The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to join Christ in the mission of the Father, through the Spirit, to share full life with the people we encounter.
The reading from the First Letter of John 5.5-13 is testimony concerning the Son of God.
* [5:6–12] Water and blood (1 Jn 5:6) refers to Christ’s baptism (Mt 3:16–17) and to the shedding of his blood on the cross (Jn 19:34). The Spirit was present at the baptism (Mt 3:16; Mk 1:10; Lk 3:22; Jn 1:32, 34). The testimony to Christ as the Son of God is confirmed by divine witness (1 Jn 5:7–9), greater by far than the two legally required human witnesses (Dt 17:6). To deny this is to deny God’s truth; cf. Jn 8:17–18. The gist of the divine witness or testimony is that eternal life (1 Jn 5:11–12) is given in Christ and nowhere else. To possess the Son is not acceptance of a doctrine but of a person who lives now and provides life. (1 John, CHAPTER 5, n.d.)
Psalm 147 offers praise for God’s Care for Jerusalem.
* [Psalm 147] The hymn is divided into three sections by the calls to praise in Ps 147:1, 7, 12. The first section praises the powerful creator who restores exiled Judah (Ps 147:1–6); the second section, the creator who provides food to animals and human beings; the third and climactic section exhorts the holy city to recognize it has been re-created and made the place of disclosure for God’s word, a word as life-giving as water. (Psalms, PSALM 147, n.d.)
In the Gospel, Mark describes the Baptism of Jesus.
* [1:8–9] Through the life-giving baptism with the holy Spirit (Mk 1:8), Jesus will create a new people of God. But first he identifies himself with the people of Israel in submitting to John’s baptism of repentance and in bearing on their behalf the burden of God’s decisive judgment (Mk 1:9; cf. Mk 1:4). As in the desert of Sinai, so here in the wilderness of Judea, Israel’s sonship with God is to be renewed.
* [1:10–11] He saw the heavens…and the Spirit…upon him: indicating divine intervention in fulfillment of promise. Here the descent of the Spirit on Jesus is meant, anointing him for his ministry; cf. Is 11:2; 42:1; 61:1; 63:9. A voice…with you I am well pleased: God’s acknowledgment of Jesus as his unique Son, the object of his love. His approval of Jesus is the assurance that Jesus will fulfill his messianic mission of salvation. (Mark, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)
Suzanne Braddock wonders what was in His mind as He considered this gesture, this baptism of water.
All these feelings are ours as well as we consider our life choices. We make a commitment to God and predictably are presented with a host of temptations and trials. It is good to remember that the Father’s words are ours as well – we are his beloved children and through it all we please him. We can claim the Spirit’s soft, gentle descent in that whisper from the Father showing us the way, the truth, the life. (Braddock, 2024)
Don Schwager quotes “The divine - human reconciliation,” attributed to Hippolytus, 170-236 A.D.
"Do you see, beloved, how many and how great blessings we would have lost if the Lord had yielded to the exhortation of John and declined baptism? For the heavens had been shut before this. The region above was inaccessible. We might descend to the lower parts, but not ascend to the upper. So it happened not only that the Lord was being baptized - he also was making new the old creation. He was bringing the alienated under the scepter of adoption (Romans 8:15). For straightway 'the heavens were opened to him.' A reconciliation took place between the visible and the invisible. The celestial orders were filled with joy, the diseases of earth were healed, secret things made known, those at enmity restored to amity. For you have heard the word of the Evangelist, saying, 'The heavens were opened to him,' on account of three wonders [appearance of the eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together at the baptism]. At the baptism of Christ the Bridegroom, it was fitting that the heavenly chamber should open its glorious gates. So when the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and the Father's voice spread everywhere, it was fitting that 'the gates of heaven should be lifted up.'" (excerpt from THE DISCOURSE ON THE HOLY THEOPHANY 6) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 John 5:5-13 comments that Jesus promises that if we follow his rules—his law of love, the way of his cross—we will see “eternal life” (John 12:25). No worldly power will ever dethrone us. We will “reign in life” forever (Romans 5:17).
Do you want to know victory over the world? Then believe in Jesus, and not just with your intellect. Bow down to him. Listen for his voice and follow his call to service, even if it seems to go against the “common” wisdom of the world. Believe his promise that “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14).
“Jesus, let me taste your victory as I lay down my life for your people!” (Meditation on 1 John 5:5-13, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes the declaration of victory over the part of reality that has rejected Jesus in 1 John. We know Jesus in our heart and through the Spirit in the liturgical actions of Baptism and Eucharist in the community. Friar Jude reminds us of the difference from the baptism of John in that Father, Son, and Spirit are present to invite us into the love of the Trinity.
Barbara Holmes introduces Joanna Macy (b. 1929) who has worked for decades to support the Great Turning, a movement towards life-sustaining cultures and economies.
When a change wants to happen, it looks for people to act through. How do we know when a change wants to happen? We feel the want inside us. There is a desire, a tugging at us to be involved. But that doesn’t make the change inevitable, because standing in our way are all those who say we’re wasting our time, that it isn’t possible, that it will be too hazardous. For the change to happen through us, we need to counter those voices. A shift can happen within us when we break through a resistance that has been holding us back. (Holmes, 2024)
We are reminded that the Spirit brings what we need to live our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader in the fullness of life.
References
Braddock, S. (2024, January 6). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved January 6, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/010624.html
Holmes, B. (2024, January 6). Radical Resilience: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 6, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/radical-resilience-weekly-summary/
Mark, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 6, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/1?7
Meditation on 1 John 5:5-13. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 6, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/01/06/870040/
1 John, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 6, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/5?
Psalms, PSALM 147. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 6, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/147?12
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 6, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jan6
No comments:
Post a Comment