January 11- Baptism of the Lord

 

First Reading Isaiah 55:1-11
(The first reading from Cycle A, Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7, may also be chosen.)
Isaiah calls upon the people to return to the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm Isaiah 12:2-3,4-6
(The psalm from Cycle A, Psalm 29:1-4,9-10, may also be chosen.)
A prayer of praise for God's salvation.

Second Reading 1 John 5:1-9
 (The second reading from Cycle A, Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38, may also be chosen.)
The Spirit of Truth testifies on behalf of Jesus, God's Son.

Gospel Reading
Mark 1:7-11

 

Today we celebrate the Lord’s baptism by John in the River Jordan.  Jesus had no need to be baptized, but the first theologians say that in His Baptism, with His body and His divinity he blessed all the waters, so that the waters would have the power to give Baptism. Today is a good day to remind ourselves about the Baptism we have received. As Catholics we believe that God has come to us in Jesus Christ to share His very own life with us. God loves us and wants to share His life with us and become totally a part of how we live, in all that we think, say and do. And how does that happen? As Catholics, we encounter God and receive His life into our lives through sacred signs called ‘Sacraments’. And there are Seven Sacraments. So the sacraments are a sign and instruments of how God shares His very life with us. We experience God’s saving presence in and through the sacraments. That is why the Sacraments are so important to us. That is why the Holy Mass is so important to us. Baptism gives us a new identity as God’s son and daughter. Baptism is an initiation into a way of living, an inauguration into a lifetime adventure in which we try to claim everyday our belovedness in God as we share His very life.