Lord, when You were baptized in the Jordan, the veneration of the Trinity was revealed. For the voice of the Father gave witness to You, calling You Beloved, and the Spirit, in the guise of a dove, confirmed the certainty of His words. pic.twitter.com/5rDY20xKco— Greek Orthodox Metro (@GO_Metropolis) January 6, 2018
The First Letter of John encourages the community in believing in the Son and living in testimony of Divine Presence.
* [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.The passage from the Gospel of Mark includes a description of the descent of the Spirit upon Jesus at His Baptism.
* [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.Dennis Hamm, S.J. supplies some of the color of the Old Testament that Mark meant for us to receive in his words.
Mark is continuing his biblical allusions. The one Old Testament reference to the sky being ripped open is Isaiah 63:19, where the prophet prays urgently to God addressed as “father” (see verse 16), “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down.” In a passage where the Holy Spirit is already mentioned three times (verses 10, 11, 14) as needed for their guidance, this is a powerful plea for the same gift of the Spirit of God expressed in Ezekiel 36. Mark’s assertion that the heavens were being torn open as Jesus entered his public life means that the prayer of Isaiah 63 is finally answered with the advent of Jesus.I Gordon looks at how the prayer of Isaiah 63 leads us to Christian Testament truths about the Holy Spirit.
Here-in is a biblical principle that runs the length and breadth of the Bible. It is a principle that is shown in countless stories from Genesis to Revelation. It is a principle that sets Christianity apart from all other pursuits and is probably best summed up by a short verse in Zechariah – ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.Don Schwager quotes Hippolytus, 170-236 A.D. description of the Holy Theophany in the appearance of the eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together at the baptism.
"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)The Catholic Culture website summarizes the life of St Brother Andre
He was given the humble job of doorkeeper at Notre Dame College in Montreal, with additional duties as sacristan, laundry worker and messenger. "When I joined this community, the superiors showed me the door, and I remained forty years."and shares the Trinitarian Collect Prayer to follow his example of a life of prayer and love.
In his little room near the door, he spent much of the night on his knees. On his windowsill, facing Mount Royal, was a small statue of Saint Joseph, to whom he had been devoted since childhood. When asked about it he said, "Someday, Saint Joseph is going to be honored in a very special way on Mount Royal!"
When he heard someone was ill, he visited to bring cheer and to pray with the sick person. He would rub the sick person lightly with oil taken from a lamp burning in the college chapel. Word of healing powers began to spread.
Lord our God, friend of the lowly, who gave your servant, Saint Andre Bessette, a great devotion to Saint Joseph and a special commitment to the poor and afflicted, help us through his intercession to follow his example of prayer and love and so come to share with him in your glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.Friar Jude Winkler examines the development of the texts concerning witness to Jesus and the eternal status of Jesus as Son of God. John points to Jesus and the Spirit, symbol of Love that descends on Jesus as a proclamation of what has always been that Jesus was always the Son of God.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, offers contemplative practice as we seek openness to the image and likeness of God.
Once I can see the Mystery here—and trust the Mystery even in this piece of clay that I am, in this moment of time that I am—then I can also see it in you. I am eventually able to see the divine image in all things. Finally, the seeing is one. How you see anything is how you will see everythingFather, Son and Spirit in the Mystery of the Trinity give life and are the Source of the Love we are missioned to share.
References
(n.d.). 1 John, chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 6, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1john/5
(n.d.). Mark, chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved January 6, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/1
(n.d.). Bible Study Isaiah 63 The Holy Spirit - Grieving or pleasing?. Retrieved January 6, 2018, from http://www.jesusplusnothing.com/studies/online/Isaiah63.htm
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 6, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Optional Memorial of St. Andre Bessette, religious ... - Catholic Culture. Retrieved January 6, 2018, from https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?id=6
(2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 6, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/
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