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Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Year A, 9 January 2023 Note: Homilies & Angelus / Regina Caeli of Pope Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI & Pope Francis I had been compiled for you after the Mass Readings below. Happy Reading! Liturgical Colour: White.
Mass Readings from ETWN, USCCB, Universalis. See our compilation with Pictures in Encouragements-354. 8-) First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7, Responsorial: Psalm 29:1-4, 3, 9-10, 2nd Reading: Acts 10:34-38 & Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17, CCTNtv, Gospel video.
Others: Baptism - Venerable Fulton J. Sheen The Effects of Original Sin - Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
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Homilies, Angelus / Regina Caeli
See our compilation with Pictures in Encouragements-354. 8-)
1. On this Sunday we are celebrating the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The Gospel passage that the liturgy offers for our reflection speaks of Jesus, who, hidden in the crowd, goes into the river Jordan to be baptized by John. As he comes out of the water, the heavens are opened, the Spirit of God appears in the form of a dove and a voice resounds from on The faithful came in large numbers despite the rain high: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17).
In this scene it is God himself who, in a certain way, is revealed in his Trinitarian mystery: the Father, principle and source of life and holiness; the Son, who came into the world to free it from sin and death; and the Holy Spirit, who sustains the work of Redemption with his power.
2. In the context of this final year of preparation for the Great Jubilee, the year dedicated to the Father, today's feast takes on a special value. The icon of Jesus' Baptism calls to our mind the merciful face of the heavenly Father, who, as the Gospel says, "so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
Thus we are invited to reflect on the Father's love for us, who have been raised in Baptism to the dignity of his adoptive children. The awareness of such a lofty dignity must reawaken our commitment to conduct ourselves appropriately. Pope Saint John Paul II (Angelus, 10 January 1999)
See our compilation with Pictures in Encouragements-355. 8-)
1. This year once again I have had the joy of baptizing some babies on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The Gospels place this event at the beginning of the public life of Jesus. Indeed, it is the first manifestation of Jesus as Son of God, sent by the Father to take on himself and take away the sin of the world (cf. John 1:29). As soon as he was baptized in the Jordan River, the heavens were opened the Holy Spirit came down upon him in the form of a dove, while from on high a mysterious announcement resounded: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17).
The Lord was thus manifested as "the Christ", consecrated by God in the Holy Spirit, and sent by him to announce to the poor the joyful message of salvation (cf. Isaiah 61:1-2). The purpose of his mission is to baptize human beings in the Holy Spirit (cf. Matthew 3:11; John 1:33), namely, to communicate to them the "fire" of divine life (cf. Luke 12:49-50). It is what will be fully realized with his death and resurrection, a mystery, in which they who have received the sacrament of Baptism are made partakers. Pope Saint John Paul II (Angelus, 13 January 2002)
See our compilation with Pictures in Encouragements-355. 8-)
See our compilation with Pictures in Encouragements-355. 8-)
With today's Feast of Jesus' Baptism the liturgical Season of Christmas concludes. The Child, who the Magi from the East came to adore at Bethlehem offering their symbolic gifts, we now find an adult, at the time when he is baptized in the Jordan River by the great Prophet John (cf. Matthew 3: 13).
The Gospel notes that after Jesus had received baptism and left the water, the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove (cf. Matthew 3: 16). Then a voice was heard from heaven that said: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3: 17). This was his first public manifestation after approximately 30 years of hidden life at Nazareth. Besides the Baptist, eyewitnesses of the singular event were the Baptist's disciples, some of whom then became Christ's followers (cf. John 1: 35-40). It is both a christophany and a theophany: first of all, Jesus manifests himself as the Christ, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Messiah, which means "anointed". He was not anointed with oil as were Israel's kings and high priests, but rather with the Holy Spirit. At the same time, together with the Son of God appeared signs of the Holy Spirit and the heavenly Father.
What is the meaning of this act that Jesus wishes to fulfil - overcoming the Baptist's resistance - in order to obey the Father's will (cf. Matthew 3: 14-15)? The profound sense emerges only at the end of Christ's earthly existence, in his death and Resurrection. Being baptized by John together with sinners, Jesus began to take upon himself the weight of all of humanity's sin, like the Lamb of God who "takes away" the sin of the world (cf. John 1: 29): an act which he brought to fulfilment on the Cross when he also received his "baptism" (cf. Luke 12: 50). In fact, by dying he is "immersed" in the Father's love and the Holy Spirit comes forth, so that those who believe in him could be reborn by that inexhaustible font of new and eternal life. Christ's entire mission is summed up in this: to baptize us in the Holy Spirit, to free us from the slavery of death and "to open heaven to us", that is, access to the true and full life that will be "a plunging ever anew into the vastness of being, in which we are simply overwhelmed with joy" (Spe Salvi, n. 12).
This is what happened for the 13 children to whom I administered the Sacrament of Baptism this morning in the Sistine Chapel. We invoke the maternal protection of Mary Most Holy on them and their relatives. And we pray for all Christians, so that they may understand the gift of Baptism ever more and apply themselves to live it coherently, witnessing to the love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Pope Benedict XVI (Angelus, 13 January 2008)
See our compilation with Pictures in Encouragements-356. 8-)
Today the Church is celebrating the Baptism of the Lord, the Feast which concludes the liturgical Season of Christmas. This mystery of the life of Christ visibly demonstrates that his coming in the flesh is a sublime act of love by the Three Divine Persons. We can say that from this solemn event the creative, redemptive and sanctifying action of the Most Holy Trinity will be increasingly evident in the public ministry of Jesus, in his teaching, his miracles, and in his Passion, death and Resurrection. We read, in fact, in the Gospel according to St Matthew that “when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold the heavens were opened [for him] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’ ” (Matthew 3: 16-17).
The Holy Spirit “dwells” in the Son and testifies to his divinity, while the voice of the Father, coming from the heavens, expresses the communion of love. “The conclusion of the baptismal scene tells us that Jesus has received this true ‘anointing’, that he is the awaited Anointed One [the Christ]” (Jesus of Nazareth, New York 2007, pp. 25-26), which confirms Isaiah’s prophecy: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights” (Isaiah 42:1). He is truly the Messiah, the Son of the Most High who, emerging from the waters of the Jordan, establishes the regeneration in the Spirit and opens, to those who desire it, the possibility of becoming sons of God.
Not by chance, in fact, does every baptized person acquire the character of son, based on the Christian name, an unmistakable sign that the Holy Spirit gives birth to man “anew” from the womb of the Church. Blessed Antonio Rosmini affirms that “the baptized undergoes a secret but very powerful operation, through which he is raised to the supernatural order, is placed in communication with God” (The Ruling Principle of Method Applied to Education, Turin 1857, n. 331). All this was fulfilled again at the celebration of the Eucharist this morning in the Sistine Chapel where I conferred the sacrament of Baptism on 21 new-born babies.
Dear friends, Baptism is the beginning of the spiritual life which finds its fullness in the Church. At the favourable moment of the sacrament, while the ecclesial community is praying and entrusting to God a new son or daughter, parents and godparents commit themselves to welcoming the newly baptized, sustaining them in Christian formation and education. This is a great responsibility which comes from a great gift! Therefore, I desire to encourage all the faithful to rediscover the beauty of being baptized and of belonging to the large family of God, and to give a joyful witness of their faith so that this faith may produce fruits of good and harmony.
Let us ask this through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, to whom we entrust the parents who are preparing for their children’s Baptism, as well as the catechists. The entire community participates in the joy of rebirth in water and in the Holy Spirit! Pope Benedict XVI (Angelus, 9 January 2011)
See our compilation with Pictures in Encouragements-356. 8-)
Today is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This morning I baptized 32 infants. With you I thank the Lord for these creatures and for every new life. I am glad to baptize babies. I like it very much! Every new-born child is a gift of joy and hope, and each baby that is baptized is a miracle of faith and a celebration for the family of God.
Today’s page from the Gospel emphasizes that, when Jesus had received baptism from John in the River Jordan, “the heavens were opened” to him (Matthew 3:16). This fulfills the prophecies. In fact, there is an invocation which the liturgy has us repeat during the Season of Advent: “O that thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down” (Isaiah 64:1). If the heavens remain closed, our horizon in this earthly life is dark and without hope. Instead, in celebrating Christmas, once again faith has given us the certainty that the heavens have been rent with the coming of Christ. And on the day of the baptism of Christ we continue to contemplate the heavens opened. The manifestation of the Son of God on earth marks the beginning of the great time of mercy, after sin had closed the heavens, raising itself as a barrier between the human being and his Creator. With the birth of Jesus the heavens open! God gives us in Christ the guarantee of an indestructible love. From the moment the Word became flesh it is therefore possible to see the open heavens. It was possible for the shepherds of Bethlehem, for the Magi of the East, for the Baptist, for Jesus’ Apostles, and for St Stephen, the first martyr, who exclaimed: “Behold, I see the heavens opened!” (Acts 7:56). And it is possible for each one of us, if we allow ourselves to be suffused with God’s love, which is given to us for the first time in Baptism by means of the Holy Spirit. Let us allow ourselves to be invaded by God’s love! This is the great time of mercy! Do not forget it: this is the great time of Mercy!
When Jesus received the baptism of repentance from John the Baptism, showing solidarity with the repentant people — He without sin and with no need for conversion — God the Father made his voice heard from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (v. 17). Jesus receives approval from the heavenly Father, who sent him precisely that he might accept to share our condition, our poverty. Sharing is the true way to love. Jesus does not dissociate himself from us, he considers us brothers and sisters and he shares with us. And so he makes us sons and daughters, together with him, of God the Father. This is the revelation and source of true love. And this is the great time of mercy!
Does it not seem to you that in our own time extra fraternal sharing and love is needed? Does it not seem to you that we all need extra charity? Not the sort that is content with extemporaneous help which does not involve or stake anything, but that charity that shares, that takes on the hardship and suffering of a brother. What flavour life acquires when we allow ourselves to be inundated by God’s love!
Let us ask the Holy Virgin to support us by her intercession in our commitment to follow Christ on the way of faith and charity, the path traced out by our Baptism. Pope Francis I (Angelus, 12 January 2014)
You have asked for faith for your children, the faith that will be bestowed in Baptism. Faith: this means a life of faith, because faith is lived; walking on the path of faith and giving testimony of faith. Faith is not reciting the “Creed” on Sunday, when we go to Mass; it is not only this. Faith is believing what is the Truth: God the Father who sent his Son and the Spirit that enlivens us. But faith is also entrusting oneself to God, and this you must teach them, with your example, with your life. And, faith is light: in the ceremony of Baptism you will be given a lighted candle, as in the early days of the Church. For this reason Baptism, in those days, was called ‘illumination’ because faith illuminates the heart; it shows things in a different light. You have asked for faith: the Church gives faith to your children with Baptism, and you have the task of making it grow, safeguarding it, so that it may become testimony for all others. This is the meaning of this ceremony. I would like to tell you only this: safeguard the faith; make it grow, so it may be testimony for others.
Then ... the concert has begun! [babies cry]. It is because the babies are in a place they don’t know; they have gotten up earlier than usual. One starts, gives the note and then the others “mimic”.... Some cry simply because the other has cried.... Do you know that Jesus did the same? I like thinking that Jesus’ first sermon in the stable was a cry, the first.... Then, since the ceremony is rather long, some cry out of hunger. If this is the case, you mothers, feel free to nurse them, without worry, completely as usual. As Our Lady nursed Jesus....
Don’t forget: you have asked for faith; it is your task to safeguard the faith, make it grow, so it may be testimony for all of us, for all of us: even for us clergymen, priests, bishops, everyone. Thank you. Pope Francis I (Homily, 8 January 2017)
Today, the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus, the Gospel (Matthew 3:13-17) describes the scene which occurred at the River Jordan: Jesus, too, is in the midst of the penitent crowd which approaches John the Baptist to receive baptism. He stood in line. John would like to prevent him from [being baptized], saying: “I need to be baptized by you” (3:14). The Baptist, indeed, is aware of the great distance there is between him and Jesus. But Jesus has come precisely to bridge the gap between man and God: if He is completely on God’s side, He is also completely on mankind’s side, and reunites what had been separated. For this reason he asks John to baptize him, so that all righteousness may be fulfilled (cf. v. 15), namely, that the plan of God may be fulfilled, the plan which passes by way of obedience and solidarity with fragile and sinful mankind, the way of humility and of God’s full closeness to his children. Because God is very close to us, very close!
At the moment in which Jesus, baptized by John, comes out of the waters of the River Jordan, the voice of God the Father is heard from on high: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (v. 17). At the same time the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, alights upon Jesus, who publicly begins his mission of salvation; a mission characterized by a manner: the way of a humble and gentle servant, armed only with the power of truth, as Isaiah had prophesied: “He will not cry or lift up his voice, … a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice” (42:2-3). A humble and gentle servant.
This is Jesus’ way, as well as the manner of Christ’s disciples’ missionary work: To proclaim the Gospel with gentleness, but also firmness, without shouting, without reprimanding anyone, but gently and firmly, without arrogance or imposition. The true mission is never proselytism, but drawing people to Christ. But how? How is this attraction to Christ achieved? With one’s own witness, starting from the unwavering union with him in prayer, in adoration and in concrete works of charity, which is service to Jesus present in the least of his brothers and sisters. In imitation of Jesus, the good and merciful Shepherd, and moved by his grace, we are called to make our life a joyous testimony that illuminates the way, that brings hope and love.
This feast makes us rediscover the gift and the beauty of being a community of baptized, that is, of sinners — we all are sinners — saved by the grace of Christ, truly integrated, by the work of the Holy Spirit, in the filial relationship of Jesus with the Father, welcomed into the bosom of Mother Church, making possible a brotherhood that knows no barriers or borders.
May the Virgin Mary help all of us Christians to maintain an ever keen and grateful awareness of our own Baptism and to faithfully follow the path opened by this Sacrament of our rebirth. Ever with humility, gentleness and firmness. Pope Francis I (Angelus, 8 January 2017)
Homily, 12 January 2020 Holy Mass Video. Homily Text. Extracts: Just like Jesus who went to be baptized, you too are bringing your children.
Jesus replies to John: “let all righteousness be fulfilled” (cf. Matthew 3:15). To baptize a child is an act of justice towards them. Why? Because at Baptism we offer a treasure, at Baptism we offer a pledge: the Holy Spirit. Baptism endows the child with the strength of the Holy Spirit: the Spirit that will defend and assist each of them throughout life. This is why it is so important to baptize them when they are little, so that they may grow with the strength of the Holy Spirit. Pope Francis I (Homily, 12 January 2020)
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Angelus, 12 January 2020 Extracts: John had stated that there was an abyssal, unbridgeable difference between him and Jesus. I am not worthy to carry his sandals (cf. Matthew 3:11), he had said. But the Son of God came precisely to fill this gap between man and God. If Jesus is completely on God’s side, he is also completely on the side of mankind and he reunites what was divided. This is why he answers John: “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness” (v. 15). The Messiah asks to be baptized so that all righteousness be fulfilled, that God’s design which passes through filial obedience and solidarity with fragile and sinful mankind, be fulfilled. It is the path of humility and of God’s complete closeness to his children.
The prophet Isaiah also announces the righteousness of the Servant of God who fulfills his mission in the world with a style that is opposed to the worldly spirit. “He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard on the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench” (Isaiah 42:2-3). It is the attitude of meekness — the attitude of simplicity, of respect, of moderation and of hiddeness that is still asked today of the Lord’s disciples. How many — it is sad to say — how many of the Lord’s disciples boast that they are disciples of the Lord. Those who boast are not good disciples of the Lord. The good disciple is humble, meek, one who does good unobtrusively. In missionary work, the Christian community is called to approach others always offering and not imposing, bearing witness, sharing the concrete life of the people.
As soon as Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit alighted on him like a dove, as a voice from heaven said: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). We rediscover our own Baptism in the Feast of the Baptism. Just as Jesus is the Beloved Son of the Father, we too, reborn by water and the Holy Spirit, know we are loved children — the Father loves us all! —, the object of God’s satisfaction, brothers and sisters of many brothers and sisters, assigned with a great mission to bear witness and proclaim the Father’s boundless love to all mankind. Pope Francis I (Angelus, 12 January 2020)
Homily, 8 January 2023 Holy Mass Video. Homily starts at 21:50/1:30:42.
Angelus, 8 January 2023 Angelus Video (American Sign Language), Text. Extracts: By having himself baptized, Jesus reveals God’s justice, that justice He came to bring into the world. Very often we have a limited idea of justice, and think that it means: those who do wrong pay, and in this way compensate for the wrong they have done. But God’s justice, as the Scripture teaches, is much greater: it does not have as its end the condemnation of the guilty, but their salvation and rebirth, making them righteous: from unjust to just. It is a justice that comes from love, from the depths of compassion and mercy that are the very heart of God, the Father who is moved when we are oppressed by evil and fall under the weight of sins and fragility. God’s justice, then, is not intended to distribute penalties and punishments but rather, as the Apostle Paul affirms, it consists of making us, his children, righteous (cf. Romans 3:22-31), freeing us from the snares of evil, healing us, raising us up again. The Lord is always there, not ready to punish us, but with his hand outstretched to help us rise up. And so, we understand that, on the banks of the Jordan, Jesus reveals to us the meaning of his mission: He came to fulfil divine justice, which is that of saving sinners; he came to take on his own shoulders the sin of the world and to descend into the waters of the abyss, death, so as to rescue us from drowning. He shows us today that the true justice of God is the mercy that saves. We are afraid to think that God is mercy, but God is mercy, because his justice is indeed the mercy that saves, it is the love that shares our human condition, that makes itself close, in solidarity with our suffering, entering into our darkness to restore light.
Benedict XVI affirmed that “God desired to save us by going to the bottom of this abyss himself so that every person, even those who have fallen so low that they can no longer perceive Heaven, may find God’s hand to cling to and rise from the darkness to see again the light for which he or she was made” (Homily, 13 January 2008, with picture).
Brothers and sisters, we are afraid to think of such a merciful justice. Let us go ahead: God is merciful. His justice is merciful. Let us allow ourselves to be taken by the hand by Him. Pope Francis I (Angelus, 8 January 2023)
Daily Blessings to You from Emmanuel Goh & Friends
Note: This webpage has many hyperlinks to the Vatican Webpage. The above extracts were compiled for your easy reading. This Publication is aimed to encourage all of Goodwill around the World. It is not for business or profit purposes but it is our way to thank our Creator for His continuous blessings!
Compiled on 5 January 2020 Last updated: 10 January 2023, 13:38 SGT.
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