The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today connect us to the Love of God that presents itself to us through the Holy Spirit.
The reading from the First Letter of John 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.)
The Gospel of Mark presents 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.)
Ed Morse comments that signs and wonders accompanied our Lord throughout his ministry, and they also accompanied the crucifixion, including darkness at midday, a torn curtain in the Holy of Holies, and prophetic utterances by the soldiers who crucified him and one of those crucified with him. His resurrection and many appearances thereafter, not to mention the miracles performed by those who followed him, likewise provide evidence. And of course, the witness of the Spirit continues through the lives of those who follow Christ down through the ages. Yes, that witness works through, and even within, us.
“Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself.” We possess this deeper truth of eternal life, even though it is not yet fully realized, because we possess the Son of God. Periods of desolation may occur when this reality may seem far from us for a time, but we don’t let go of this possession. The evidence is there, all around us and even within us. Sometimes this evidence comes from very ordinary things and seemingly mundane events in daily life, which whisper silently to us, telling us not to despair, that this world is full of wonder and there is beauty to behold in the midst of all its troubles, and that we can persist through all this trouble. (Morse, 2023)
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 Mark 1:7-11 comments that we all need to be encouraged—especially by God. The negative voices of the world, the urges of our fallen nature, and the temptations that come from the devil are constantly at work to bring us down. But God wants to remind us over and over that we are his beloved children. He wants to lift us up and urge us to live for him.
You probably won’t hear an audible voice or see a vision coming down from heaven, but that doesn’t mean that God isn’t speaking to you. He uses many ways to tell you how much he loves you and how delighted he is with you. He sees your struggles and successes, and he knows how much you want to please him. And so he will tell you, in the quiet of your heart, that he loves you and is committed to caring for you. As you read this passage, see if you can hear the Father whispering to you: “You are my beloved child, and with you I am well pleased.”
“Heavenly Father, thank you for your amazing love!” (Meditation on Mark 1:7-11, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the defeat of the power of Satan in the text from 1 John. The witness of water and Spirit to Christ resonate with the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist. Friar Jude reminds us of the realized eschatology in the texts that celebrate our new life beginning when we encounter Jesus.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Rabbi Nahum Ward-Lev, an author and teacher who has thought deeply about the liberating and healing path of the prophets.
In the prophetic worldview, God supports falling forward, mistake-ridden risk-taking, and boundary crossing for the sake of growth in consciousness and relationship. The prophets perceive God as energizing this journey, animating all life forms to bring forth new ways, to explore new relationships. The prophets also teach that God offers forgiveness to the people when their adventure goes off track, when they behave in ways that betray their friendship with their fellow humans and with God. The God of the prophets continually calls a wayward people to return to right relationship that they might be healed of the consequences of their mistakes: “Assuredly, thus says the Living Presence: If you return, then I will bring you back, and you shall stand before me, and if you take out the precious from the vile, you shall be as my mouth” (Jeremiah 15:19). (Rohr, n.d.)
We are prophets, through our anointing at Baptism, who are inspired by the Spirit to witness to love, mercy, compassion, hope, and charity in our actions.
References
Mark, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/1?7
Meditation on Mark 1:7-11. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/01/06/576801/
Morse, E. (2023, January 5). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/010623.html
1 John, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/5?5
Psalms, PSALM 147. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/147?12
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-liberating-path-2023-01-06/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). The Spirit Descends upon the Father's Beloved Son. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 6, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jan6
No comments:
Post a Comment