God's Affirmation

The Baptism of the Lord

January 10, 2016

First reading                                                                             Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11

‘Console my people, console them’
says your God.
‘Speak to the heart of Jerusalem
and call to her
that her time of service is ended,
that her sin is atoned for,
that she has received from the hand of the Lord
double punishment for all her crimes.’
A voice cries, ‘Prepare in the wilderness
a way for the Lord.
Make a straight highway for our God
across the desert.
Let every valley be filled in,
every mountain and hill be laid low.
Let every cliff become a plain,
and the ridges a valley;
then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed
and all mankind shall see it;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’
Go up on a high mountain,
joyful messenger to Zion.
Shout with a loud voice,
joyful messenger to Jerusalem.
Shout without fear,
say to the towns of Judah,
‘Here is your God.’
Here is the Lord coming with power,
his arm subduing all things to him.
The prize of his victory is with him,
his trophies all go before him.
He is like a shepherd feeding his flock,
gathering lambs in his arms,
holding them against his breast
and leading to their rest the mother ewes.

Psalm	Psalm 103:1-4,24-25,27-30

Second reading                                                                         Titus 2:11-14,3:4-7                    God’s grace has been revealed, and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race and taught us that what we have to do is to give up everything that does not lead to God, and all our worldly ambitions; we must be self-restrained and live good and religious lives here in this present world, while we are waiting in hope for the blessing which will come with the Appearing of the glory of our great God and saviour Christ Jesus. He sacrificed himself for us in order to set us free from all wickedness and to purify a people so that it could be his very own and would have no ambition except to do good.   But when the kindness and love of God our saviour for mankind were revealed, it was not because he was concerned with any righteous actions we might have done ourselves; it was for no reason except his own compassion that he saved us, by means of the cleansing water of rebirth and by renewing us with the Holy Spirit which he has so generously poured over us through Jesus Christ our saviour. He did this so that we should be justified by his grace, to become heirs looking forward to inheriting eternal life.

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 Anabelle Payod-Balla

My youngest daughter always calls my attention when I am at home. She wants me to look at her when she is doing or saying something. She would ask me questions like " Ma, is my drawing nice?, Ma, do you like my song?, Ma, will you come with me to school?, Ma, can you stay with me at home?" And so many other questions that seem to seek assurance or confirmation.

Like my youngest daughter, I ask questions as well to get feedback on how I am doing. At work, we have an annual performance review and we normally ask for feedback from subordinates, colleagues, peers, and direct managers. We do this to understand or get confirmation on our strengths and weaknesses. It is also a way to affirm our contributions and value to the organization and to those we work with.

Everybody needs affirmation. We want to hear that we are loved, valued, and that we are doing the right thing. We want our efforts and good behaviors to be recognized especially by those who matter to us and those we want to impress.

Should we seek affirmation from God as well?

In today's Gospel, God the Father testified during Jesus' baptism. He affirmed Jesus by saying " You are my beloved Son. With You, I am well pleased."

God Almighty is the One who should matter most to us. Let us strive to please Him in everything we do so that when it is time for our performance review, we will hear Him affirm us and say, " With you, I am well pleased."

Prayer

Father, we praise You for allowing us to be Your children through our baptism. Help us to be more like Jesus. Lead us Lord, in all our ways. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Do I Make You Proud?

The Baptism of the Lord Jan 12
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                                                                            Psalm 28:1-4,9-10
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                                                                         Matthew 3:13-17

Jesus appeared: he came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. John tried to dissuade him. ‘It is I who need baptism from you’ he said ‘and yet you come to me!’ But Jesus replied, ‘Leave it like this for the time being; it is fitting that we should, in this way, do all that righteousness demands.’ At this, John gave in to him.

  As soon as Jesus was baptised he came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. And a voice spoke from heaven, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him.’

Reflection by Grace Madrinan

Back in 2010, when I was still struggling with my job in a new company, I made it a daily exercise to visualize how I want things to be. One of which is imagining that someday I will excel in my work, that I will be more familiar with the flow of things and be confident  in my new role.

I continue to seek mentorship from others and tried to learn as much as I can. And although I reached the stage where I feel more comfortable with the knowledge I earned, I continue to work diligently, never assuming that I knew enough.   As long as I do my job to the best of my ability, with or without hearing commendation from my managers, that should be enough.

But I did not know that I have become who I envisioned to be until my manager revealed during our quarterly coaching sessions. She said that she did not regret hiring me although I have little experience in the role that was offered to me. She appreciated my perseverance and humility in the work I do. She is proud of me.

If it felt this good to hear these words from my manager, how elated it must have been for Jesus to hear these words from His Father:

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” – Matthew 3:17

Despite being affirmed by the Father, Jesus remained humble and continued to pursue the mission that was set before Him. In these times, we may not hear the same vivid words from our Father just like Jesus’ time. But having been blessed every day and enjoying the fruits of our labor is loud enough of an affirmation for us. Like Jesus we must continue to maintain humility and pursue the mission He has set for us.

Prayer

God our Father, when life pushes us down with worldly demands, may we still remember Your plan for us. Like Jesus, may You find delight in the tasks that we do as we brave life’s littlest challenges. Amen.