Sunday Meditation: To Fulfill All Righteousness

Today we close the Christmas liturgical season with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  In Year A we are presented with Matthew’s version of Christ’s baptism, and only in Matthew’s account does Jesus, who was without sin, explain why He needs to be baptized: “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”  It is also fitting that John who baptizes Jesus, has prepared the way, and I think the baptism concludes the preparation.  With the baptism, Jesus inaugurates His ministry. 

Here is something to think about: how are you preparing the way for Jesus?

 

 

 

Here is today’s Gospel reading.

 

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.”

~Mt 3:13-17

 

I go back to Bishop Edward Weisenberger for today explanatory homily.  He makes a number of observations I had not realized before.

 

To summarize Bishop’s Wiesenberger's observations: 1) It is Jesus who initiates the baptism, 2) He chooses to be baptized to stand in solidarity with mankind, 3) The heavens opening upon the baptism so that a new possibility of communicating with God appears, 4) The dove descending is an allusion to the waters in the first chapter of Genesis; this implies a new creation, 5) God identifying Jesus as “my Son” is a reference to King David, 6) “My Beloved” alludes to Isaac in the 22^nd chapter of Genesis, and 7) “well pleased” alludes to the suffering servant in Isaiah chapter 42 and 44.  Wow, so much in just five verse lines of Gospel.  All four of the Gospels are wonderfully written in their own individual way.

The pastoral homily returns us to Fr. Samuel Hakeem O.P.

Remember your baptism.  It initiates your relationship with God.  The water poured on His head sanctifies the water, pours into the Jordan, flows into the seas, sanctifying the entire world so that it returns sanctified to sanctify you.  Isn’t that beautiful!

 

Sunday Meditation: “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

 

The choir at my Mass today sang this lovely Catholic hymn, “When Jesus Comes to Be Baptized” performed by Stanbrook Abbey.

At least I think it’s Catholic.

Sunday Meditation: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand

For the second Sunday of Advent in Year A, we meet John the Baptist and he bellows out his message of repentance for the coming of the Messiah. 

 

Here is the Gospel passage.

 

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea

and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:

A voice of one crying out in the desert,

Prepare the way of the Lord,

make straight his paths.

John wore clothing made of camel's hair

and had a leather belt around his waist.

His food was locusts and wild honey.

At that time Jerusalem, all Judea,

and the whole region around the Jordan

were going out to him

and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River

as they acknowledged their sins.

 

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees

coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers!

Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.

And do not presume to say to yourselves,

'We have Abraham as our father.'

For I tell you,

God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees.

Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit

will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

I am baptizing you with water, for repentance,

but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.

I am not worthy to carry his sandals.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing fan is in his hand.

He will clear his threshing floor

and gather his wheat into his barn,

but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

~Mt 3:1-12

 

I’m really enjoying Archbishop Edward Wiesenberger’s homilies.  Here is another fine homily on this Gospel passage.

 

No Jesus without John the Baptist first.  No Christmas joy without the stern message of John.  No Jesus without metanoia, “an internal change of heart along with a very real external change of life.”

The archbishop alludes to this, but it should be noted more clearly that baptism of John was not a sacramental baptism.  There is a distinction.  John’s baptism is only a baptism of repentance.

Now for a homily that bucks the trend.  I would say just about all the homilies on today’s Gospel emphasizes the sternness of John the Baptist’s message, just as Archbishop Wiesenberger does above.  Even my pastor, Fr. Eugene at St. Rita, who almost never has a stern homily emphasized the Baptist’s sternness.  Now here is a homily that looked at this Gospel and found something in it that was not so stern.  This is someone new again, a Dominican priest from the Central Province (St. Albert Province), Fr. Samuel Hakeem. 

“Acknowledge, let us acknowledge our sins” as we do at every Mass.  When one acknowledges ones sins he is nine tenths the way to repentance.

 

 

Sunday Meditation: "Therefore, stay awake!  For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”

 

 

One of my favorite hymns that comes up at Mass this time of year, Bernadette Farrell’s “Christ Be Our Light.”

 

Longing for light, we wait in darkness.

Longing for truth, we turn to you.

Make us your own, your holy people,

Light for the world to see.

Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts.

Shine through the darkness.

Christ be our light!

Shine in your church gathered today.

Just lovely.