The Baptism of Our Lord
The Baptism of Our Lord
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves” (Mt 11:28-29). The Lord invites us to find peace and joy in Him this Sabbath as we set aside time to worship and rest.
PREPARE
“Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God.”
Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word “Shabbat”, which literally means “to stop.” Keeping holy the Sabbath is not just a commandment, but an invitation. An invitation from the Lord to stop our work, stop our worrying, stop our striving. An opportunity to fid rest and to be renewed. A chance to refocus on the things that truly matter - the Lord, family, community. In our culture, Sunday has become a day to “catch up” on everything that didn’t get done during the week, and any time left over is often seen as an opportunity just to “get ahead” for next week. But we Christians have a chance now to remember what it means to keep the Sabbath. During this pandemic the Lord is calling us back to Himself, offering us a chance to reclaim the gift of the Sabbath, reminding us again what it means to “keep it holy.”
A basic principle for observing the Sabbath is only to do things that can be considered “rest” or “worship”. Here are a few ideas to consider to begin more to enter into the Sabbath. Maybe pick just one thing to focus on this Sunday, then next Sunday keep that practice in addition to a second one. And then the next Sunday add a third, to slowly over time begin to enter into this great gift of the Sabbath more and more.
Keep the Lord at the center - read the Mass readings ahead of time, participate in Mass, make more time for prayer, spend some extra time in silence focusing on the Lord
Try not to work - resist the urge to check your email, or catch up on a few things, and leave it for Monday
Plan ahead - take care of what needs to be done before Sunday, so plan the rest of your week to make sure you get the laundry done, have gone grocery shopping, etc.so you don’t have to do any of it on Sunday
Spend the day “screen free” - try to stay off social media, internet news, and your phone as much as possible. If you can’t make it the whole day try to go for at least a few hours
Be intentional with others - if you live with others (ie. family, roommates), is there something you can do together like play a game or go on a hike? If you live alone, can you reach out to a good friend and catch up?
Leisure, not entertainment - try to do things that are life giving; binge-watching a favorite show or playing video games for hours rarely leaves anyone with a new zeal for life. Read a good book, go on a long walk, develop a hobby.
PARTICIPATE
“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). Each Sunday we are called to “keep holy the Sabbath” and although that may look different for right now we will still come together as a St. Ann community through the gift of technology.
MASS READINGS
GIVING
Take a few minutes to give to St. Ann Parish. Please give generously and sacrificially as an act of faith during these difficult times. You can give online:
After giving, offer ways to be generous of your whole self during this trying time for our world.
“Each must do as already determined without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.”
PROCESS
“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’” (Mk 1:9-11).
On this feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we see the great mystery of the divine sonship of Jesus revealed. The Eternal Son of the Father, who became man to save us from our sins, now descends into the waters of the Jordan, sanctifying them and making them holy. His immersion into the waters foreshadows His coming death on the Cross, and His rising out of the waters points towards His Resurrection and triumph over death itself. As the author of salvation, Christ was not sanctified by His Baptism but rather was baptized by John in order “to make water holy, and by his cleansing to purify the waters which he touched… Christ is the first to be baptized, then, so that Christians will follow after him with confidence.” (St. Maximus of Turin, Sermon 100, On the Holy Epiphany 1,3).
What an incredible gift it is, that we would be invited to participate in Christ’s relationship with His Father! By our baptism, we are joined to Christ, sharing in His Sonship, and hearing those same words which the Father spoke to Him at His Baptism: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mk 1:11). By this sacrament, we enter into this mystery of salvation which Christ has won for us, being “buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might live in newness of life” (Rom 6:4). Baptism, called by the Church “the gateway to life in the Spirit” (CCC 1213), is our path to receive the forgiveness of sins and embark on a new life of grace and truth; dead to sin, the baptised now live a life of freedom in the Spirit as the children of God (cf. Gal 5:24-25).
Baptism is not the end of the spiritual life, but the beginning. It initiates us into a new life “in Christ” that entails our lifelong journey of becoming more like Christ through growing in friendship with Him. This journey does not look the same for everyone. There are moments of healing and growth along the way that will look different for each person, and our merciful God, who would not break “a bruised reed” or quench “a smoldering wick” (Isa 42:3), knows how best to lead us through them. There are also, however, shared milestones in the communal life of discipleship of our parish. Our Discipleship Pathway at St. Ann is designed to help people recognize the beloved Son of the Father, and learn to listen more to Him, by helping people to know what their next step on their journey might be. In the coming weeks, we will be hearing more about some of the individual elements of our Discipleship Pathway at St. Ann, and how to know which one might be the right step for you.
PRACTICE
If you have been baptized, it is a beautiful practice to remember and celebrate the date of your baptism. Just as we celebrate the days of our birth, as Christians we should also celebrate the day we are reborn as children of God. The practice this week is to find out the date of your baptism. Consider also finding the date of the baptism of your children or godchildren, if you have any. Put them on your calendar and commit to celebrating them in this coming year.
If you have not been baptized, or you have children who have not been baptized, we invite you to consider taking steps in that process. Go to https://www.stannparish.org/sacrament-preparation to find out more about how to prepare for the sacrament of baptism.
We also encourage you to take some time to familiarize yourself with the Discipleship Pathway at St. Ann. We will be hearing about some of the different elements of the Discipleship Pathway from now until the beginning of Lent. The Discipleship Pathway is how we can continue to grow in friendship with Jesus, in our community, building upon the graces of our baptism: https://www.stannparish.org/discipleship-pathway
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Think about how you can continue to reflect on God’s word to you this week, and how you can invite others into the conversation. You can use the questions below for personal reflection, or to grow with others. Be creative! You could consider gathering with friends and family, or starting a group text, or a group FaceTime, to discuss the questions below.
What stands out to you from the readings this week? What might God be speaking to you at this time?
Did you do anything differently last week to grow in mission?
Do you ever find it hard to live up to other people’s expectations? Do you feel it is hard to live up to what you believe are God’s expectations?
In light of your view of God’s expectations for you, what does it mean in the first reading when it says “a bruised reed he shall not break”?
Knowing Jesus was perfect and without sin, why do you think He submitted to baptism by John?
Have you been baptized? If so, does it make any difference in your life?
Through baptism we also become children of God. How do you feel about God also saying to you: “You are my beloved child. With you I am well pleased”?
Have you heard about the Discipleship Pathway at St. Ann? What are your thoughts about it?
Is there a step on the Discipleship Pathway you might be interested in taking in this new year?
KIDS
ACTIVITY
Pull out photos and videos of everyone’s baptisms! Talk about what happened that day- who was present, who are the godparents, etc. Find out the day of your baptism and put it on a calendar so you can celebrate it every year just like you would celebrate a birthday!
CONNECTION
This Sunday is the Baptism of the Lord where John the Baptist baptizes Jesus. Baptism is the first sacrament of the Catholic Church and we receive the Holy Spirit just as Jesus did. Then we become ‘beloved’ sons and daughters of God, just as Jesus was and are welcomed into the Catholic Church.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Have you ever been to a baptism? Can you remember what happened?
Have you been baptized? Do you think it makes a difference in your life?
In baptism we become sons and daughters of God. What do you think about that?
In our baptism, we share in the work Jesus came to do- serve others and tell them how much God loves them. How can we do this this week- at home, school, with our friends?