THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

John saw Jesus coming towards him, and said:
This is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. JN 1:29

ISAIAH 55:1-11 ©

Unless we are plunged into the waters of baptism we cannot belong to the family of God. Repentance and baptism are a necessary first step on our journey from this world to the world that is to come. God's free gift of salvation begins when we accept You as our Lord and Savior and are grafted to Your Body in the Sacrament of Baptism. In baptism, we become adopted children of God and receive the privilege to address God, our Father.

Baptism is the holy door through which we enter and receive the food of angels, the heavenly manna that wells up to eternal life in us and it is all absolutely free. We need to only be washed in the waters that gushed forth from Your pierced side and be filled with Your Holy Spirit and You will feed us with Your Flesh and Blood. This is the provision that God, our Father has made for all His children, that in the wilderness of our sojourn in the world, we will not fall and perish by the wayside.

You came to Your own and they rejected You and You have turned their rejection into a blessing for all nations. The Gospel is being proclaimed to all nations and all who hear and accept You as Lord and Savior are saved. Amid a world that is in the throes of wanton sin, deceit, and rejection of all that is true, good, and beautiful the Spirit of God is at work in the most unlikely places and in the most hardened hearts. The people of nations that for centuries have rejected the Truth and have embraced the father of lies who has deceived them by calling truth lies and lies truth are being disarmed by Divine Love.   

See, you will summon a nation you never knew,

those unknown will come hurrying to you,
for the sake of the Lord your God,
of the Holy One of Israel who will glorify you.

Beloved, we are living in the age of the Holy Spirit and we are being prepared for Your Second Coming in glory - now is the time, this is the moment of our conversion. Now is the time to see You with sincere hearts and find You. You are a God who saves and You delight in the conversion of sinners. God wants all His children to be saved and to come to the knowledge of Truth. Truth is a person, Truth is embodied in You - You are Truth and when we seek truth with open hearts and minds we find You.

You O Lord, are the Eternal Word of the Father He sent You into the world to die to raise a rich harvest of souls to worship and glorify the one true God forever. You have conquered sin and death. You have won the victory. The head of Satan is crushed, You have won the victory and to You, the victor belong the souls of the just. Alleluia. 

Yes, as the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM ISAIAH 12 ©

Truly, God is my salvation,

I trust, I shall not fear.
For the Lord is my strength, my song,
he became my saviour.
With joy you will draw water

from the wells of salvation.

Give thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name!

Make his mighty deeds known to the peoples!
Declare the greatness of his name.

Sing a psalm to the Lord

for he has done glorious deeds;
make them known to all the earth!
People of Zion, sing and shout for joy,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

MARK 1:7-11 ©

My Soul's Beloved,

Thank You for calling Me when I was still in my mother's womb. Thank You for the gift of the Catholic faith and for the place that all God's children have in Your mystical body, the Church. 

It is not enough to be baptized, Beloved, I am called to be holy and perfect as our Father is holy and perfect. I am privileged to call Him Abba as You taught us to - and if God is our Father then I must strive to do His will in all things always.

Thank You for the Sacraments of initiation which provide strength and nourishment for the journey. Thank You for the Sacrament of Reconciliation so we can begin anew no matter how many times we fall. Thank You for the Holy Eucharist where we feast at the Table of the Lord and receive all we need to walk in newness of life and in truth.

You O Lord are so holy that we dare not approach You without being invited to do so. You hunger and thirst for our love and this is why we can come to You with the confidence of little children and You will draw us close to You and bless us.

Keep me close to You O Lord and please grant all those I love repentance and conversion so that we may all come home to You and praise You for all eternity.