Tag Archives: Baptism of the Lord

Living the Nativity

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Like the Magi, we are called to perpetually bring the Gold of charity, the Frankinsence of prayer and the Myrrh of penetential sacrifice. © Salve Mater Dei 2013

Like the Magi, we are called to perpetually bring the Gold of charity, the Frankincense of prayer and the Myrrh of penitential sacrifice. © Salve Mater Dei 2013

 

“Give to the Lord, you sons of God, Give to the Lord glory and praise, Give to the Lord the glory due His name, adore the Lord in holy attire (Psalm 29:1-2).”

With the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord the Liturgical Season of Christmas officially draws to a close and the season of Ordinary Time commences. As the colorful Christmas lights are packed away, and the ornaments find their way back into the attic, we shift spiritual gears from the preparing for the birth of Christ and rejoicing in His Incarnation to the nitty-gritty of daily life. The preparations are over, the thrill of anticipation and the reminiscences of Christmas morning are but memories. The glitz of tinsel and shimmer of Christmas lights have faded into the subdued glow of a cold winter morn.

We are to Challenged to Keep Christmas all the Year- to Become Living Nativities. © Salve Mater Dei 2013

We are to Challenged to Keep Christmas all the Year- to Become Living Nativities. © Salve Mater Dei 2013

Now comes the hard part. We must face the challenge of carrying Christmas – and with it, the Christ-Child – in our hearts all the year through. We are called to be christophers, that is Christ-bearers. With the immortalized Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, we are called to vow:

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me.”

Yet the Spirit we are asked to grasp is not illusory, rather we are called to fully welcome the Holy Spirit. We are called to embrace the Christ-Child and never let Him go. We are asked to refrain from packing Him away like the plastic and porcelain replicas from our nativity crèche.

For Unto Us a Child is Born! © Salve Mater Dei 2013

For Unto Us a Child is Born! © Salve Mater Dei 2013

With God’s grace, may we strive each and every day to wrap the newborn Christ Child in a blanket of love, and keep Him warm in the cradle of our hearts. Unlike the inn-keepers from of old, may we welcome the Holy Family. As we shelter Jesus, Mary and Joseph in our hearts, may the Holy Family sanctify our lives and strengthen within us the virtues requisite for authentic family life. Through Our Lady’s maternal love, may we see the face of Christ in all whom we meet. As St. Joseph protected the Blessed Mother and Infant Jesus, through his intercession may our chastity and that of our families remain safe, even in the midst of a licentious pagan culture.

With the Humility of Shepherds, We are called to Glorify God even in Mundane Tasks. © Salve Mater Dei 2013

With the Humility of Shepherds, We are called to Glorify God even in Mundane Tasks. © Salve Mater Dei 2013

With the humility of shepherds, may we respond immediately to His messengers and glorify God even in our most menial of daily duties. May we seek Him with the zeal of the Magi, and perpetually offer the gold of charity, the Frankincense of prayer and the myrrh of penitential sacrifice. Lastly, with the angels may we seek to do His Holy Will and perfectly reflect His goodness so that one day we may join the celestial chorus in praising Him in Paradise for all eternity.

Blessings,

Ad Jesum Per Mariam,

M.A. JMJ

*** Photos taken at the annual Living Nativity at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill on December 16, 2012. Used with Permission.

This is My Beloved Son. . . .

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Caeli aperti sunt caeli et vox Patris intonuit: “Hic est Filius meus dilectus, audite illum.”

Unless One is Born of Water and The Spririt. . . . © Salve Mater Dei 2013 EA Photo

Unless One is Born of Water and The Spirit. . . . © Salve Mater Dei 2013 EA Photo

 

The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered: “This is My Beloved Son, listen to Him (Alleluia Verse, Holy Mass, Mark 9:7).”

Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord. In this singular act, Our Lord Jesus publicly demonstrates that He is the “Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world.” In all humility, Jesus – though sinless – nonetheless allows Himself to be counted among sinners, so that through His humility and sacrifice our fallen humanity might be redeemed.

Today’s Gospel:

This is what John the Baptist proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of His sandals. I have baptized you with water; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

 

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are My beloved Son, with You I am well pleased (Mark 1: 7-11).”

 

I Have Baptized You with Water. . . He will Baptize with the Holy Spirit. . . . © Salve Mater Dei 2013 EA Photo

I Have Baptized You with Water. . . He will Baptize with the Holy Spirit. . . . © Salve Mater Dei 2013 EA Photo

In this moment of Christ’s baptism, we experience the tangible presence of the Most Blessed Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are truly manifest, distinct yet unified. God the Father announces to heaven and earth that Jesus Christ is His beloved Son, the One in Whom He is well pleased. In that instant we clearly comprehend that Christ perfectly embodies the Will of the Father: Jesus accepts His role as Suffering Servant and with it anticipates His baptism into death for the remission of the sins of all humanity. The Father Loves the Son, and acknowledges that He is pleased with Jesus for perfectly conforming to His Divine Will. The Holy Spirit – the Divine reflection of the Love that exists between the first two persons of the Blessed Trinity – visibly demonstrates the reality of this unity of Supernatural Love.

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God. . . . © Salve Mater Dei 2013

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God. . . . © Salve Mater Dei 2013

The Baptism of Jesus is replete with grace and meaning. It is the inauguration of Christ’s public ministry. Through it we are given a glimpse of the glory of God, and of the life that we are called to emulate if we are to attain the eternal joy for which we are created. Just as Christ humbly accepts His eternal role as mediator for our sins, we too must humbly accept our own baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ. As Christ takes on our human flesh and blood, so we too must be willing to embrace the salvific action of His Flesh and Blood. Through the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist, we are given the privilege to embrace this very mystery of our salvation each and every day.

You are a Child of God! © Salve Mater Dei 2013

Rejoice, For You are a Child of God! © Salve Mater Dei 2013

At our own Baptism, we profoundly encountered the Most Blessed Trinity, as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit became truly manifest in our lives. At the moment our souls were cleansed of Original Sin, we became adopted children of the Heavenly Father. Now armed with Sanctifying Grace, we endeavor to live worthy lives, such that one day, when we shall appear before the throne of the Most High, we too may hear: “You are my beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.”

Blessed Feast of the Baptism of The Lord,

Ad Jesum per Mariam,

M.A.  JMJ