| Bread From Heaven Meditations on the Sunday Gospel for the Year of the Eucharist |
| Baptism of Our Lord Sunday January 9th, 2005 |
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan 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." – Matthew 3:13 - 17
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." – Matthew 3:13 - 17
| THE BACKGROUND |
John’s offer of a baptism for repentance was very popular among the Jews of his time.
This is demonstrated by the fact that the Pharisees and Sadducees felt compelled to
undergo baptism in order to keep favor with the populace (see Mt 3:7-10; 21:25-26). John
in the verses preceding this section is shown chastising those Pharisees and Sadducees
and predicting the coming of one “whose sandals I am not worthy to carry, he will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” After making this prediction, his response in the passage
we read today is quite understandable. He knew his cousin Jesus to be the One whose
way he was preparing. John is at first bewildered that Jesus would ask for the baptism of
repentance, but at Jesus’ word, he does as told.
This is demonstrated by the fact that the Pharisees and Sadducees felt compelled to
undergo baptism in order to keep favor with the populace (see Mt 3:7-10; 21:25-26). John
in the verses preceding this section is shown chastising those Pharisees and Sadducees
and predicting the coming of one “whose sandals I am not worthy to carry, he will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” After making this prediction, his response in the passage
we read today is quite understandable. He knew his cousin Jesus to be the One whose
way he was preparing. John is at first bewildered that Jesus would ask for the baptism of
repentance, but at Jesus’ word, he does as told.
Imagine yourself as a childhood friend of Jesus. You’ve know him
most of his life. You know him to be of exceptional character but that’s
as much as you know. You’ve never heard of the virgin birth and he
has worked no public miracles yet. He’s just a nice fellow, the son of
Joseph and Mary. A couple of days ago he asked you to make a trip
with him to receive the baptism of his cousin John. John’s fame as a
fiery preacher and holy man is known throughout Israel. You are
wanting to get closer to God, so you go to receive this baptism of
repentance. Take some time to picture your journey with Jesus. What
do you talk about? Do you grow in wonder at him?
Finally picture yourself arriving at the Jordan. You go in for your
baptism, then step out on the other bank. Looking back you see John,
the famous, incredibly holy John, bow to Jesus and fumble out the
words that he is not worthy to baptize Jesus. What goes through your
mind when you hear these words? John, the most renowned holy man
in all of Israel has just told your traveling companion that he is not
worthy to baptize him. Who is this man?
most of his life. You know him to be of exceptional character but that’s
as much as you know. You’ve never heard of the virgin birth and he
has worked no public miracles yet. He’s just a nice fellow, the son of
Joseph and Mary. A couple of days ago he asked you to make a trip
with him to receive the baptism of his cousin John. John’s fame as a
fiery preacher and holy man is known throughout Israel. You are
wanting to get closer to God, so you go to receive this baptism of
repentance. Take some time to picture your journey with Jesus. What
do you talk about? Do you grow in wonder at him?
Finally picture yourself arriving at the Jordan. You go in for your
baptism, then step out on the other bank. Looking back you see John,
the famous, incredibly holy John, bow to Jesus and fumble out the
words that he is not worthy to baptize Jesus. What goes through your
mind when you hear these words? John, the most renowned holy man
in all of Israel has just told your traveling companion that he is not
worthy to baptize him. Who is this man?
| Jesus the Apostles and You |
| TALKING TO GOD - Lord, help me to understand who you are. I want to see your glory. Give me eyes to recognize you in all the many disguises you come to me under. Lord help me to know how much it cost you to empty yourself and to come so humbly to this earth. Help me to know the burning love you have for me that moved you to do this. Light of the world, you stepped down into darkness, open my eyes, let me see. |
| Conversation Starters with God: Lord, let me listen in on those words of the Father to you. Help me to hear the Father saying as I look to Your Presence here, “This is my Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Listen and look with that disposition which the Pope calls “Eucharistic amazement” – This is the Beloved Son before you.) Jesus, your humility never ceases to amaze me. You are God in perfect bliss and yet you empty yourself to become one like us, to suffer for our sins. In the Baptism you make yourself appear as one needing repentance, though you yourself are the source and end of repentance. You “became sin” that we might become righteous. In the Eucharist, you once again come humbly and risk rejection, apathy, and indifference. Lord, help me to see the areas in my life where I can share in your humility, those areas where I can offer being misunderstood, mistreated, counted as nothing… “This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” Lord, I want to hear you speak those words about me. I know it pleases you when I come before you here, help me to hear it, help me to begin to hear it in other parts of my life too. (Recall one or two areas of your life where God’s grace has been working and you have been cooperating, listen to his words to you from today’s Gospel.) |
| QUOTES ON THE EUCHARIST |
"The holy hour in our modern rat race is necessary for
authentic prayer. Our world is one of speed in which
intensity of movement is a substitute for lack of purpose;
where noise is invoked to drown out the whisperings of
conscience; where talk, talk, talk gives the impression that
we are doing something when really we are not; where
activity kills self-knowledge won by contemplation"
There seems to be so little in common between our
involvement with the news of the world and the Stranger in
whose Presence we find ourselves. The hour means giving
up a golf game or a cocktail party, or a nap...
- Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
authentic prayer. Our world is one of speed in which
intensity of movement is a substitute for lack of purpose;
where noise is invoked to drown out the whisperings of
conscience; where talk, talk, talk gives the impression that
we are doing something when really we are not; where
activity kills self-knowledge won by contemplation"
There seems to be so little in common between our
involvement with the news of the world and the Stranger in
whose Presence we find ourselves. The hour means giving
up a golf game or a cocktail party, or a nap...
- Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
| LET US PRAY -My Lord Jesus Christ, for the love which You bear to men, You remain night and day in this Sacrament full of compassion and of love, awaiting, calling, and welcoming all who come to visit You. I believe that You are present in the Sacrament of the Altar: I adore You from the abyss of my nothingness, and I thank You for all the graces which You have bestowed upon me and in particular for having given me Yourself in this Sacrament, for having given me your holy Mother Mary for my advocate, and for having called me to visit You in this chapel. I now salute Your most loving Heart: and this for three ends: 1. In thanksgiving for this great gift; 2. To make amends to You for all the outrages which You receive in this Sacrament from all Your enemies; 3. I intend by this visit to adore You in all the places on earth in which You are the least revered and the most abandoned. - Saint Alphonsus Ligouri |
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