Jan. 12, 2020 - Baptism of the Lord

(Is 42:1-4,6-7; Acts 10: 34-38; Mt 3:13-17)

The “Suffering Servant” song in our reading from Isaiah is a beautiful picture of the rescue mission that the servant of the Lord undertakes on our behalf. The passage speaks of this servant of the Lord bringing justice. He comes not to crush with harsh judgment, but to save, or rescue, with gentle mercy. As Christians we now recognize the Suffering Servant as referring to Christ. In the Gospel, the voice from the heavens says “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” which is similar to the words of Isaiah: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased.” Applying the other verses from Isaiah to Jesus we see that Jesus has been sent by God the Father with a mission to be a light to the nations, to open the eyes of the blind and to free prisoners of sin and darkness. The Baptism of the Lord is the first Luminous Mystery that we call to mind when we pray the rosary on Thursdays. It is “luminous” because it illuminates who Jesus is. As one theologian put it, “Jesus's baptism was God's visual and aural way of saying to history, 'Dear world, this is it; here he is!'”

• Some think baptism means receiving a name and becoming a member of a particular church. Some see it as a personal insurance policy with a ticket to heaven. Discuss these ideas and how they compare to what baptism means to you.
• Jesus's baptism revealed many things about his identity and mission. What can you say that your baptism reveals about your identity and mission?
• What is the role of a godparent or sponsor? What difficulties might a godparent encounter during the life of his/her godchild?