Sunday's Mass Readings

January 9, 2011 The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord


Reading 1

Is 42:1-4, 6-7

Thus says the LORD:
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
upon whom I have put my spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
a bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10

R. (11b) The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Give to the LORD, you sons of God,
give to the LORD glory and praise,
Give to the LORD the glory due his name;
adore the LORD in holy attire.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters,
the LORD, over vast waters.
The voice of the LORD is mighty;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The God of glory thunders,
and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
The LORD is enthroned above the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as king forever.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.

Second Reading
Acts 10:34-38

Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered

in the house of Cornelius, saying:
“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him.
You know the word that he sent to the Israelites
as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all,
what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.”

Gospel
Mt 3:13-17

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan

to be baptized by him.
John tried to prevent him, saying,
“I need to be baptized by you,
and yet you are coming to me?”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us
to fulfill all righteousness.”
Then he allowed him.
After Jesus was baptized,
he came up from the water and behold,
the heavens were opened for him,
and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and coming upon him.
And a voice came from the heavens, saying,
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

This Week's Headlines

As another week comes to an end, this is your chance to top off your glass with a final helping of news, current events, and just plain interesting stuff that may not have made into the mainstream media. A chance to linger for a few more moments before we close the door on the week. Below are some links to articles, blogs, and miscellaneous happenings that caught my eye over the past few days. Sample what you like - I'll serve up more next Friday...

Libertarianism's Folly: When 'Live and Let Live' Fails - "If someone is not a moral being, how can he be expected to vote for moral government? Do you really think a vice-ridden person will be immoral in business, when raising children, and in most other things but then, magically somehow, have a moment of clarity at the polls? This is why John Adams warned, 'Public virtue cannot exist in a nation without private [virtue] ... '"

Curvatus in Se: On the Inward Focus of Modern Liturgy and On Rediscovering the True Source of Our Unity  - "...if we do not communally focus on the Lord, we have no true unity. It may be argued that there is some vaguely human sort of unity, but it really is no different than the unity that exists among the members of a bowling league. And even the members of a bowling league know that at some point it is important to focus on the act of bowling rather than merely on each other."

Why is it 2011? (or) Why New Years is Not Simply Secular - "Christ at his birth and through his passion, death and resurrection ushered in a new era for the world. The Christian West acknowledged this fact quite radically by resetting the calendars."

On Time Warps and Missing Feasts: Puzzling Over the Confusion in the Christmas Cycle - "I must admit that I have a few concerns about the Christmas Calendar and I am interested in your thoughts on the matter."

The Wise Men from the East - "Who were these gift-bearing kings, these Wise Men of the East? What has their mission meant to Christians across the ages? "

Three ex-Anglican bishops are received into full communion - "The Ordinariate is launched very quietly and gently, slipping almost unnoticed into the water.”

First Anglicans are received into the Roman Catholic Church in historic service - "It is expected that as many as 50 clergy will be ordained by Easter as the new structure begins to take shape, but there are likely to be many disputes in parishes torn over whether to remain in the Church of England" 

Anglican Catholics Then and Now  - "...this is not the embarrassed reception of disenchanted Anglicans, but a very public beginning of the Ordinariate, and what is going unsaid is the fact that under the papacy of Benedict XVI it is all but shouted from the housetops that the old ecumenism is dead."

Fr. Longenecker on the Anglican Ordinariate and the Great Re-Alignment  - "This is historic. Never before has the Catholic Church opened its doors so wide to a group of Protestants in such a creative way."

25 Phrases from the Catechism Worth Memorizing - "Other than being some of my favorites, each has plenty of room for one’s private meditation and contemplation. In other words, each provides a lot to chew on."

John Paul II to be Beatified in 2011? - "...the medical advisers of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints have produced “a favorable view on the miracle attributed to the intercession of Pope Wojtyla..."

On Good Intentions and Flawed Moral Reasoning - "Too many people today use flawed or incomplete reasoning when it comes to morally assessing acts. Intentions, how a person feels, or what they think and know can affect blameworthiness, but they cannot make a bad thing good, they cannot make an evil act upright, they cannot remove the harm or negative results of an incorrect, bad or evil act."

Ten stories that are likely to define the coming year

The Baptism of Our Lord

As the Christmas Season comes to a close we approach the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. This event marks the end of Jesus’ private life and the beginning of His public ministry. His divine Sonship is announced from on high as He steps from the water and goes forth to preach and to heal.

So too our own baptisms make us sons and daughters of God; and we become members of the broader community of the Church. Baptism announces publicly our new relationship to God as it washes away our sin and pours out Grace into our hearts.

But why did Jesus undergo this ritual? He was already God’s Son, and so no re-birth was necessary. He was without sin, and so the cleansing of sin was not needed. And certainly Jesus did not require Grace – he is the very fount of Grace.

John the Baptist must have realized all of this when He said to Jesus: “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matthew 3:14) But Jesus replied: “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” (15)

Why was this the “proper” thing to do?

For an answer we turn to St. Thomas Aquinas, who, in his Summa Theologica (Question 39, Article 1) takes up the challenge as to whether it was fitting that Christ be baptized…

“It was fitting for Christ to be baptized. First, because, as Ambrose says on Luke 3:21: ‘Our Lord was baptized because He wished, not to be cleansed, but to cleanse the waters, that, being purified by the flesh of Christ that knew no sin, they might have the virtue of baptism’; and, as Chrysostom says (Hom. iv in Matth.), ‘that He might bequeath the sanctified waters to those who were to be baptized afterwards.’ Secondly, as Chrysostom says (Hom. iv in Matth.), ‘although Christ was not a sinner, yet did He take a sinful nature and 'the likeness of sinful flesh.' Wherefore, though He needed not baptism for His own sake, yet carnal nature in others had need thereof.’ And, as Gregory Nazianzen says (Orat. xxxix) ‘Christ was baptized that He might plunge the old Adam entirely in the water.’…”

It is helpful to recall here the Church’s ceremony at the Easter Vigil, when the baptismal waters are blessed with the Paschal Candle. The Paschal Candle (the large candle marked with a cross and used throughout the year to represent Christ, the Light of the World) is dipped into the baptismal fount and three times (in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit) and thus the waters are broken and made fertile to baptism new Christians. In a sense the waters must be baptized by Christ before we can be baptized by the waters.

Jesus plunges into the waters of baptism not for His own sake, but for ours. As He tells John, “it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Our own righteousness is fulfilled by Christ’s presence in the baptismal waters. He has passed through those waters before us and His presence there makes the Sacrament effective for our salvation.

Sunday's Mass Readings

January 2, 2011

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Reading 1
Is 60:1-6

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

R. (cf. 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more. May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Reading 2
Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6

Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Gospel
Mt 2:1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.

Happy New Year!

The Feast of Mary, Mother of God

We fly to thy patronage,

O holy Mother of God;

despise not our petitions in our necessities,

but deliver us always from all dangers,

O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.

[Third Century. Oldest known prayer to Mary.]

 

+    +    +

 

Let us pray

that Mary the mother of the Lord,

will help us by her prayers]

God our Father

may we always profit by the prayers

of the Virgin Mother Mary,

for you bring us life and salvation

through Jesus Christ her Son

who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,

One God, forever and ever. Amen.

+    +    +

Loving Mother of the Redeemer,

Gate of heaven, star of the sea,

Assist your people

who have fallen yet strive to rise again,

To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator,

yet remained a virgin after as before,

You who received Gabriel's joyful greeting,

have pity on us, poor sinners.

This Week's Headlines

As another week comes to an end, this is your chance to top off your glass with a final helping of news, current events, and just plain interesting stuff that may not have made into the mainstream media. A chance to linger for a few more moments before we close the door on the week. Below are some links to articles, blogs, and miscellaneous happenings that caught my eye over the past few days. Sample what you like - I'll serve up more next Friday...


It's a short list this week...busy with the holidays and vacation time with the family. Hopefully more next week...


Don't Be a Liar at Christmas - "As human beings we are persons with bodies. We have a soul that is spiritual but it is joined with a body that is physical and material... Our Faith has to become flesh, it has to reach and influence our very behavior."

A Meditation On the “Bloody Octave” of Christmas - "...[I]n a certain sense this IS still Christmas day. Christmas Day is one long day of eight days from Saturday the 25th to Saturday January 1st. ...[O]ne of the striking things about the Christmas octave is its bloodiness. It is One of the bloodiest weeks of the Church’s years.



New Year’s and the Lord of History - "...the real 'new year' begins with First Vespers of the First Sunday of Advent. And if that’s true, then going bonkers over the turn of the civil calendar is giving a bit more to Caesar than Caesar has a right to receive."

The Pope's Warning to a Disintegrating Western Civilization - "Catholics, Protestants, Agnostics... the vast majority of conservatives of every stripe would agree with this almost non-reported speech made by Pope Benedict XVI on 20 December, 2010."

Why the News Makes Us Dumb - "The product of the news business is change, not wisdom. Wisdom has to do with seeing things in their largest context, whereas news is structured in a way that destroys the larger context. You have to do certain things to information if you want to sell it on a daily basis. "


Ezra Klein Lays It On The Line  - "What we see behind this attitude as expressed by Klein is a disdain for permanent things. It is the core issue that separates progressives and conservatives. Conservatives seek to preserve the heritage of the Constitution..."


Obamacare: Undercutting the Rule of Law - "Obamacare’s construction of a system of bureaucratic fiat is not good for health care–nor the country."

Christmas (2010)

In a unique way, the Son of God was born not merely to live a human life, but to die a human death. The stable at Bethlehem foreshadows the cross of Calvary. And the cross in turn gave to us the food of eternal life, Jesus’ flesh sacramentally present under the appearance of bread. In this way Christmas points us toward the Eucharist. The Incarnation (God-made-flesh) gives to us the flesh that is our spiritual food. The biblical story of Christmas hints at this reality.


Jesus was born in a town called Bethlehem. The word Bethlehem comes from the Hebrew for house of bread. So the man who would one day call His own body “the bread of life” took his first breath in a town fittingly named for that purpose. Bethlehem certainly became “the house of bread” on that night.

Jesus was laid in a manger. The English word “manger” is derived from the French manger which means to eat, or possibly from the Latin manducare - to chew. A manger is where food for livestock is placed to be eaten. How interesting that this simple detail of Jesus’ infancy (where they placed the baby) is preserved for us in Scripture. Jesus was placed where food would normally be for sheep and cattle. The symbolism is obvious. His body would one day feed His flock.

The manger says still more… Jesus in His humanity is placed where lesser creatures receive their food. A higher being placed where lesser beings eat. To be humbled in this way was the purpose of His coming. As God’s Son, His divinity far surpasses our weak human nature, and yet our Mighty God offers His own body as food. This higher Being (God Himself) is placed before us to be eaten. So the baby Jesus placed in a manger as food for animals points us to the Eucharistic reality at every Mass. God feeds us with His own Body.

And finally, the star. It shone in the sky above Bethlehem as the first sanctuary lamp. In every Catholic Church there burns a single candle near the Tabernacle to remind us of Jesus’ Presence. We look to it and are assured that He resides there in our midst. So too the wise men gazed at the Christmas star and were led to that divine Presence on the night when Jesus first arrived in the House of Bread. We pray this Christmas that others are led to that reality and see in Christmas a foreshadowing of the Eucharist.

Prayer for the Feast of Christmas


Ant. A light shall shine upon us this day: for our Lord is born to us; and He shall be called Wonderful, God, the Prince of peace, the Father of the world to come, of Whose kingdom there shall be no end.

V. A child is born to us.

R. And to us a Son is given.

Let us pray.

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord our God, that we who rejoice in celebrating the birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ may deserve by holiness of life to attain unto fellowship with Him. Who liveth and reigneth forever and ever. Amen.