The Baptism of the Lord Feast
January 10th, 2010
“Here is my chosen one in whom my soul delights.”
Lk. 3:15
To-day’s Liturgy marks a significant moment in the life of Jesus. – the transition from being known as the carpenter’s son to that of being seen as a nomadic preacher – perhaps the long awaited Messiah who would save his people.
After his Baptism, while praying, Jesus feels impelled and empowered by the Spirit of God to embark on a life given totally to the affairs of the Father and the Father confirms Him in this ministry “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights”.
Prayer
Beloved God, teach us how to listen to the murmurings of your Spirit. Open our minds and hearts to the calls of our Baptism. Guide and inspire us in our ministry so that we, in all that we do or say, shall indeed be Good News for the poor, the lonely, the downtrodden.
The prayer for each day has been prepared by various members of the Holy Family Association. All who visit our website are remembered in prayer. If you would like us to pray for a particular need, simply complete and submit the form on the right hand side of this page. You may wish to leave a comment in the space below.
Just a Thought
Hope
John XXIII, referred to as the ‘caretaker Pope’, realising the widening gap between the Church and the world of his day, wrote: “An old world is disappearing. Another one is being formed, and with this I am trying to conceal some good seed or other that will have its springtime, even if it is somewhat delayed, and comes after I’m dead.”
Thomas Merton writes: “One must not give in to defeatism and despair: just as one must hope for life in a mortal illness which has been declared incurable.”
Even when dark clouds surround us, even when everything appears to be falling apart, we must continue to believe for a better future. Whatever the problem, there is a way forward.
So, my hope is in God alone because I believe in him; this is my faith. It is in him I put my faith and that faith, my belief in God’s love for me and all his creation, is the bedrock in which like an anchor, I put my hope. Together with that hope and faith is my love and fidelity in responding to that God in whom I live and move and have my being. In him I place my hope.
“Hold fast to the hope that lies before us. This we have as an anchor of the soul” (Heb 6:15-19).
