[Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7; Psalm 28; Acts 10:34-38; Luke 3:15-16,21-22]
We hear in today’s Gospel that when Jesus prayed after He was baptised ‘the heavens opened up and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”. We have in this short passage The Holy Trinity, the names of whom we have all been baptised in. The Father [whose voice we hear], the Son [as He is baptised] and the Holy Spirit [who descended in the shape of a dove]. I often tell people when I celebrate a Baptism, that in heaven God says this about each and every person Baptised. When we are baptised, we are reborn, we become new creations and by doing so, we become God’s adopted [or chosen] children. We become part of the Body of Christ.
If we examine the other readings today, we hear that God does not have favourites, ‘but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.’ The feasts and solemnities from the past few weeks emphasise that Jesus came for all of us. Initially Jesus came for the Jews, his first visitors were the shepherds who looked after the flocks; the same flocks which would probably have been used for the sacrifices ordained by the Law of Moses. The next visitors were the magi from the east, non-Jews, emphasising that Jesus came not just for the Jews, but for the whole human race.
The first reading brings both of these readings together within the first paragraph, where Isaiah says, ‘I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.’ Jesus endowed with the spirit, by baptism [which unlike us, he didn’t need] bringing justice and mercy to all of the nations. God does not have favourites, God loves everyone.
Also, in the Gospel today, we heard how St John the Baptist shunned worldly greatness in order to attain heavenly glory. When the crowds were suggesting that he might be the Christ, John categorically stated that he was not fit to untie the sandals of the Christ, the one who would follow him. Shortly after the Baptism of Jesus, John was imprisoned. John’s mission would soon be over, he was the voice that cried out in the wilderness, telling people to repent and to change their ways. The one who pointed us towards the Christ.
This is a time of year when some people make resolutions, things that they would like to change about themselves. It might be about our physical appearance or our fitness. But what about our relationship with God? What changes do we need to make to get closer to our creator? We are now nearly halfway through January and some of us may have given up on our resolutions or decided not to make any at all. We may be putting things off until the weather picks up or the nights become lighter again. St John the Baptist was telling us to make the changes now, tomorrow is not guaranteed for any of us.
Maybe we should be looking again at the 6 Holy Habits, which Bishop Philip asked us to adopt just over two years ago.
“First, to keep Sunday special, as a family day, by attending Mass, the ‘source and summit’ of the Christian life, supporting your parish community. Second, to resolve to spend at least five minutes a day in prayer, at whatever time you find best, using the Scriptures, maybe the Gospel of the day. Third, to keep Friday as a day of penance in honour of the Lord’s Passion, intentionally serving the poor and needy. Fourth, at least once a fortnight, to pay a private visit to church for a short period of prayer before the Tabernacle. Fifth, to go to Confession once a month or so, like a spiritual check-up when you can personally experience God’s love and mercy. And sixth, to join a small group for formation, prayer and fellowship, where you can share with others your own experience and hear what God is doing in the lives of others.”[1]
If we can adopt these habits, we will be living out the promises either we made, or which were made on our behalf, at our baptism. There are helpful suggestions on the Diocesan website for each of the habits, I’m going to revisit this for myself and try and make this a year when I can improve my relationship with God and my neighbour. Please pray that we can all have a good year and that this Jubilee year can be a springboard for the revival of our Church.
Further Reading
The Six Holy Habits – Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
The Baptism of the Lord
CCC 535-537: The Baptism of Jesus
CCC 1247-1249: The Baptism of adults
CCC 1250-1251: The Baptism of infants
CCC 1253-1255: Faith and Baptism
CCC 1257-1261: The necessity of Baptism
CCC 1262-1266: The Grace of Baptism, for the forgiveness of sins, a new creature CCC 1267-1270: Incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ
CCC 1271-1274: The sacramental bond of the unity of Christians, an indelible spiritual mark.
Please keep in your prayers this week
- The sick and housebound, those who are dying and those who are grieving.
- Father Jean-Patrice that he makes a full recovery.
- The continued fight to protect all life from conception until natural death.
- The Basingstoke Winter Night Shelter as it continues to support the homeless in our town.
- Zikora who will be baptised at St Bede’s Church this weekend.
Deacon Tony
11th January 2025
[1] Bishop Philip, The Six Holy Habits – Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth published 24th January 2023, accessed 11th January 2025.