks the beginning of Jesus' public ministry.  The liturgical season of Christmas comes to a conclusion this Sunday with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord.

Homily anecdote: Identified with victims: When leprosy broke out among the people of the Hawaiian Islands in the middle of the 19^th century, the government authorities responded by establishing a leper colony on the remote island of Molokai. The victims were snatched by force from their families and sent to this island to perish. However, moved by their terrible plight, a young Belgian priest, Damien De Veuster, asked permission from his superiors to minister to them. Straightaway he realized that there was only one effective way to do this, and that was to go and live among them. Having got permission, he went to Molokai. At first, he tried to minister to the lepers while maintaining a certain distance. But he soon realized that he had to live among them in order to gain their trust. As a result, he contracted leprosy himself. The reaction of the lepers was immediate and wholehearted. They embraced him and took him to their hearts. He was now one of them. There was no need, no point anymore, in keeping his distance. The lepers had someone who could talk with authority about leprosy, about brokenness, about rejection and public shame. Today’s Gospel tells us how, by receiving the baptism of repentance, Jesus became identified with the sinners whom he had come to save.

Exegesis: Origin of baptism: Neither John nor Jesus invented baptism.  It had been practiced for centuries among the Jews as a ritual equivalent to our Confession.  Until the fall of the Temple in 70 A.D., it was common for Jewish people to use a special pool called a Mikveh -- literally a "collection of water" – as a means of spiritual cleansing, to remove spiritual impurity and sin.  Men took this bath weekly on the eve of the Sabbath; women, monthly.  Converts were also expected to take this bath before entering Judaism.  The Orthodox Jews still retain the rite. John preached that such a bath was a necessary preparation for the cataclysm that would be wrought by the coming Messiah.  Jesus transformed this continuing ritual into the one single, definitive act by which we begin our life of Faith.  In effect, He fused His Divine Essence with the water and the ceremony.

A couple of questions: 1) Why did Jesus, the sinless Son of God, receive the "baptism of repentance" meant for sinners?  2) Why did Jesus wait for thirty years to begin his public ministry?  The strange answer for the first question given by the apocryphal book, The Gospel according to the Hebrews, is that Jesus received the baptism of John to please his mother and relatives.  In this humble submission, we see a foreshadowing of the “baptism” of his bloody death upon the cross.  Jesus’ baptism by John was the acceptance and the beginning of his mission as God’s suffering Servant.  He allowed himself to be numbered among sinners.  Jesus submitted himself entirely to his

Father’s will.  Out of love, He consented to His baptism of death for the remission of our sins. Many Fathers of the Church explain that Jesus received baptism to identify himself with his people, who, as a result of John's preaching, for the first time in Jewish history, became aware of their sins and of their need for repentance.  The Jews had the traditional belief that only the Gentiles who embraced Jewish religion needed the baptism of repentance, for, as God's chosen people, the Jewish race was holy.  Jesus might have been waiting for this most opportune moment to begin his public ministry.  The Fathers of the Church point out that the words which the Voice of the Heavenly Father speaks are similar to Psalm 2:17, revealing Jesus’ identity ("This is my beloved Son") and to Isaiah 42:1 referring to the "suffering servant" ("with whom I am well pleased"), revealing Jesus’ mission of saving mankind by His suffering and death.  

The turning point: Jesus’ baptism by John was a mystical experience that Jesus felt deep within his soul at the crucial turning point of his life. The opening of the Heavens with Holy Spirit, descending as a dove upon Jesus, and the Voice declaring of Him "…My beloved Son with Whom I am well pleased," are God's revelation to mankind of the Mystery that He is Triune.  The presence of the Triune God at this baptism, reveals Jesus’ true identity and mission. The Heavens’ opening also indicates that this was a moment of God’s powerful intervention in human history and in the life of His Son. His baptism by John was a very important event in the life of Jesus.  First, it was a moment of decision.  It marked the end of Jesus' private life which had prepared him for his public ministry.  Second, it was a moment of identification with his people in their God-ward movement initiated by John the Baptist (quality of a good leader).  Third, it was a moment of approval.  Jesus might have been waiting for a signal of approval from his Heavenly Father, and during his baptism Jesus got this approval of Himself as the Father's "beloved Son."  Fourth, it was a moment of conviction.  At this baptism, Jesus received certainties (assurances) from Heaven about His identity, a) He was the "Chosen One" and the "beloved Son of God"; and the nature of His mission: b) his mission of saving mankind would be fulfilled, not by conquering the Romans, but by becoming the "suffering servant" of God, i.e., by the cross.  Fifth, it was a moment of equipment.  When He descended on Jesus in the form of a dove (symbol of gentleness), the Holy Spirit equipped Jesus with the power of preaching the "Good News" (that God is a loving Father, Who wants to save all human beings from their sins through His Son Jesus), in contrast to the "axe" and "fire" preaching of John the Baptist about an angry God's judgment on sinners. 

Life messages: 1) The baptism of Jesus reminds us of our identity and mission.  First, it reminds us of who we are and Whose we are.  By Baptism we become the adoptive sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, members of his Church, heirs of Heaven and temples of the Holy Spirit. We become incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ, and made   sharers in the priesthood of Christ [CCC 1279].  Hence, "Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door which gives access to the other Sacraments" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1213).  Most of us dipped the fingers of our right hand into the holy water font and blessed ourselves when we came into Church today.  Why?  This blessing is supposed to remind us of our Baptism.  And so, when I bless myself with Holy Water, I should be thinking of the fact that I am a child of God; that I have been redeemed by the Cross of Christ; that I have been made a member of God’s family and that I have been washed, forgiven, cleansed and purified by the Blood of the Lamb.

2) Jesus’ baptism reminds us of our mission:  a) to experience the presence of God within us, to acknowledge our own dignity as God’s children, and to appreciate the Divine Presence in others by honoring them, loving them and serving them in all humility; b) to live as the children of God in thought, word and action so that our Heavenly Father may say to each one of us what He said to Jesus: "You are my beloved son/daughter with whom I am well pleased"; c) to lead a holy and transparent Christian life and not to desecrate  our bodies (the temples of the Holy Spirit and members of Jesus' Body) by impurity, injustice, intolerance, jealousy or hatred; d) to accept both the good and the bad experiences of life as the gifts of a loving Heavenly Father for our growth in holiness; e) to grow daily in intimacy with God by personal and family prayers, by reading the Word of God, by participating in the Holy Mass, and by frequenting the Sacrament of Reconciliation; f) to be co-creators with God in building up the “Kingdom of God” on earth, a  Kingdom of compassion, justice and love, and to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  

3) This is the day for us to remember the graces we have received in Baptism and to renew our Baptismal promises: On the day of our Baptism, as Pope John Paul II explains, "We were anointed with the Oil of Catechumens, the sign of Christ's gentle strength, to fight against evil.  Blessed water was poured over us, an effective sign of interior purification through the gift of the Holy Spirit.  We were then anointed with Chrism to show that we were thus consecrated in the image of Jesus, the Father's Anointed One.  The candle lighted from the Paschal Candle was a symbol of the light of Faith which our parents and godparents must have continually safeguarded and nourished with the life-giving grace of the Spirit."  This is also a day for us to renew our Baptismal promises, consecrating ourselves to the Holy Trinity and “rejecting Satan and all his empty promises," which our profane world is constantly offering us through its mass-media of communication.  Let us ask Our Lord today to make us faithful to our Baptismal promises.  Let us thank Him for the privilege of being joined to His mission of preaching the "Good News" by our transparent Christian lives of love, mercy, service and forgiveness.  /////////////////////////////////////////