Friday, January 5, 2024

06-JAN-'24, Christmas Weekday - You Are My Beloved Son


Christmas Weekday

Lectionary: 209


Reading 1

1 John 5:5-13

Beloved:

Who indeed is the victor over the world

but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?


This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,

not by water alone, but by water and Blood.

The Spirit is the one who testifies,

and the Spirit is truth.

So there are three that testify,

the Spirit, the water, and the Blood,

and the three are of one accord.

If we accept human testimony,

the testimony of God is surely greater.

Now the testimony of God is this,

that he has testified on behalf of his Son.

Whoever believes in the Son of God

has this testimony within himself.

Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar

by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son.

And this is the testimony:

God gave us eternal life,

and this life is in his Son.

Whoever possesses the Son has life;

whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.


I write these things to you so that you may know

that you have eternal life,

you who believe in the name of the Son of God.


Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20

R. (12a) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

or:

R. Alleluia.


Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;

praise your God, O Zion.

For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;

he has blessed your children within you.

R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

or:

R. Alleluia.


He has granted peace in your borders;

with the best of wheat he fills you.

He sends forth his command to the earth;

swiftly runs his word!

R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

or:

R. Alleluia.


He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,

his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.

He has not done thus for any other nation;

his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.

R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

or:

R. Alleluia.


Alleluia 

See Mark 9:6

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered:

This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.


Gospel

Mark 1:7-11

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."


Reflection 1

One Bread, One Body


VICTOR OR VICTIM?


“Who, then, is conqueror of the world? The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” —1 John 5:5


We are victors over the world or victims of the world. Only by faith in Jesus as God will we escape being victimized. Unless we pray to the Lord, we will become the prey of the world. Either Jesus runs our lives, or we are manipulated into running our lives into the ground, even into hell. On our own, we are unable to protect ourselves from unscrupulous, hateful demons. Of ourselves, our lives are necessarily out of control. Jesus is the only name by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). He is our only Hope, but the only Hope we need.


Let us thank Jesus for becoming a man, saving us, and being willing to take over our lives. He has saved us from the damning trap of supposedly doing our own thing. As we near the end of the Christmas season, let us accept our privilege of totally surrendering our lives to Him. Only in this way will we escape being victimized and have eternal life (1 Jn 5:11-13). Thank You, Jesus our Savior!


Prayer:  Father, on these last days of Christmas, do in me what You must in order to do through me what You will.


Promise:  “He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within you.” —Ps 147:13


Praise:  Over a million people paid their respects at the funeral of St. André, the beloved Miracle Man of Montreal.


Reflection 2

By Fr. Josep VALL i Mundó

(Barcelona, Spain)


“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”


Today, the Church celebrates the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. That day, the world's waters were purified and were given the power to clean away sin. Although the Baptism administered by John had only the implication of our conversion and acceptance of our sinfulness, Jesus, solidary with all men, decided to go through it too, as the Leader of a renewed Manhood. He “For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him” (2Cor 5:21). Jesus will establish the new Baptism that will make us become children of God in Him and will reconcile us unto the Father: He will be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.


“Today —writes St. Gregory of Nazianzus— Christ is illuminated; let this divine light penetrate inward. Christ is baptized; let us follow him to the water, to be able, later, to ascend with Him”. That day, at the river Jordan, the Holy Spirit was seen to come down on the Lord and the Father's voice was heard saying: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Mk 1:11). Saint John Paul II says: “Rising from the waters of the baptismal font, every Christian hears again the voice that was once heard on the banks of the Jordan River: ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’ (Lk 3:22). From this comes the understanding that one has been brought into association with the beloved Son, becoming a child of adoption (cf. Gal 4:4-7) and a brother or sister of Christ”


St. Cyril of Jerusalem asks us to mull over this supernatural feat, when saying: “If you have sincere piety, the Holy Spirit will descend on you also and you will hear the voice of the Father saying to you from above: ‘This was not my son, but now, after Baptism he has been made my son’”. As of now, we are all invited to follow the Path of Christ to know His Truth and to live His very Life. We have been chosen, consecrated and sent out to collaborate in the apostolic mission. We are also beloved and favorite sons, and the Father will be well pleased with each one of us.


Reflection 3

Shared from God's Word


The First Reading presents the basic truth of Christian life, namely, that our faith in Jesus as the Son of God and Messiah leads to God’s gift of life through him. And this Christian belief is practical in its application. It is our way of life that leads us to experience the life of Jesus in us. Although Jesus received Baptism from John the Baptist, his true identity comes from the visionary experiences of Heaven opening and the Spirit descending on him. The role of John the Baptist is clearly spelt out by pointing to the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. The descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus is God’s enabling presence to equip Jesus for his public ministry. We are called to reflect on our life and activities that they be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit rather than empty rituals and pretensions.


Prayers

Jesus, my Savior, I do thank You for the unfathomable gift You have given me. You took on our fallen human nature and transformed it by this unity of Your divinity and humanity. You died for my sins and the sins of all who turn to You, and You opened the doors to Heaven. May I always grow more deeply in gratitude for all You have done for us. Jesus, I trust in You.


Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and inflame my heart with the joy of the Gospel. May I find joy in seeking to please you just as you found joy in seeking to please your Father.


Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy


Reflection 6: Image of Divine Mercy

The Diary of Saint Faustina calls us to a new form of devotion in various ways.  The first way is through meditation on the sacred image of The Divine Mercy.  Saint Faustina was asked by Jesus to have an image of His merciful love painted for all to see. It’s an image of Jesus with two rays shining forth from His Heart. The first ray is blue (pale white in some depictions) indicating the font of Mercy coming forth through Baptism and the second ray is red indicating the font of Mercy poured forth through the Blood of the Holy Eucharist. During this year discover this image, place it in your home and ponder its meaning.


Ponder, today, the image of The Divine Mercy.  Ponder, especially, the fact that no image will even come close to expressing the full depth of love pouring forth from the Heart of our Savior.  Grow in a desire for that Mercy as you ponder this sacred image.


Lord, You have poured out upon the world Your infinite Mercy coming forth from Your divine Heart. May I bask in that Mercy now and always. Jesus, I trust in You.


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