Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted on by Cassie

In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist calls Jesus the Lamb of God.  As the Lamb of God, Jesus will take away the sin of the world, baptize with the Holy Spirit and demonstrate that He is God’s Chosen One.

In Isaiah 53 we are told that the Servant will be crushed for our sins and is led like a lamb to the slaughter.

Each year the Jews re-enacted the Paschal story of Exodus 12.   They slaughtered a year-old male without blemish and sprinkled its blood on their door posts.  They then prayed that the Lord would pass over their homes as he destroyed their oppressors.

In the book of Revelation the lamb is first slain as a victim for our redemption but then become’s a victorious conqueror who takes his seat upon God’s throne.

The Lamb of God does stand for courage.  This paschal lamb was a means of liberation for God’s chosen people from the oppression of Egypt.  To be a disciple of the Lamb implies that we accept the challenges of liberation—whether from communism, socialism, economic injustices or racial bigotry.

The Lamb of the Book of Revelation is a conquering Lamb—a lamb who makes war on  poverty and hunger, and who battles against immorality and corruption.

We witness to the Lamb every time we fight for human rights, stand up for decency and protest incompetence in government.

The Lamb of God challenges us to keep taking away the sins of the world so that the world can truly be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell

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Baptism of the Lord

Posted on by Cassie

Now we have celebrated the Christmas season, we, as a Church, begin the new year by walking once more through the life of Jesus.

This year we use the Gospel of Mark as our main guide through the life of Christ.  To begin our journey Mark brings us back to the beginning of the ministry of Jesus.  We go back to John the Baptist.  For the people of the time, the Baptist’s great attraction was that with him God was acting again.  No prophet had appeared for many years among the Jews.

The Baptist offered those who came a “Baptism of repentance” – an opportunity to acknowledge their sins.  He also called them to stay tuned for further developments.   John preached in the desert.

The desert was a fitting site for repentance.  Acknowledging our sins is often unpleasant.  It may not make us feel very close to God.  However, it helps us to prepare the way of the Lord.  In the midst of the crowd of people who are acknowledging their sins, Jesus makes His appearance.

John baptizes his followers in water as a sign of repentance, but also to prepare them for the coming of “one more powerful than I, who will baptize not in the water but in the Holy Spirit”.  As Jesus appears to receive John’s baptism, we are told only where he is from.

In a remarkably few lines, Mark has set the stage for his Gospel.   Clearly this is no ordinary story.  But it is truly good news, news that God has entered our world.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell

 

epiphany of our lord

Posted on by Cassie

Christmas gift giving began with a story in today’s gospel. Astrologers from the east followed a star in search of a newborn King of the Jews. When they found the Christ—child they opened their coffers and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Scholars interpret the symbolism of the three gifts.  Gold is a symbol of royalty, incense is associated with prayer and divine worship, and myrrh was used to dress wounds and embalm the dead.  Gold tells us he will be a king, frankincense tells us He is to be divine, and myrrh tells us that He would suffer and die.

Just like the Magi, we are called to come before our Savior.  What do we have to offer him.  What if we have not been very faithful, or prayerful, or patient in suffering?  What can we offer?  Then, my friends, we still have Jesus Christ to offer as our gift to the Father.

Though we might be poor in good works, Christ will enrich this with Himself in the Eucharist.  Though we may be destitute as far as devotion is concerned, Christ will supply what we lack.

We need never be discouraged to approach the Father. He wants our hearts to love Him and our neighbor. He is interested in our prayers and our problems.

The Father does not care from where or how far we may have come.  He wants to send us on our way like the Magi—overjoyed at having found His Son Jesus and strengthened for the rest of our journey through life.

God Bless,

Msgr. Powell