Sunday, January 11, 2004
BAPTISM OF THE LORD

1st Reading: Is 40:1-5, 9-11

Be comforted, my people,
be strengthened, says your God.
Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, proclaim to her
that her time of bondage is at an end,
that her guilt has been paid for,
that from the hand of Yahweh
she has received double punishment
for all her iniquity.

A voice cries,
"In the wilderness prepare the way for Yahweh.
Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley will be raised up;
every mountain and hill will be laid low.
The stumbling blocks shall become level
and the rugged places smooth.
The glory of Yahweh will be revealed,
and all mortals together will see it;
for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken."

A voice says, "Cry."
and I say, "What shall I cry?"
"All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty as the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower wilts,
when the breath of Yahweh blows upon it.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will forever stand."

Go up onto the high mountain, messenger of Zion,
lift up your voice with strength,
fear not to cry aloud when you tell Jerusalem
and announce to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!

Here comes your God with might;
his strong arm rules for him;
his reward is with him,
and here before him is his booty.
Like a shepherd he tends his flock:
he gathers the lambs in his arms,
he carries them in his bosom,
gently leading those that are with young.

2nd Reading: Tit 2:11-14; 3:4-7

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, teaching us to reject an irreligious way of life and worldly greed, and to live in this world as responsible persons, upright and serving God, while we await our blessed hope-the glorious manifestation of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus. He gave himself for us, to redeem us from every evil and to purify a people he wanted to be his own and dedicated to what is good.

But God our Savior revealed his eminent goodness and love for humankind and saved us, not because of good deeds we may have done but for the sake of his own mercy, to the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit poured over us through Christ Jesus our Savior, so that having been justified by his grace we should become heirs in hope of eternal life.

Gospel: Lk 3:15-16, 21-22

The people were wondering about John's identity, "Could he be the Messiah?" Then John answered them, "I baptize you with water, but the one who is coming will do much more: he will baptize you with Holy Spirit and fire. As for me, I am not worthy to untie his sandal."

Now, with all the people who came to be baptized, Jesus too was baptized. Then, while he was praying, the heavens opened: the Holy Spirit came down upon him in the bodily form of a dove and a voice from heaven was heard, "You are my Son, this day I have begotten you."

Commentary

HOW do you recognize John the Baptist in Christian art? He's the scruffy one-even though it's a scruffiness made genteel by generations of artists. He came from the desert, where "he wore a garment made of camel-hair and his food was locusts and wild honey" (Mt 3:4). His message was equally rough: he didn't begin, "My dear brothers and sisters"; he began, "Brood of vipers!" (Lk 3:7). Could he be the Messiah, the Promised One? Many thought he might be. This shows that they had no glamorized image of the Messiah. They expected a thrashing! God would burn up most of them up like chaff, John promised. This was a significant phrase: the Pharisees regarded the common people as chaff-empty husks. John's words must have cut them to the bone.

John's cousin too came from the desert, but his attitude was so different. Looking at the crowd "he felt sorry for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is rich but the laborers are few'" (Mt 9:36). He does not see them as chaff, but as harvest-ripe and full of life. It is because he believes in us that we are able to believe in him.

Read also Sunday's Into Silence:  The Commitment of Baptism

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