Feast of Our Lord

The feast of the Baptism of Our Lord marks the beginning of His public life and the end of the Christmas season. In Year A the first reading taken from Isaiah (42:1-4, 6-7) is one of the Servant Songs “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.” In the second reading from Acts (10:34-38) Peter preached to the centurion Cornelius the message about Jesus Christ who “God had anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power.” The Gospel gives the account of the Baptism from Matthew (3:13-17) and records the words of the Father “This is my Son, the Beloved, my favour rests on him.”

The first reading for Year B is again from the prophet Isaiah (55:1-11) where the prophet encourages us to “come to the water all you who are thirsty; though you have no money come!”.  The second reading from the 1st letter of John (1 John 5:1-9) tells us that “Jesus Christ came by water and blood”.  The Gospel from Mark (1:7-11) tells us that after Jesus had come up out of the water “he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit, like a dove, descending on him.”

The first reading for Year C, also from the prophet Isaiah (40:1-5, 9-11), proclaims “Prepare in the wilderness a way for the Lord” and “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed”.  The second reading from Paul’s letter to Titus (2:11-14, 3:4-7) reminds us that God revealed His love “for no other reason except his own compassion…by means of the cleaning water of rebirth and by renewing us with the Holy Spirit.”  In the Gospel from Luke (3:15-16, 21-22) we hear that “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 in you.”

In all these reading we are reminded that we have been given the great gift of baptism which makes us daughters and sons of God.