Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord

And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” – Mark 1:11

       We are wowed with “greatness.” We are wowed with “great” people:

         • People with great looks

         • People with great bodies

         • People with great appeal

         • People with great riches

         • People with great cars

         • People with great connections

         • People with great popularity

       I used to be wowed by them also. But along the road of my personal faith journey and experience, I realized two important things: that greatness is not measured by outward manifestations, but by a heart of service. And that, at the end of the day, it is not about wowing people but wowing God.

       Let us live in such a way that, after a day of manifesting humble love, we hear God’s voice within our conscience affirming us, “You are My beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Obet Cabrillas (kpreacherobet@gmail.com)

Reflection: “You are writing a Gospel, a chapter each day by the things that you do and the words that you say. Men read what you write, whether faithless or true. Say, what is the Gospel according to you?” (Paul Gilbert)

Help me, O God, so that I may move from pleasing people to pleasing You who are worthy of all my love and life. Amen.

Blessed William Carter, pray for us.

The words “seek the Lord while He may be found” have struck me since the time of my conversion. The sentiment of my heart on hearing the Gospel for the first time in my life about 30 years ago was this: I need to respond to this call because the grace of God is here today and I do not know if or when there will be another opportunity like this. God’s grace is always there but our awareness of it is not always clear and complete. So let us never waste time prevaricating when we hear His call.

1 Thus says the Lord: All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! 2 Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. 3 Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David. 4 As I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of nations, 5 so shall you summon a nation you knew not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you, because of the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you. 6 Seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near. 7 Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts; let him turn to the Lord for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. 9 As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. 10 For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, 11 so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.

R: You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

2 God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior. 3 With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. (R) 4 Give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. (R) 5 Sing praise to the Lord for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth. 6 Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel! (R)

If we truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God and we believe what the Gospels tell us about Him, then why are we so reluctant to live and proclaim the truth of His love? The lingering effects of sin play a big part in it. Let us pray for the grace to put aside all sin and embrace the fullness of the truth of the Gospel such that all our doubts will be put to rest. Let us choose the path of holiness and righteousness over that of sin and suffering.

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the father loves also the one begotten by him. 2 In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, 4 for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith. 5 Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 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 that testifies, and the Spirit is truth. 7 So there are three that testify, 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are of one accord. 9 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.38

God is already well pleased with His Son even though His ministry is yet to begin. The Incarnation sets the tone for the rest of Jesus’ life. Jesus, having been obedient to His Father in becoming a man, will continue obeying the Father’s will. Thus, we are to listen not only to the words that Jesus speaks but also the example of His life. The actions of Jesus also reveal God’s love to us. In the same way, our actions and words continue to proclaim the truth of the Gospel in our world.

John saw Jesus approaching him, and said: Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

7 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. 8 I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” 9 It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. 10 On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. 11And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

think: Our actions and words should continue to proclaim the truth of the Gospel in our world.

READ THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Mark 25-28

SABBATH PAUSE

LISTEN, THAT YOU MAY HAVE LIFE!

Last year, a small fire broke out in the wee hours of the morning in our seminary. It started in one of the old ceiling fans that kept whirring all night. Thankfully, one of the seminarians, who has always been a light sleeper, took notice and lost no time alerting everyone in the building.

       It pays to be attentive, to keep an attitude of listening, to observe what is going on, to see subtle signs of things that need to be responded to sooner, not later.

       One of them, who slept right below the burning fan, was not that attentive. He was a heavy sleeper and was oblivious of the danger that

was fast developing just a few feet above him. He had to be startled to full wakefulness, and only then could he sort out what to do.

       Inattention and deficient listening skills can be costly. I remember a funny incident in the seminary years ago. One priest, who knew very little English, sent a seminarian, whose listening and speaking skills were even worse, on an errand. The Spanish priest told the seminarian to go some place in Makati to get 1,000 hosts. The poor clueless boy went to Ayala Lumber and Hardware for he thought he said water “hose.” When the owner of the hardware asked him how long a hose was needed, he blurted out, “1,000.” The owner rolled her eyes in disbelief. “1,000 feet or meters?” she asked. “If it’s meters, that’s a kilometer long, and we don’t have that much!” So, back to the seminary the boy went, empty-handed. He told the flabbergasted priest that the “hose” would be delivered soonest.

       Christian life calls for constant attentiveness. We quiet down and listen to the liturgy of the Word. We come into contemplation mode and commune with God on a daily basis. We pray vocally using words, but even in vocal prayer, we need to be attentive to the subtle and quiet leadings of the Spirit.

       At the Lord’s baptism, God spoke.“Come to me heedfully, listen that you may have life.” Are you listening? Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you spend time each day to be attentive and to listen to God?

Help me to be more attentive to You, Lord, that I may know Your will every day of my life.