January 10, 2016

anuary 10, 2016 Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11; Titus 2: 11-14, 3: 4-7; Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22 Today the Christmas season ends. The Christmas carols and songs have ceased by now playing on the specialized music stations on the internet and cable. Stores have long ago taken down their decorations. Our own decorations, artificial trees and manger screens are packed away. Gifts have been put away or returned. Updating the Christmas card list has taken place. Is everything about Christmas and it's meaning been put away? Do we just go back to our ‘regular’ life and activities? Perhaps and unfortunately we do. Today’s feast asks each of us to STOP and to REFLECT on our lives and on our ‘Jesus life.’ Maybe we are unfamiliar with ‘Jesus life’…well…it’s really quite simple: how am I living the gifts and love of Jesus that I have received and been made aware of during this season of giving? Have I been aware of this life? Have I been cognizant of how people have reacted to me? Have I been aware of what they have been telling me about myself? Do I see from their ‘comments and intuitions’ that they are bringing to light what they have seen in each of us that reminds them of Jesus? This is what today’s feast of the Baptism of Jesus is all about: each of us has been gifted and called and we have been called with our gifts to ‘be Jesus’ each day. The Christmas season has not ended…Jesus has not been put in a box and carted off to return sometime next December. Jesus is here and alive. Is He alive in my life? That is the question. Another way to put this is have we put our Baptismal commitment into practice? Am I living as a believer and follower of Jesus? Can people who come into my life each day be aware that I have a ‘love affair’ with Jesus and they are the grateful recipients of this love? In looking at the book of the prophet Isaiah, we see that in the first part, he is very concerned with the people not being aware of God and concentrating on themselves and seeking security in earthly resources rather than in God. Isaiah is reminding them that even though they are in exile, they are ‘God’s people’. That’s means that they have to ‘proclaim this message’ by their example, the way that they live. Are they doing this? The prophet tells them they are never to stop until the earth is filled with the kind of justice that comes only with a right relationship with God. So often we feel, ‘well who am I…I’m just a small clog in a big world’. But each is loved and important and each of us is to be a beacon of light for all people who come in contact with us. Then, as Isaiah says, “Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The prophet continues with the catch phrase that must light up each of our lives, “Go up onto a hight mountain…cry out at the top of your voice…Fear not to cry out and say…Here is your God!” Do I say this? Do I live this? WHY? Or more directly WHY NOT? In the second reading, Paul is writing to Titus. He begins with the word ‘Grace’ and he ends with the word ‘Grace.’ God has always blessed us and always fills each of us with the HELP that we need to be Jesus and to do what Jesus needs us to do in spite of the daily horrors of the ‘jungle’ that we walk in. GRACE means HELP…God knows and God freely gives ALL that I need, all that you need. So Paul is telling Titus and his disciples that in our baptism each of us have been ‘reborn’ and ‘renewed’. Our Baptism has cleansed us of each of our sins and invigorated each of us with new life…which is the gateway into new life in Christ. So what am I doing with My Baptism? Luke has put John the Baptist and his message in front of us today. John’s words are hard and demanding and he tells us, ‘“I baptize you with water; but He who is mightier than I is coming…; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’ He is telling us of the spiritual life that Jesus came to give each and this challenges us DAILY to change our lives. The more we experience the life Christ has for us the more we continue to live John’s challenges. We live not because we are afraid, but we live because we are FILLED with life and love. We continue to be growing in our desire and ability to be pure and generous as John the Baptist advocated. We know that God is always a mystery but God is never a secret. God is here and is so unbelievably present. Do I realize this? It is a wonderful reflection at the end of each day to contemplate where I saw Jesus today? What was the message for me? Did I see Jesus working in me today? Was I grateful? Did I care about this? As the Christmas season comes to a close and we embark on a new year, it is good even necessary to take stock of our relationships with God. We can do this by looking at our own change and growth…has it reflected that of Jesus? Have I found myself to be less anxious? Am I less judgmental? Do I dominate discussions with all that I have done? Living the Word Scripture Reflections and Commentaries for Sundays and Holy days gives this reflection, “Baptism makes us heralds of glad tidings who announce that God is with us, offering comfort and speaking tenderly. Our lives proclaim ‘here is your God’ in small ways that speak loudly, for nothing is small in God’s service, St. Francis de Sales says. Paying attention to every person we meet, sharing our resources like offering a smile, a call, an e-mail, a text, or a wave that acknowledges the other—all proclaim, ‘God is here.’ They can lift the valley of depression, topple the mountain of arrogance, smooth the rough ways of hurt or fear, and make the desert of loneliness bloom. By living our Baptism we reveal the glory of the Lord for all to see and enjoy. And if you are stuck in a valley or struggling with some ruggedness in our life, listen for the voice of God that spoke at our baptism: ‘You are my beloved. With you I am well pleased.’ Be a living carol that sings joy to the world, the Lord is come for all.” So I reflect on What does it mean to be a son or daughter of God? What is God’s will for me today? Do I ask this question of myself each day? As I look back on my life, have I noticed how my giving back has increased? Mother Teresa and Therese of Lisieux have invited each of us to do ‘small things with love’. How am I doing with this? A popular phrase of St. Francis was ‘Preach the Gospel always. If necessary, use words.’ Is this a part of the way I am living? Sacred Space 2016 shares: “God always speaks to Jesus in an intimate and joyful fashion. He says, ‘You are my beloved Son; I am pleased with you. I love you deeply. Your whole being springs from me. I am your Father.’ Jesus answers, ‘Abba’ — ‘beloved Father’. His whole life reveals trust. He hands himself over unconditionally to his Father. God, I ponder on the love you have lavished also upon me, calling me your child. You are the tender and compassionate Mother of my life. You are the faithful Father, the rock on which I stand. Your love is everlasting. Your faithfulness is eternal.” Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11; Titus 2: 11-14, 3: 4-7; Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22 Today the Christmas season ends. The Christmas carols and songs have ceased by now playing on the specialized music stations on the internet and cable. Stores have long ago taken down their decorations. Our own decorations, artificial trees and manger screens are packed away. Gifts have been put away or returned. Updating the Christmas card list has taken place. Is everything about Christmas and it's meaning been put away? Do we just go back to our ‘regular’ life and activities? Perhaps and unfortunately we do. Today’s feast asks each of us to STOP and to REFLECT on our lives and on our ‘Jesus life.’ Maybe we are unfamiliar with ‘Jesus life’…well…it’s really quite simple: how am I living the gifts and love of Jesus that I have received and been made aware of during this season of giving? Have I been aware of this life? Have I been cognizant of how people have reacted to me? Have I been aware of what they have been telling me about myself? Do I see from their ‘comments and intuitions’ that they are bringing to light what they have seen in each of us that reminds them of Jesus? This is what today’s feast of the Baptism of Jesus is all about: each of us has been gifted and called and we have been called with our gifts to ‘be Jesus’ each day. The Christmas season has not ended…Jesus has not been put in a box and carted off to return sometime next December. Jesus is here and alive. Is He alive in my life? That is the question. Another way to put this is have we put our Baptismal commitment into practice? Am I living as a believer and follower of Jesus? Can people who come into my life each day be aware that I have a ‘love affair’ with Jesus and they are the grateful recipients of this love? In looking at the book of the prophet Isaiah, we see that in the first part, he is very concerned with the people not being aware of God and concentrating on themselves and seeking security in earthly resources rather than in God. Isaiah is reminding them that even though they are in exile, they are ‘God’s people’. That’s means that they have to ‘proclaim this message’ by their example, the way that they live. Are they doing this? The prophet tells them they are never to stop until the earth is filled with the kind of justice that comes only with a right relationship with God. So often we feel, ‘well who am I…I’m just a small clog in a big world’. But each is loved and important and each of us is to be a beacon of light for all people who come in contact with us. Then, as Isaiah says, “Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” The prophet continues with the catch phrase that must light up each of our lives, “Go up onto a hight mountain…cry out at the top of your voice…Fear not to cry out and say…Here is your God!” Do I say this? Do I live this? WHY? Or more directly WHY NOT? In the second reading, Paul is writing to Titus. He begins with the word ‘Grace’ and he ends with the word ‘Grace.’ God has always blessed us and always fills each of us with the HELP that we need to be Jesus and to do what Jesus needs us to do in spite of the daily horrors of the ‘jungle’ that we walk in. GRACE means HELP…God knows and God freely gives ALL that I need, all that you need. So Paul is telling Titus and his disciples that in our baptism each of us have been ‘reborn’ and ‘renewed’. Our Baptism has cleansed us of each of our sins and invigorated each of us with new life…which is the gateway into new life in Christ. So what am I doing with My Baptism? Luke has put John the Baptist and his message in front of us today. John’s words are hard and demanding and he tells us, ‘“I baptize you with water; but He who is mightier than I is coming…; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’ He is telling us of the spiritual life that Jesus came to give each and this challenges us DAILY to change our lives. The more we experience the life Christ has for us the more we continue to live John’s challenges. We live not because we are afraid, but we live because we are FILLED with life and love. We continue to be growing in our desire and ability to be pure and generous as John the Baptist advocated. We know that God is always a mystery but God is never a secret. God is here and is so unbelievably present. Do I realize this? It is a wonderful reflection at the end of each day to contemplate where I saw Jesus today? What was the message for me? Did I see Jesus working in me today? Was I grateful? Did I care about this? As the Christmas season comes to a close and we embark on a new year, it is good even necessary to take stock of our relationships with God. We can do this by looking at our own change and growth…has it reflected that of Jesus? Have I found myself to be less anxious? Am I less judgmental? Do I dominate discussions with all that I have done? Living the Word Scripture Reflections and Commentaries for Sundays and Holy days gives this reflection, “Baptism makes us heralds of glad tidings who announce that God is with us, offering comfort and speaking tenderly. Our lives proclaim ‘here is your God’ in small ways that speak loudly, for nothing is small in God’s service, St. Francis de Sales says. Paying attention to every person we meet, sharing our resources like offering a smile, a call, an e-mail, a text, or a wave that acknowledges the other—all proclaim, ‘God is here.’ They can lift the valley of depression, topple the mountain of arrogance, smooth the rough ways of hurt or fear, and make the desert of loneliness bloom. By living our Baptism we reveal the glory of the Lord for all to see and enjoy. And if you are stuck in a valley or struggling with some ruggedness in our life, listen for the voice of God that spoke at our baptism: ‘You are my beloved. With you I am well pleased.’ Be a living carol that sings joy to the world, the Lord is come for all.” So I reflect on What does it mean to be a son or daughter of God? What is God’s will for me today? Do I ask this question of myself each day? As I look back on my life, have I noticed how my giving back has increased? Mother Teresa and Therese of Lisieux have invited each of us to do ‘small things with love’. How am I doing with this? A popular phrase of St. Francis was ‘Preach the Gospel always. If necessary, use words.’ Is this a part of the way I am living? Sacred Space 2016 shares: “God always speaks to Jesus in an intimate and joyful fashion. He says, ‘You are my beloved Son; I am pleased with you. I love you deeply. Your whole being springs from me. I am your Father.’ Jesus answers, ‘Abba’ — ‘beloved Father’. His whole life reveals trust. He hands himself over unconditionally to his Father. God, I ponder on the love you have lavished also upon me, calling me your child. You are the tender and compassionate Mother of my life. You are the faithful Father, the rock on which I stand. Your love is everlasting. Your faithfulness is eternal.”