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Saturday, January 14th, 2017, 7:00 AM
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"
In Deo Speramus
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(In God We Hope)
(Contact First Name)
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Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Daniel Bonnell, The Baptism of the Christ
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'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and, remain he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'
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Oremus pro invicem
(Let us pray for one another)
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Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God
John said.
"I did not know him."
So the Spirit showed
the Christ to him,
and John
replied:
"Behold,
the Lamb of God, who
takes away the sin of the world."
Spirit, come
shine through our clouds.
Teach us your love. Let us know
Jesus.
Let us tell everyone about
the Lamb of God.
Amen
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First Reading
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Is 49:3, 5-6
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The LORD said to me: You are my servant,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.
Now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
that Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, the LORD says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
The Word of the Lord
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Discussion Questions
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What in this famous "servant song" will Jesus proclaim throughout his ministry? Can we be a light for the world? How? Can we be a crack of light in someone's darkness?
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| 2. |
In what ways does Pope Francis' World Peace Day message for this year, 2017, help the Church become "a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth"?
I pledge the assistance of the Church in every effort to build peace through active and creative nonviolence. On January 1, 2017, the new Dicastery
* for Promoting Integral Human Development will begin its work. It will help the Church to promote in an ever more effective way "the inestimable goods of justice, peace, and the care of creation" and concern for "migrants, those in need, the sick, the excluded and marginalized, the imprisoned and the unemployed, as well as victims of armed conflict, natural disasters, and all forms of slavery and torture." Every such response, however modest, helps to build a world free of violence, the first step towards justice and peace.
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Second Reading
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Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and Sosthenes our brother,
to the church of God that is in Corinth,
to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy,
with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Word of the Lord
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Discussion Questions
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We are "called to be holy." What does "holy" mean to you? How is John the Baptist a model of holiness? Who is holy in your world? What does s/he do that makes you think that?
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| 2. |
In Luke's report of Jesus' baptism (Lk 3:11-22) we hear about treatment of the poor: "Anyone who has two tunics must share with the one who has none ... " Does outrage at our neighbors' poverty have anything to do with Holiness? |
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Alleluia, alleluia
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Jn 1:14a, 12a
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The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us.
To those who accepted him,
he gave power to become children of God.
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Alleluia, alleluia
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Gospel
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John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said,
'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.'
I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel."
John testified further, saying,
"I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."
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Discussion Questions
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"Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world," the Baptist says. "I did not know him." Why did he identify an ordinary-seeming human being in this way? After this, what happened to John's baptism with water?
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Why was John so certain about Jesus when he said, "Behold the Lamb of God"? Was John watching for the Spirit? Do you watch for the Spirit in your life? Can you find and trust this Spirit of God? |
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Fresh Air
Terry Gross, Host
December 26, 2016 Interview with Bruce Springsteen
GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. And if you're just joining us, I'm with Bruce Springsteen on the occasion of the publication of his new memoir, "Born To Run." And we're recording this interview in his home studio. So you also live near the church.
SPRINGSTEEN: Oh, yeah.
GROSS: And church was a part of your life. And you write about Catholicism (reading) this is the world where I found the beginnings of my song. In Catholicism, there existed the poetry, danger and darkness that reflected my imagination and my inner self. I found a language of great and harsh beauty, of fantastic stories, of unimaginable punishment and infinite reward. Are there particular, like, bible stories or, like, religious paintings that really made an impression on you?
SPRINGSTEEN: No. It was more just the basics. I think when you're a child, you just cling to the basics, which is the basic story of Jesus and the crucifixion and hell and eternal punishment and the flames. This was all stuff that was - forget when you're young. This is very tangible and is as real as the gas station next door to you, you know?
GROSS: Maybe especially since the church was just about next-door to you.
SPRINGSTEEN: (Laughter) Exactly. So these things - and also because we lived in the presence of the church and the convent and the rectory and the school 24-7. And this was an enormous cornerstone in the lives of my entire family. They were all pretty serious Catholic churchgoers. And as a child, you just - you know, these things were very, very - they were very, very terrifying.
SPRINGSTEEN: And...
GROSS: What things? Were you afraid of hell?
SPRINGSTEEN: (Laughter) Yeah.
GROSS: Of eternal damnation?
SPRINGSTEEN: (Laughter) That one, too, you know. So, you know, these were stories that were not stories, you know, they were simply facts. This is what occurred. This is what can occur unless you toe the line, my friend, you know.
So when you're a child, it was very - and you forget that the Catholic religion at the time was much darker and more mysterious. The entire mass was in Latin. The church was - if you go to my church now, it's incredibly bright inside. But at - when I was young, it was very dark inside, you know. And it was just the difference in the way that they've painted it since I've gone there. And it strives for a very different and welcoming spirit.
Where when I was young, it was sort of built to intimidate. Even on this very local level in this very small church in this small town, it still held that sort of - held you in the palm of its darkness. And it was something I carried with me, never forgot, brought into my music. And it's been in my music ever since.
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| For what are we born if not to aid one another? Ernest Hemingway "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then we'll have peace." By: Jimi Hendrix "My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." Abraham Lincoln If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is brought to perfection in us.
1 John 4:12
Deus fit homo ut homo fieret Deus God became human so that humans might become God (Catholicism, Page 2 by Fr. Robert Barron) "The Glory of God is a human being fully alive." Meyers, Robin R. (2009-02-19). Saving Jesus from the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus (Kindle Location 639). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
God "dwells in us."
God's love is not meant for us alone;
we must give it away.
Do small things today and for many tomorrows,
with a generous heart.
Give God Away Today!
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Help us then, Lord,
to be so united with the paschal mystery of Jesus,
that through Him the world can become a better place to dwell.
You promise us much for this life
and for our eternal presence with You;
may we live into that promise
each day.
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An interesting thought:
The birth of St. John is celebrated on June 24th, in the moment of the summer solstice. From that point onward, daylight begins to reduce. On the other hand, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated on December 25th, during the winter solstice. From that point onward, daylight begins to grow, to get longer.
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