Vol. 37 No. 10                                  (Cycle C) Baptism of the Lord Thou art my beloved Son   ENTRANCE ANTIPHON When the Lord had been baptized, the heavens opened, and the Spirit came down like a dove to rest on him. Then the voice of the Father thundered: This is my beloved Son, with him I am well pleased. PENITENTIAL RITE Human growth in goodness is a daily effort, an ongoing struggle. It begins with a fundamental choice of the heart against evil. Baptism is the sacrament which expresses that choice. It is a solemn declaration of our decision against evil and the affirmation of a choice to live in the love and beauty God planned for His creation. Hence, let us ask ourselves: how do I live my baptism? Does it help me to be a beloved child of God? I confess... Glory to God in the highest,/and peace to his people on earth./Lord God, heavenly King,/almighty God and Father,/we worship you,/we give you thanks,/we praise you for your glory./Lord Jesus Christ,/only Son of the Father,/Lord God, Lamb of God,/you take away the sin of the world:/have mercy on us;/you are seated at the right hand of the Father,/receive our prayer./For you alone are the Holy One,/you alone are the Lord,/you alone are the Most High,/Jesus Christ,/with the Holy Spirit,/in the glory of God the Father./Amen.   OPENING PRAYER Let us pray: Almighty, eternal God, when the Spirit descended upon Jesus at his baptism in the Jordan, you revealed him as your own beloved Son. Keep us, your children born of water and the Spirit, faithful to our calling. We ask this… FIRST READING (Prophet Isaiah proclaims to the people of Israel the unconditional love of Yahweh.) A reading from the Book of Isaiah (42:1-4,6-7) Thus says the Lord: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not fail or be discouraged till he has established justice on the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law. I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.” This is the Word of the Lord PSALM (28) Response: The Lord will bless his people with peace. O give the Lord, you sons of God, give the Lord glory and power; give the Lord the glory of his name. Adore the Lord in his holy court. R./ The Lord’s voice resounding on the waters, the Lord on the immensity of waters, the voice of the Lord, full of power, the voice of the Lord, full of splendour. R./ The God of glory thunders. In his temple they all cry: “Glory!” The Lord sat enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits as king for ever. R./ SECOND READING (Peter proclaims that Jesus has come and lived among us to bring salvation for all.) A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (10:34-38) Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the word which he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), the word which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with Power; how he went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION (Mk 9:7) Alleluia, alleluia! A voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son listen to him.” Alleluia! GOSPEL (The Gospel here brings out how the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at his baptism and how the Father accepted the baptism of Jesus by proclaiming: “This is my beloved Son.”) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Luke (3:15-16,21-22) As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ, John answered them all, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, ‘Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.” This is the Gospel of the Lord. I believe in God,/the Father Almighty,/ Creator of heaven and earth./I believe in Jesus Christ,/his only Son, our Lord./He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit/and born of the Virgin Mary./He suffered under Pontius Pilate,/was crucified, died, and was buried./He descended to the dead./On the third day he rose again./He ascended into Heaven,/and is seated at the right hand of the Father./He will come again to judge the living and the dead./I believe in the Holy Spirit,/the Holy Catholic Church,/the communion of saints,/the forgiveness of sins,/the resurrection of the body,/and the life everlasting./Amen. PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, through baptism we are privileged to be called the beloved children of God. We know that God will not refuse us what we ask for in filial faith and confidence, and so we pray: Response: Lord, send us your Spirit and make us your beloved children. 1. That our Pope, bishops, priests and religious may faithfully live their baptismal consecration and thus become genuine witnesses of God’s love to all people. R./ 2. That all Christians may strive to live up to the dignity conferred on them in baptism and may truly live as the beloved children of God. R./ 3. That those who have difficulty in accepting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, may experience God’s love in the visible representatives of Jesus our Saviour. R./ 4. That all political leaders and government officials may obey their conscience, and seek to promote truth and justice in the world. R./ 5. That all of us gathered here may grow in appreciation of sharing Jesus’ life and mission, and may grow to maturity as sons and daughters of God, our Father. R./ (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: God our Father, through water and the Holy Spirit, you gave us a new life. Help us to be faithful to our baptismal promises and participate in the life and mission of your beloved Son Jesus. We ask this… PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, we celebrate the revelation of Christ your Son who takes away the sins of the world. Accept our gifts and let them become one with his sacrifice, for he is Lord for ever and ever. PREFACE (P 7) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks. You celebrated your new gift of baptism by signs and wonders at the Jordan. Your voice was heard from heaven to awaken faith in the presence among us of the Word made man. Your Spirit was seen as a dove, revealing Jesus as your servant, and anointing him with joy as the Christ, sent to bring to the poor the good news of salvation. In our unending joy we echo on earth the song of the angels in heaven as they praise your glory for ever: All: Holy, holy, holy... COMMUNION ANTIPHON This is he of whom John said: I have seen and have given witness that this is the Son of God. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord, you feed us with bread from heaven. May we hear your Son with faith and become your children in name and in fact. We ask this… The sacrament of baptism, which was conferred on all of us, reminds us of the Christian vocation and the status of the children of God. All of us do know that the baptism we received is not a mere custom, ritual or some ceremony but a sacrament. St Paul reminds us, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Rm 6:3-5). So, baptism is not a mere ritual that we went through but it is a definite personal acceptance of Jesus and his gospel. In Baptism, our sins are forgiven and we receive the Holy Spirit and through this sacrament we are made the children of God for in this sacrament we die to ourselves and come alive in Christ. In the Acts of the Apostles we read, “And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Baptism is about leaving our old, sinful and worldly ways behind, and taking upon our shoulders the yoke of Christ. It is about lifestyle change and dying to ourselves, and doing God’s will instead of ours. Baptism is about faith, repentance, total commitment, surrender, self-denial, death, resurrection, and seeking God’s mercy through Jesus Christ. Jesus told us, “There is a baptism I must receive, and what constraint I am under until it is completed” (Lk 12:50). For Jesus, baptism meant a total surrender to the will of his Father and the acceptance of the mission that the Father had for him. The baptism of Jesus reminds us that the mystery of the incarnation is so much more than the birth of an infant. God’s Word-made-flesh, bridges the divinity and the humanity. The name Jesus received from his Abba at his baptism was “beloved”. God in his abundant goodness has told us, “Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are mine” (Is 43:1). Our baptism is a sharing of that precious name “beloved” in all its entirety and a call to become true and beloved children of God. My name is my identity and uniqueness. Unfortunately, today the baptism for many has become another occasion for socializing, a day to party and an extravagant show of celebration. What is being celebrated is not the new birth a person receives in Jesus Christ but the ritual of baptism. As St Gregory Nazianzen tells us, “Today let us do honour to Christ’s Baptism and celebrate this feast in holiness. Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed”. Our baptism is a commitment to live and give Jesus Christ and not a mere social ritual that we go through in our life. May Jesus the Lord lead us to that baptism that helps to journey on with him to God’s Kingdom. —Fr Johnson Vattakkunnel, ssp January 2010 READINGS OF THE WEEK Psalter Week 1 11 Mon (G) 1 Sam 1:1-8; Ps 115:12-13,14-17,18-19; Mk 1:14-20 12 Tue (G) 1 Sam 1:9-20; Ps 1 Sam 2:1,4-5,6-7,8abcd; Mk 1-21b-28 13 Wed (G) 1 Sam 3:1-10,19-20; Ps 39:2,5,7-8a,8b-9,10; Mk 1:29-39 14 Thu (G) 1 Sam 4:1b-11; Ps 43:10-11,14-15,24-25; Mk 1:40-45 15 Fri (G) 1 Sam 8:4-7,10-22; Ps 88:16-17,18-19; Mk 2:1-12 16 Sat (W) Bl. Joseph Vaz, 1 Sam 9:1-4,17-19,26,10:1; Ps 20:2-3,4-5,6-7; Mk 2:13-17