FIRST READING (Come to the waters: listen, that you may have life.)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (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.

—The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

 

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (Ps 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.

 

SECOND READING (The Spirit and the water and the blood.)

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 10:34-38)

Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered

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.”

—The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

 

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Cf. Jn 1:29)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

John saw Jesus approaching him, and said: Behold the

Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (R)

 

GOSPEL (You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to 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.”

—The Gospel of the Lord.

R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

“Through the Waters to New Life”

 With today’s celebration of the Baptism of the Lord we have the official liturgical conclusion to the Christmas season. Though this celebration closes  a door, it opens another in the period where the Church now contemplates the events of the public life of Jesus. The readings in the coming weeks remind us that the one born of our flesh is the servant of God as foretold by the prophet Isaiah, the very Son of God, the one who brings s promise of justice and hope to a world in desperate need for these virtues.

A few lines before the opening of today’s Gospel, Mark describes the baptism of John the Baptist as one, “of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” At the time this resembled a popular religious practice of ritual purification, and it had symbolic meaning because of the cleansing properties of water. But his baptism of Jesus did not have this effect, because the Christ did not need to undergo remorse for sin and conversion of life. So theologians have grappled with the question of why the Son of God asked John to baptize him? Many commentators explain that this was the method chosen by the Lord to enter formally into his ministry. It gave the occasion for a divine affirmation for his messianic identity and mission. The divine approval here is trinitarian, joining the voice of the Father over the Son while the Spirit descends on the Son. “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

John recognizes the superiority of Jesus. Though he came before Jesus, he acknowledges Jesus as “one mightier than I.. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.” Another striking difference is that John’s baptism is one of water alone. But Jesus will baptize both with water and the Holy Spirit.

Mark takes great pains to show the ministry of Jesus brings to fulfillment some of the expectations expressed in the prophecies of Isaiah. The mysterious “servant” addressed throughout Isaiah is now identified by God as “my servant whom I uphold/ my chosen one with whom I am pleased.” The prophet goes on to show the ministry of this special servant. “He shall bring forth justice to the nations… [he will] open the eyes of the blind… [and] bring our prisoners from confinement.” Notwithstanding the reforms the servant will enact in the name of the Lord, he will do this carefully, compassionately and tenderly especially towards those who have been bruised or oppressed unjustly. And the reason the servant will be able to do all of this is because he will have the Spirit of the Lord upon him. And so, it is not the servant alone who is acting, but it is the power of God working through the servant that will accomplish all  these things. The identification of Jesus with Isaiah’s “servant” shines a special light on the ministry of Jesus that will be one of justice for all people and of tenderness especially towards the vulnerable, the weak and those who have been broken. 

      Our 2nd reading from the Acts of the Apostles reiterates the same theme as that of the Baptism in the Gospel which connect the conferral of the Spirit upon Jesus at the Baptism as part of mis Mission “to the nations” – extending this mission and ministry to the ends of the earth. These references from Isaiah woven through the reading from Acts and the Gospel show a progression of God’s salvific plan in history which is meant not just for Israel but for all nations and peoples. It continues the Gospel theme for the Epiphany. From the servant – to Christ, and from Christ to his disciples and now to all who are baptized. Our baptism bring us into this dynamic mission to continue the ministry of Jesus towards all.

We live in a time of great unrest and instability. Over the last few weeks, I have been reading the “Prison Journal, Vol. 1” of Cardinal George Pell, and have found tremendous resonance in his own experiences and reflections on the Scriptures as he suffered over 400 days in prison unjustly. He too reflects on the situation of our world today, seemingly poised on the brink of chaos. We are surrounded by businesses and individuals facing financial instability and ruin, rising unemployment and loss of livelihood due to shut-downs; the chaotic turmoil caused by our inability to move about freely, to socialize, to travel and to mingle without fear. Then too we experience a similar turmoil in our church that threatens our trust in parts of its institutions. In a year controlled by a pandemic, no one is left untouched by the chaos which threatens to swallow us alive. Where can we turn for refuge, for safety, for comfort and for assurance? 

In the Scriptures, chaos – from the time of Genesis – is portrayed as uncontrollable waters threatening to wipe out every living through (such as in the flood at the time of Noah). Our responsorial psalm today reminds us, “The Lord over the vast waters… is enthroned above the flood.” The psalmist assures us that God rules over the chaos enveloping us like raging waters. Our readings for the Feast of the Baptism offer to us a direction for us in these struggles. We are called to trust in God. Isaiah offer to us a plan for restoration while in the Acts we are called to continue the ministry of Jesus in our daily lives. As Jesus rose and walked out of the waters of the Jordan and began the journey of his ministry, so too we as he followers emerge from the waters of our baptism as a new people, filled with the Spirit. 

In the Spirit of this Feast that closes the Christmas season, we no longer look backwards to the manger, but we look forward to the task before us, trusting that some day I might be said of each and every one of us, “Here is my servant whom I uphold.”

Prayers

Celebrant:  On this day, the heavens were opened as the Spirit descended upon Christ at his Baptism. In prayer, we ask the Father to unseal the fountain of his blessings upon our world.

 

READER: For the Church, that – like her Lord, the Beloved of the Father – his favour may always rest upon her, and his Spirit overshadow her with truth and power, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

 

READER: For those entrusted with the work of government, that they may serve the cause of right, and strive to establish true justice on earth, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

 

READER: For those whose faith has weakened, that the Spirit given in their baptism will rekindle faith and love in their hearts , (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For ourselves and our community, that we may eagerly follow Christ’s call given at our baptism and strive to establish true justice on earth, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

 

READER: For all those who are sick, hospitalized or quarantined, that God will strengthen and comfort them, and for all who have died recently, that those who mourn them feel God’s compassion, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

 

CELEBRANT: Almighty Father, by our baptism you adopted us as your sons and daughters. Hear our prayers through that same favor that rests on your beloved Son, who is Lord, for ever and ever.  (all) AMEN.