“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” – Vince Lombardi
14 January 2013
13 January 2013
“When John Baptized In Jordan’s River”
As our Sunday celebration continues, I offer this version of “When John Baptized In Jordan’s River”:
The Baptism of the Lord
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The assigned readings are Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts 10:34-38; and Luke 3:15-18, 21-22. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 29 (Psalm 72:1-4, 9-10).
For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:
YouTube: The Lord Will Bless (Psalm 29) - Responsorial Psalm for the Baptism of Our Lord
The Gospel reading is as follows:
The people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Reflections on this feast day and on these readings:
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Sundays Salesian: Baptism of the Lord (January 13, 2013)
The Deacon’s Bench: Homily for January 13, 2013: Baptism of the Lord (12 JAN 13)
Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio: Baptism of the Son of God
The Quiet Corner: Authentic Christianity must affect daily life (10 JAN 13)
The Happy Priest: The Baptism of the Lord and our own Baptism (13 JAN 13)
Dr. Scott Hahn: The Anointing (January 13th 2013 - Feast of the Baptism of the Lord)
The New Theological Movement: Why were the heavens opened to Jesus at his baptism? (11 JAN 13)
Spirituality of the Readings: Staying With (The Baptism of the Lord C)
A Concord Pastor Comments: The Baptism of the Lord: Sunday, January 13 (9 JAN 13)
Dives in Misericordia: “The Mercy of God in the Mission of the Church” (13, continued)
Chapter 7 of “Dives in Misericordia” (“Rich in Mercy”) is entitled “The Mercy of God in the Mission of the Church.” It continues as follows:
“13. . . . It is precisely because sin exists in the world, which ‘God so loved...that he gave his only Son,’115 that God, who ‘is love,’116 cannot reveal Himself otherwise than as mercy. This corresponds not only to the most profound truth of that love which God is, but also to the whole interior truth of man and of the world which is man's temporary homeland.
“Mercy in itself, as a perfection of the infinite God, is also infinite. Also infinite therefore and inexhaustible is the Father's readiness to receive the prodigal children who return to His home. Infinite are the readiness and power of forgiveness which flow continually from the marvelous value of the sacrifice of the Son. No human sin can prevail over this power or even limit it. On the part of man only a lack of good will can limit it, a lack of readiness to be converted and to repent, in other words persistence in obstinacy, opposing grace and truth, especially in the face of the witness of the cross and resurrection of Christ.”
115. John 3:16.
116. 1 John 4:8.
To access the complete document, please visit:
Thank You, Lord
Thank you, Lord, for the many creative ways, whether they be spoken, written, or via use of other media, people use to tell stories.
Reaching Out to Young People with the Gospel Message
“At World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid, Spain, Pope Benedict XVI addressed more than a million young people who had traveled from countries across the globe to participate in the event. Referencing Christ’s command in Mark 16:15, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation,’ the Holy Father said, ‘You too have been given the extraordinary task of being disciples and missionaries of Christ in other lands and countries filled with young people who are looking for something greater and, because their heart tells them that more authentic values do exist, they do not let themselves be seduced by the empty promises of a lifestyle which has no room for God.’
“The decades after Vatican II saw many young people leave the active practice of the Faith, often to the distress of their parents. . . . Today, lay Catholic youth ministers are on the front lines, winning teens back to the Church. Their role is often to provide an initial outreach to teens, getting them excited about the Faith and steering them back to regular involvement in their local parishes. While battling cultural messages that are the antithesis of Catholic teaching can be a daunting challenge, youth ministers are reporting that progress is being made in winning back young people, one soul at a time.”
A recent special report, published in The Catholic World Report, reviewed a number of diocesan and national youth ministry outreach activities in the U.S., including how they are changing the hearts and minds of numbers of young people.
To access this special report, please visit:
The Catholic World Report: Challenging Young People to Live the Faith (8 JAN 13)
Reflection Starter from Fr. James Keller, M.M.
“Three hundred years ago a prisoner condemned to the Tower of London carved on the wall of his cell this sentiment to keep up his spirits during his long imprisonment: ‘It is not adversity that kills, but the impatience with which we bear adversity.’” – Father James Keller, M.M.
12 January 2013
Dives in Misericordia: “The Mercy of God in the Mission of the Church” (13, continued)
Chapter 7 of “Dives in Misericordia” (“Rich in Mercy”) is entitled “The Mercy of God in the Mission of the Church.” It continues as follows:
“13. . . . ‘He who has seen me has seen the Father.’113 The Church professes the mercy of God, the Church lives by it in her wide experience of faith and also in her teaching, constantly contemplating Christ, concentrating on Him, on His life and on His Gospel, on His cross and resurrection, on His whole mystery. Everything that forms the ‘vision’ of Christ in the Church's living faith and teaching brings us nearer to the ‘vision of the Father’ in the holiness of His mercy. The Church seems in a particular way to profess the mercy of God and to venerate it when she directs herself to the Heart of Christ. In fact, it is precisely this drawing close to Christ in the mystery of His Heart which enables us to dwell on this point – a point in a sense central and also most accessible on the human level – of the revelation of the merciful love of the Father, a revelation which constituted the central content of the messianic mission of the Son of Man.”
113. John 14:9.
To access the complete document, please visit:
Fr. Longenecker on Understanding Who Jesus Really Is
“I had this uncle – my Dad’s brother who everybody loved. Uncle Don was a terrific guy. He had a heart of gold. He was the sort of uncle who gave you a nickname and a big hug. He seemed to like everybody. He was a pastor for a while, but then dropped out because the religious people were such a pain. He spent the rest of his working life teaching kids with special needs. Uncle Don was kind, wise, loving and affirming. He passed away a few years ago, and he’s much missed.
“In teaching the eighth graders this morning I told them about Uncle Don and said the main problem with Christianity is that 90% of Christians–and this includes 90% of Catholics–believe that Jesus is no more than Uncle Don. They want what Fr Barron calls ‘the domesticated Jesus.’ They want a Jesus who tells stories, gathers the kiddies up into his lap and reaches out to touch and heal and forgive. They don’t want Aslan. They want a tame lion. They want Jesus to be like my Uncle Don.”
In a recent commentary, Father Dwight Longenecker (parish priest at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, Greenville, SC) reflected on the importance of understanding who Jesus really is.
To access Fr. Longenecker’s complete post, please visit:
Standing on My Head: Jesus and Uncle Don (11 JAN 13)
Background information:
Reflection Starter from Ronald E. Osborn
“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” – Ronald E. Osborn
11 January 2013
“The Holly and the Ivy”
As our Christmas celebration continues, I offer this version of Mediaeval Baebes singing “The Holly and the Ivy”:
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