Whoever Loves the Most Makes the First Move

The Baptism of the Lord
10 January 2010


Come, let us worship Christ, the beloved Son, in whom the Father is well pleased.

First reading Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7
Thus says the Lord:
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom my soul delights.
I have endowed him with my spirit
that he may bring true justice to the nations.
He does not cry out or shout aloud,
or make his voice heard in the streets.
He does not break the crushed reed,
nor quench the wavering flame.
Faithfully he brings true justice;
he will neither waver, nor be crushed
until true justice is established on earth,
for the islands are awaiting his law.
I, the Lord, have called you to serve the cause of right;
I have taken you by the hand and formed you;
I have appointed you as covenant of the people and light of the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to free captives from prison,
and those who live in darkness from the dungeon.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 103:1-4,24-25,27-30

Second reading Acts 10:34-38
Peter addressed Cornelius and his household: ‘The truth I have now come to realise’ he said ‘is that God does not have favourites, but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him.
‘It is true, God sent his word to the people of Israel, and it was to them that the good news of peace was brought by Jesus Christ – but Jesus Christ is Lord of all men. You must have heard about the recent happenings in Judaea; about Jesus of Nazareth and how he began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil.’

Gospel Luke 3:15-16,21-22
A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all, ‘I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Now when all the people had been baptised and while Jesus after his own baptism was at prayer, heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily shape, like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.’


Reflection
By Gharri Tulabut

As we celebrate The Baptism of the Lord this Sunday, I would like share a Catholic Apologist’s simple explanation of why we Catholics baptize infants. This is in reply to a question posted at the Catholic Answers Forum of Catholic.com.


Q: Why should Catholic babies be baptized?

A: Children don’t have to understand the significance of the sacrament of Baptism to benefit from it. This sacrament’s great value lies in what it does to the soul by bestowing on it sanctifying grace which makes us co-heirs of heaven with Christ. Through Baptism the life of Jesus becomes our own. This means that we are raised to the level of the divine, which we could never achieve on our own.

We don’t wait for children to understand the value of vitamins before we give them vitamins. Why would we ever want to wait to give them the greatest gift possible—life in Christ?

- Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P. (http://forums.catholic.com/showpost.php?p=2632501&postcount=2)

There are so many less important things infants don't even need or understand (e.g. – first birthday party, branded clothes, even jewelry) but we grant these to them. Why not give them the most important gift of all?

There was one baptismal rite I attended as a substitute godfather. The presiding priest had this to say during the ceremony as if also to answer why Catholics baptize infants:


Priest: Does this baby know Jesus? Not yet.

Does Jesus know this baby? Of course, yes.

Do the parents know Jesus? Yes, I hope so.

Does this baby love Jesus? Probably not yet.

Does Jesus love this baby? Well, of course.

Do the parents love Jesus and the baby?

Parents: Yes!!! (this is the only time the parents answered)

Priest: Then whoever loves the most makes the first move.


Very applicable… not just in baptism.

Father, Thank You for Your love beyond compare! And thank You for giving us the greatest gift of all – a life in Christ. Amen.


Next week on God-speak Doing My Father's Affairs