Clearing the Way for the New: The Baptism of the Lord 2021

                         Clearing the Way for the New

The Baptism of the Lord 2021

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January 10, 2021

Isaiah 55:1-11; Isaiah 12; 1 John 5:1-9; Mark 1:7-11

 

 

In the early church, debate ensued about who was more important: John the Baptist or Jesus of Nazareth. John was part of an ascetical community that separated itself from the world, and he was a formidable spectacle. He drew crowds from Jerusalem and from the high ranks of Jerusalem society and he preached a message that all Jews could hear. Jesus, on the other hand, was raised far away from the center of the Jewish world and he was an untrained orator and an ordinary carpenter, and yet, John says of him, “One mightier than I is coming and he is offering a powerful, yet invisible baptism. While John received much acclaim from the wealthy elite, Jesus was affirmed when the heavens were torn open and the Spirit descended upon him signaling God’s favor. 

 

While the emphasis is rightly upon the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, John the Baptist shows us how to exit the stage with dignity. He sees that the future lies with someone else and he has done his work to prepare the way. While it hurts to no longer be the star, John accepts that he has done what he was asked to do, and he moves on. This is a good lesson for us because before we start anything new, we have to first clear out the old stuff, and that is not easy. We have to clear away physical clutter, our schedules, and perhaps relationships so that we can have space for the new. If we don’t, then we are not giving ourselves a fair chance to succeed in the new endeavor.

 

We don’t let go of the past well. We hold onto possessions far beyond their useful life and he have to find a creative way of passing them onto to someone who will cherish it as we did. We hold onto past glory and accomplishments and we hold onto failure too. All that stuff that we accumulate, we have to put aside. It has little use for the new part of life that we need. Jesus had to leave all his carpentry customers and his villagers to begin his ministry of preaching. He needed to grieve his loss and then move forward. 

 

The best adjustment that Jesus made as he started something new was to make sure that he depended upon God. He could not image what his ministerial life would bring him, and I’m sure it was full of surprises at what God would do with him. He left much of the past behind him and he allowed himself to adjust to the circumstances that were presented to him. His adaptability was an important facet of his ministry, and he was able to be redirected in his ministry to care for those around him. Our futures are not scripted but are made by engaging with the people around us and seeing the opportunities to recognize God’s presence. The Baptism of Jesus was the public recognition that God found great delight in Jesus, but the true miracle is that Jesus embarked on this journey of mystery where he found God in his every interaction. When we clear out our past and begin something new, we will certainly be fascinated by what God is doing with us, and we can begin this journey of sacred mystery in which we learn to depend on God for all things, and that is where we will find our happiness. 

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

 

First Reading:

Monday: (Isaiah 42) Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am please, upon whom I have put my spirit.

 

Tuesday: (Hebrews 2) It was fitting that Jesus, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make their leader to salvation perfect through suffering.

 

Wednesday: (Hebrews 2) Since the children share in blood and Flesh, Jesus shared in them likewise, that through death he might destroy the one who has power of death.  

 

Thursday: (Hebrews 3) Take care that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart so as to forsake the living God.      

 

Friday (Hebrews 4) Let us be on guard while the promise of entering into his rest remains, that none of you seem to have failed.   

 

Saturday (Hebrews 4) The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern the reflections and thoughts of the heart.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Matthew 3) Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. A voice came from heaven saying: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.    

 

Tuesday: (Mark 1) Jesus came to Capernaum’s synagogue when an unclean spirit approached him. He rebuked the Spirit and demonstrated power over him.

 

Wednesday (Mark 1) Jesus entered the home of Simon and Andrew and cured Simon’s mother-in-law. The townspeople brought many people to him for healing.

 

Thursday (Mark 1) A leper begged Jesus to heal him. The leprosy left him and he was warned sternly not to make known the source of his healing.

 

Friday (Mark 2) Jesus returned home and his friends brought a paralytic for healing. He forgave his sins, but the authorities became angry so he also healed his paralysis.

 

Saturday (Mark 2) Jesus called Levi as a disciple. He was with other tax collectors and sinners, eating and drinking with them. I have come to call sinners, not the righteous, to repentance.  

 

Saints of the Week

 

January 10: The Baptism of the Lord is recounted in Mark’s Gospel where the baptism of water is to be replaced by a baptism of fire. God confirms the person of Jesus when he rises from the water and a dove alights on his head. God is well pleased.

 

January 14: Hilary, bishop and doctor (315-367), was born in Gaul and received the faith as an adult. He was made bishop of Poitiers and defended the church against the Arian heresy. He was exiled to the Eastern Church where his orthodox rigidity made him too much to handle so the emperor accepted him back. 

 

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• Jan. 10, 1581: Queen Elizabeth signed the fifth Penal Statute in England inflicting heavy fines and imprisonment on all who harbored Jesuits and Seminary priests. 
• Jan 10, 1567. Two Jesuits arrived in Havana, Cuba, as a base for evangelization. 
• Jan 11, 1573. At Milan, St Charles Borromeo founded a college (the Brera) and placed it under the care of the Society. 
• Jan 12, 1544. Xavier wrote a long letter on his apostolic labors, saying he wished to visit all the universities of Europe in search of laborers for our Lord's vineyard. The letter was widely circulated and very influential. 
• Jan 13, 1547. At the Council of Trent, Fr. James Laynez, as a papal theologian, defended the Catholic doctrine on the sacraments in a learned three-hour discourse. 
• Jan 14, 1989. The death of John Ford SJ, moral theologian and teacher at Weston College and Boston College. He served on the papal commission on birth control. 
• Jan 15, 1955. The death of Daniel Lord SJ, popular writer, national director of the Sodality, founder of the Summer School of Catholic Action, and editor of The Queen's Work. 
• Jan 16, 1656. At Meliapore, the death of Fr. Robert de Nobili, nephew of Cardinal Bellarmine. Sent to the Madura mission, he learned to speak three languages and for 45 years labored among the high caste Brahmins.