HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

The Baptism of the Lord

Jan 12, 2014

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First Reading

A reading from the Book of Prophet Isaiah (42:1-4, 6-7)

Thus says the Lord: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the Earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching.

I, the Lord, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement; and from the dungeon those who live in darkness.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (29:1-2, 3-4, 9-10)

(R) The Lord will bless His people with peace.

Give to the Lord, you sons of God, give to the Lord glory and praise, give to the Lord the glory due His name; adore the Lord in holy attire. (R)

The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the Lord, over vast waters. The voice of the Lord is mighty; the voice of the Lord is majestic. (R)

The God of glory thunders, and in His temple all say, "Glory!" The Lord is enthroned above the flood; the Lord is enthroned as king forever. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (10:34-38)

Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered in the house of Cornelius, saying, "In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears Him and acts uprightly is acceptable to Him. You know the word that He sent to the Israelites as He proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him."

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (3:13-17)

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?" Jesus said to him in reply, "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then John allowed him. After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

The Book of Isaiah was written eight hundred years before Christ. Isaiah appeared as God's prophet when his nation, Judah, was in a great political turmoil and immersed in sin. The prophet urged his people to repent from their sins and return to God. He also foretold the coming of the Messiah. He predicted that the Messiah would bring hope, peace, joy, love and light to all people. As we were preparing for the celebration of the birth of Jesus, we read and reflected very much on his Messianic prophecies: that he would be born of a virgin; be an heir to the throne of David and that gentiles would seek him and he would have his way prepared.

In today's first reading we hear, "Thus says the Lord: Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench." Friends, the Lord introduces someone as His servant who would carry out His work on Earth. Who is the servant the Lord is speaking about?

The scriptures mention many people, such as Abraham, Moses, David, Job, the prophets and even the whole nation of Israel as God's servants. Therefore, some believe that the servant in today's text refers to Cyrus, the Persian King, who liberated the Jewish people from their Assyrian and Babylonian captivity and allowed them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their city and its temple. So there were indeed many faithful servants. But for Isaiah this time the Lord speaks about His servant in a very special way. The servant of the Lord is the chosen and anointed one and he would not "cry out, nor shout" but speak softly, kindly and tenderly to people. The Lord says, "A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench until he establishes justice on the Earth." A bruised reed represents the weak and depressed in spirit, the lowly and dejected. God's servant would deal with such people tenderly and not violently. A smoldering wick means a wick with a dying flame. So God's servant would not quench such a flame but protect it however feeble and dim it is. In other words, his servant is full of love and compassion. He is humble and gentle yet strong and resolved to bring justice to all nations despite their unworthiness, weaknesses and shortcomings.

After seven hundred years, all the prophecies of Isaiah concerning the Messiah and salvation began to be fulfilled in the person of Jesus. In today's gospel, Matthew testifies that the prophecy of Isaiah on the Messiah as the servant of God therefore refers to none but Jesus. Matthew recalls the words of Isaiah, "Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit", as Jesus is coming up from the water of the river Jordan after his baptism the Spirit of God descends upon him and a voice from the heavens says, "This is my Beloved Son with whom I am well pleased." These are the very same words which we read at the time of the Transfiguration of Jesus, shortly before his suffering on the cross. Both times the voice of God the Father acknowledges His Son with whom He is well pleased and confirms and approves of his mission on earth. So God is pleased with His Servant-Son Jesus' commitment to deliver His people from sin and as well as his readiness to accept the cross to fulfil his mission. God is pleased that His servant is not going to save the world by using any human means such as power, popularity and violence but with humility and gentleness instead.

Isaiah's other predictions in today's reading are also true of the life of Jesus. The Lord says, "I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, and to bring prisoners out from confinement; and from the dungeon those who live in darkness."

Friends, our Lord Jesus fulfills all the things prophesied about Him. From the four gospels we learn that Jesus teaches love, compassion, kindness and gentleness through stories, parables and his own life. He comforts the weak and the broken hearted. He cures the sick and forgives the guilty. He talks to sinners and warns them not to sin anymore. He cares for the poor and feeds the hungry. He quotes the scriptures and reminds people to observe faithfully the Law of God. He does not arouse the emotions of the people and cause trouble but uses the power of his Word to stir their hearts. He does not explode in anger but bears abuses and mockeries. He walks quietly to the cross. While on the cross he looks at them with compassion and pleads with God the Father for their forgiveness.

Friends, what is the message for us? God wants us to know the truth and believe in Him. The truth is that Jesus is God's Servant-Son sent as Light to the world to enlighten everyone, and all those who walk with him in love and humility and fellowship with him and with one another will definitely inherit hope, peace, joy, love and light. Friends, our faith in God is not mere blind faith but one that is based on reason and evidence. On the day of our baptism we have made our promises (if we have been baptized as infants our parents and Godparents would have made them for us) to God that we would continually seek the truth and believe in Him. However, we often fail in our promises. We may be one of the Christian believers who have not yet wholeheartedly and fully come to believe in the truth that we have received through Jesus Christ, the Servant-Son of God, the Father. Therefore, as we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord today let us to renew our own baptismal promises.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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