Monday - January 09, 2017
“Always receive with equal contentment from God’s hand either consolations or sufferings, peace or distress, health or illness. Ask nothing, refuse nothing, but always be ready to do and to suffer anything that comes from His Providence.”
--St. Teresa Margaret
TODAY'S READINGS
The Baptism of 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.
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."
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.
The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered:
This is my beloved Son, listen to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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."
January 9, 2017
The Baptism of the Lord
Lectionary: 21
Reading 1IS 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.
Or:ACTS 10:34-38
Peter proceeded to speak to those gatheredin 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."
Responsorial PsalmPS 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.
AlleluiaMK 9:7
R. Alleluia, alleluia.The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered:
This is my beloved Son, listen to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 3:13-17
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordanto 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."
******************************
Introductory Prayer: Lord, thank you for this time to be with you. I believe in you. I believe that you are here with me and that you want to speak with me today. I wish to open my heart to hear your word and put it into practice out of love for you.
Petition: Lord, help me to grow in the virtue of humility.
1. Jesus Lines up with Sinners: John was preaching a baptism of repentance, and large numbers of people were coming to John to repent of their sins. They wanted to change the direction of their lives and be reconciled with God. Jesus came along with the crowd. Even though he is the sinless one, he numbered himself among the others and proceeded to the Jordan as if he, too, were a sinner like them. To appreciate this gesture, we need only to recall how much we resent it when we are perceived as guilty for something we didn’t do. It’s even costly to have our real faults pointed out to others. Yet here, even when he is so far from the slightest stain of guilt, Jesus peacefully and humbly accepts being labeled a sinner like everyone else. He does this for our sake. Am I overly concerned about how I appear to others so that this negatively affects my good deeds?
2. A Humility that Bows to the Father’s Will: John did not want to baptize Jesus, because he knew that Jesus was not like the others. Yet Jesus made it clear that this was part of the Father’s plan, and this plan was the driving force in his life. Pride did not get in the way of Jesus’ obedience. Rather, his Father’s will was the food that fed and nourished his life. “My food is to do the will of the Father and to finish his work” (John 4:34). What does my own heart “feed on”? If it is not fed on the Father’s will, then could pride be subtly at work turning me into my own highest purpose?
3. A Father’s Blessing: Heaven responded to Christ’s obedience. This moment foreshadows the definitive opening of heaven to mankind’s salvation, accomplished through Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary. The heart of sacrifice is obedience, and obedience is not possible without humility. Jesus humbled himself before John the Baptist. The Father saw his obedience and was pleased, praising him out loud: “This is my beloved Son.” To listen to him is to follow his example.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, thank you for the gift of yourself. Teach me to be humble. It is hard for me to put others ahead of myself, to take second place, to let others win the praise and glory I crave for myself. Help me to be humble and to seek repentance from all sin in my life. I need your help to do your will. Strengthen and guide me in your service.
Resolution: I will do a hidden act of charity for someone.
--
God Bless You.....
KONKANI PRAYER GROUP - Abu Dhabi
"Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone" Mark 16:15
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