January 13, 2019

Baptism of the Lord

Lk 3:15-16, 21-22

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.

Our hearts are repaired from within

With the Baptism of the Lord, the Christmas season is replete. We carry into Ordinary Time the gifts we have received. A gyroscope can be used as an image for our heart. Once spinning, the gyroscope resists attempts to change its motion. So also, it can be said of our heart – its spinning balance is willful and stubborn.

With our heart deeply stained with original sin, we can despair that any action on our part has the chance to succeed. And yet, as Jesus arises from the Jordan River, there is hope! The Trinity has entered inside our human nature. From deep within us, God can tenderly adjust our heart.

In this new year our choice of books, podcasts and videos can lend our aid to God as he syncs our heart to his mercy.

—Fr. Paul Deutsch, SJ, belongs to the Central and Southern Province of the Jesuits and is Sophomore Counselor at Jesuit High School in Tampa, FL.

Confidence that God hears us

Tomorrow’s feast of the Baptism of Jesus brings us to the end of the Christmas season. So it is good today to recall the graces and gifts that have come to each of us (and those whose lives we have touched) since the beginning of Advent. How have I welcomed the Lord this Christmas season? In what ways has God stretched and challenged me over these weeks? Where do I find myself now in relationship with myself, with family and friends and co-workers, and especially with God? Which Christmas “gifts” do I particularly treasure this year?

These early days of 2019 don’t offer a precise roadmap with exact signposts for the year ahead. Thus today’s first reading is helpful: “And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

What do I ask of the Lord today? Do I have confidence that our God, who has given me so much talent and time and opportunity, will indeed walk with me in holiness and in hope?

—The Jesuit Prayer team

Prayer

O God, whose Only Begotten Son
has appeared in our very flesh,
grant, we pray, that we may be inwardly transformed
through him whom we recognize outwardly like ourselves.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

—Fr. Paul Deutsch, SJ