Baptism of the Lord 2023 - A share in the divine life

 The Christmas season concludes with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. 

It may seem strange to conclude season of the Lord’s birth with an event taking place 30 years later, but this Feast commemorates a very important truth related to the reason we celebrate Christmas at all.

At Christmas, when Christ was born, we believe that God, who loves us so much, plunged himself into our world; the omnipotent God became one of us, sharing our humanity.  When we are baptized, we are plunged into the life of God; through the waters of baptism we became sharers in his divinity.

So the Lord’s Baptism is an important link in the chain between his saving birth and our new birth in the Sacrament of Baptism.

At the Lord’s Baptism, it was revealed by the voice of the Father speaking from heaven, and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus indeed was the incarnate Son of God. And in our baptism, we receive adoption by God as “sons in the son” as St. Paul writes.

Pope Saint Leo the Great, would give special catechism lessons to the newly baptized. In his famous instruction, he said, "Christians, recognize your dignity. And, now that you share in God's own nature, do not return to your former base condition by sinning. Remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of the Kingdom of God."  

Never forget! Recalling that we are baptized should bring us joy when we are sad, and strength when we are tempted. A powerful way to fight off temptation is to recall our baptism.  To say to ourselves, “wait, I’m a Christian, I’m not supposed to do that; I’m not supposed to talk like that. I’m supposed to act like Christ.”  

For Baptism is more than just a symbolic ceremony where we express our faith; in Baptism, as he does in all the Sacraments, God does something for us that we cannot do ourselves.  He gives us a sharing in his divine life, a share in the power and strength by which Christ overcame sin and death on the cross.

This is the greatest of the Christmas gifts—the gift of salvation—the gift which overcomes the power of darkness and evil and death, the gift of eternal life. 

May the grace of our baptism be renewed and flourish within us, strengthening us in our mission to “go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them all that Christ commands and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all members of the Church may live out their baptismal call with greater conviction and faithfulness.

For all those to be baptized, especially those preparing for baptism at the Easter Vigil:  that they may be open to the grace of conversion and the joy of the followers of Christ.

For the conversion of all those who dwell in the darkness of sin and ignorance of God and His commandments: that the mercy of Jesus Christ will bring light to their minds and hearts.  

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

5th Sunday of Lent - Third Scrutiny - Raised from the dead

 Two weeks ago we heard the story of the woman at the well.  She encountered the Lord Jesus, who said to her, “I will give you living water, which alone can satisfy”.  She represents all of us, all thirsting for God. Jesus invites all people of all time to drink deeply of the living waters of God through Him.

Last week we heard of the man born blind.  Again, he is all of us, born in the blindness of sin.  We desire to do good and avoid evil, but it’s not always easy to see clearly. Sometimes our egos and our sinful attachments are so great, they blind us to seeing how God wants us to live rightly. Jesus says to the man born blind and to all of us, “I am the light of the world.”  If you want to see rightly, let the light of Christ and His teachings enlighten you. 

These stories in John’s Gospel move toward a sort of crescendo. I am living water which quenches thirst. I am the light by which you see. And today Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” He’s not just water, He’s not just light. He is Life itself. And he desire that His life might animate us in this life, that it might sustain us through death, and animate us in all eternity, including the resurrection. 

One of my favorite quotations from the early Church fathers is from St. Ireneus of Lyons, who said, Gloria Dei Homo Vivens, “the glory of God is Man fully alive.”  Jesus himself said, I came that they might have life, and have it to abundance. Christ died, that we may live, free from sin, full of divine life.  God’s glory, what gives God happiness, is that we are fully alive.  Conversely, what saddens the heart of God is when we continue to allow death to reign in us at any level: physically, emotionally, spiritually.  

Next, week, on Palm Sunday, we’ll come to understand the price the Lord pays to defeat the powers of death in us. But on this fifth Sunday of Lent, we’re invited to consider how the Lord commands us to live. 

The wages of sin are death, writes St. Paul. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were commanded by God, do not eat of the tree or else you will die. Death is the result of sin, of being separated from God who is Life and the Author of life. We allow death to reign in us, when we indulge in sin with our minds, when we indulge in sin with our hearts, when we indulge in sin with our bodies, when we indulge in sin with our wills. 

The powers of death take root in our minds when we contemplate revenge, when we entertain lusts, when we plot to satiate our greed or to manipulate others. The powers of death take root in our hearts when we fail to forgive, when we bear grudges, when we envy. The powers of death take root in our bodies when we misuse our bodies to hurt, to steal, to fornicate, to gluttonously indulge in food or drink. The powers of death weaken our wills when we choose selfishness, when we choose wrath, when we choose not to act when we should, when we choose diversions over spiritual duty and spiritual endeavors like prayer.

But Jesus commands us, come out of your tombs, stop allowing death to reign in you. Jesus took flesh that we might have life and have it in abundance. He wants life to reign in our minds—considering how we can use our time to serve the kingdom with our unique set of talents, how we can work together with our neighbor to evangelize, how we can instruct the ignorant and pass on the faith to the next generation. He wants life to reign in our hearts—in compassion, generosity, and courage. He wants life to reign in our bodies—using our physical strength to help the weak, to build beautiful Churches like this one, to make beautiful music to assist in worship. He wants life to reign in our wills—choosing selflessness, choosing peace, choosing forgiveness, choosing mercy.

Lent helps us to identify where we have allowed death to continue to reign in us, and to engage in the spiritual practices that allows the life of Christ to flourish. Where has spiritual death continued to take root in you? What has caused you to fall short of that vocation described by St. Ireneus of being fully alive?

Last week, I repeated the invitation to make a good Lenten Sacrament of Confession. Confession is the way designated by God, instituted by Christ, in which sin is to be forgiven—where souls dead in sin or diseased with sin may be restored to life. 

St. Paul warns the Church in his first letter to the Corinthians about a particular type of sin that brings death to the souls and death to the Church, that of the sacrilegious reception of Holy Communion.  St. Paul writes, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died”

“Some have died.” In other words, some who have failed to examine themselves and confess their sins, and took communion anyway, have died the eternal death. It is the law of the Church going back to the very beginning, that mortal sins must be confessed prior to the reception of Holy Communion. Please, that life may flourish in you, if you have mortal sins, including previous sacrilegious receptions of Holy Communion, go to Confession. 

In his very first homily as Pope, Pope Francis spoke about the importance of repentance. “God never tires of forgiving us,” he proclaimed. “It’s we who tire of asking for forgiveness.” Then he prayed, “May we never tire of asking for what God never tires to give!” God never tires of raising us, like Lazarus, from the dead. Calling us to emerge from our tombs. He never tires of breathing new life into us.

This is true in our own lives, and also the life of our parish. Authentic revitalization in this parish will only come when there is sincere spiritual revitalization. That’s why I take Lent and Confession and the invitation to prayer so seriously. God wants to raise souls to new life. That’s the mission of the parish. To be a place where souls can receive life. To help us like Lazarus to be raised to new life. To help us be like Martha and Mary in today’s Gospel who brings Jesus to their brother who was dead. We have family members and neighbors whose souls are dead and rotting, who we must lead to Jesus by our prayers and penances and personal invitations. We should never pretend, that just because it’s 2022, that some sins are now okay. And repentance is optional.  I know, it’s unpleasant to think that some souls are in danger of hell. But that should motivate us all the more to pray and evangelize.

“I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land” we heard in our first reading. God has given us His spirit, He’s given us his life, and he’s given us this land, this parish territory, that we may make His life, his glory, his love known, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

Friday after Epiphany 2021 - Whoever possesses the Son has life

 We are situated this week between the last two great feasts of the Christmas season: the feast of the Epiphany, last Sunday, and the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, in just a few days.  

The early Church saw the Baptism of the Lord as a second Epiphany in the life of Our Lord.  

Where in the first Epiphany, Jesus was revealed as the Savior, not just for Israel, but for the entire world.  This Sunday, we will hear how, as Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, much like the Epiphany Star shines upon the babe at bethlehem, now the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove, revealing even more of who Jesus is. He is not just a human Messiah, he is the second person of the Trinity, the son of the Father. 

As we heard in our first reading, the Spirit testifies to who Jesus is. He is the Son of God.

If he were not, he would have no power to make us clean. The water and the blood would have no power, if he were just a man. 

Our Gospel reading also sheds light onto the Lord’s identity. The healing of the leper reveals that God does not recoil from our sins and diseases. Yes, he is the holy one of God, the most high, he is life itself, immaculate holiness and divinity. Yet, Jesus, the Son of God, God incarnate, reaches out and touches the leper. Holiness itself draws close to us who have lost original holiness due to heinous sin in order to make us whole and clean and full of life again and like himself.

The broken jar is able to be fixed, it is not irreparable; we are able to possess the life of God again. So much so, that John, in the first reading, says that “Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.” God does not wish us to lifeless because of sin. He entered the world, in the poverty and cold of Christmas, so that he may enter more deeply into our very lifeless souls to be our life. 

Today, we like the leper in the Gospel, do well to fall prostrate before the Lord, and plead, Lord make me clean, in all ways, in every way, make me clean, restore me to life, fill me with your life, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Pope Francis and all the clergy: that they will draw many to the mystery of baptism and inspire the faithful to live their baptismal promises with great devotion. 

For leaders of nations: that they will govern with virtue and integrity, helping to build society in conformity with the teachings of Christ.  

For non-believers and for those preparing for baptism: that they may be open to the grace of conversion and the joy of the followers of Christ.  

For the sick, suffering, persecuted, and underemployed, and all those facing hardships.  

For all those who have died, for all the poor souls in purgatory, for those who have fought and died for our country’s freedom, and for X, for whom this Mass is offered.  

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

Baptism of the Lord 2018 - "Christians, recognize your dignity!"

The Christmas season concludes with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

It may seem strange to conclude this season in which we celebrate the Lord’s birth with an event taking place 30 years after Christmas, but this Feast commemorates a very important truth related to the reason we celebrate Christmas at all.

At Christmas, when Christ was born, we believe that God, who loves us so much, plunged himself into our world; the omnipotent God became one of us, sharing our humanity. 

At Christmas, God was plunged into humanity and shares our humanity; when we are baptized, we are plunged into the life of God; through the waters of baptism we became sharers in his divinity.
So the Lord’s Baptism is an important link in the chain between his saving birth and our new birth in the Sacrament of Baptism.

At the Lord’s Baptism, it was revealed by the voice of the Father speaking from heaven, and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus indeed was the incarnate Son of God. In our baptism, we receive adoption by God as “sons in the son” as St. Paul writes.

Pope Saint Leo the Great would give special catechism lessons to the newly baptized. He would instruct them, "Christian, recognize your dignity and, now that you share in God's own nature, do not return to your former base condition by sinning. Remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of the Kingdom of God." 

Never forget! Recalling that we are baptized should bring us joy when we are sad, and strength when we are tempted. A powerful way to fight off temptation is to recall our baptism.  To say to ourselves, “wait, I’m a Christian, I’m not supposed to do that; I’m not supposed to talk like that. I’m supposed to act like Christ.” 

For Baptism is more than just a symbolic ceremony where we express our faith; in Baptism, as he does in all the Sacraments, God does something for us, that we cannot do ourselves.  He gives us a sharing in his divine life, a share in the power and strength by which Christ overcame sin and death on the cross.

This is the greatest of the Christmas gifts, the gift of salvation, the gift which overcomes the power of darkness and evil and death, the gift of eternal life.

May the grace of our baptism be renewed and flourish within us, strengthening us in our mission to “go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them all that Christ commands and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That all members of the Church may live out their baptismal call with greater conviction and faithfulness.

For all those to be baptized, especially those preparing for baptism at the Easter Vigil:  that they may be open to the grace of conversion and the joy of the followers of Christ.

For the conversion of all those who dwell in the darkness of sin and ignorance of God and His commandments: that the mercy of Jesus Christ will bring light to their minds and hearts.  We pray to the Lord.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord