(When Epiphany is celebrated on January
6th: The Epiphany of the Lord)
Optional Memorial for Saint André Bessette (United
States)
Alternate Readings for the
memorial may be taken from the Common of Holy Men and Women
 |
| “Baptism of Christ” by Guido Reni, c. 1623 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: 1
John 5:5-13
Beloved:
Who indeed is the victor over
the world
but the one who believes that
Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came
through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by
water and Blood.
The Spirit is the one who
testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three that
testify,
the Spirit, the water, and
the Blood,
and the three are of one
accord.
If we accept human testimony,
the testimony of God is
surely greater.
Now the testimony of God is
this,
that he has testified on
behalf of his Son.
Whoever believes in the Son
of God
has this testimony within
himself.
Whoever does not believe God
has made him a liar
by not believing the
testimony God has given about his Son.
And this is the testimony:
God gave us eternal life,
and this life is in his Son.
Whoever possesses the Son has
life;
whoever does not possess the
Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you
so that you may know
that you have eternal life,
you who believe in the name
of the Son of God.
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Commentary on 1 Jn 5:5-13
St. John’s first letter provides
a unique understanding of Jesus' baptism and baptismal theology in general. His
reference to “Water” is a reference to the Lord’s Baptism. The “Spirit” is a
reference to the Holy Spirit descending upon the Lord as he came out of his
baptismal bath. Finally he refers to Blood which is a symbol of the Cross. In
that event also was God’s own testimony about the identity of his Only Son (Matthew 3:16-17). St.
John’s logic in this passage teaches that if one does not believe in Jesus as
the Son of God, they call God a liar because he testified to the identity of
His Son.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
R. (12a) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the
bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children
within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or
R. Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your
borders;
with the best of wheat he
fills you.
He sends forth his command to
the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or
R. Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to
Jacob,
his statutes and his
ordinances to Israel
He has not done thus for any
other nation;
his ordinances he has not
made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
Psalm
147 is a hymn of praise. In these strophes the singer celebrates God’s gifts to
his people, the gift of faith to the patriarch Jacob, and the gift of His
presence in the holy city Jerusalem. These strophes are from the third section
(each section offering praise for a different gift from God to his special
people). This section focuses on the gift of the Promised Land with Jerusalem
as its spiritual center. We see the call to praise Jerusalem, the Holy City,
because in it was revealed the Word of God and a call to holiness. The Lord is
praised for sending food that sustains the people. The final strophe also
rejoices that the Law was handed on to them through Jacob.
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Gospel:
First Option: Mark
1:7-11
This is what John the Baptist
proclaimed:
"One mightier than I is
coming after me.
I am not worthy to stoop and
loosen the thongs of his sandals.
I have baptized you with
water,
he will baptize you with the
Holy Spirit."
It happened in those days
that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
and was baptized in the Jordan
On coming up out of the water
he saw the heavens being torn open
and the Spirit, like a dove,
descending upon him.
And a voice came from the
heavens,
"You are my beloved Son;
with you I am well pleased."
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Commentary on Mk 1:7-11
The passage begins with St. John
the Baptist, announcing the coming of the Messiah who will transform the
people, not simply through repentance, but by placing a new spirit within them
(cf. Ezekiel 36:24-28).
St. Mark goes on to briefly
describe the baptism event: “He saw the heavens . . . and the Spirit . . .
upon him," indicating divine intervention in fulfillment of
promise. Here the descent of the Spirit on Jesus is meant as an anointing for
his ministry; cf Isaiah 11:2; 42:1; 61:1; 63:9. A voice . . . with you I am
well pleased: God's acknowledgment of Jesus as his unique Son, the object of
his love. His approval of Jesus is the assurance that Jesus will fulfill his
messianic mission of salvation.”[4]
CCC: Mk 1:11 151, 422
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OR Second Option
Long Form
When Jesus began his ministry
he was about thirty years of age.
He was the son, as was
thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli,
the son of Matthat, the son
of Levi, the son of Melchi,
the son of Jannai, the son of
Joseph, the son of Mattathias,
the son of Amos, the son of
Nahum, the son of Esli,
the son of Naggai, the son of
Maath, the son of Mattathias,
the son of Semein, the son of
Josech, the son of Joda,
the son of Joanan, the son of
Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel,
the son of Shealtiel, the son
of Neri, the son of Melchi,
the son of Addi, the son of
Cosam, the son of Elmadam,
the son of Er, the son of
Joshua, the son of Eliezer,
the son of Jorim, the son of
Matthat, the son of Levi,
the son of Simeon, the son of
Judah, the son of Joseph,
the son of Jonam, the son of
Eliakim, the son of Melea,
the son of Menna, the son of
Mattatha, the son of Nathan,
the son of David, the son of
Jesse, the son of Obed,
the son of Boaz, the son of
Sala, the son of Nahshon,
the son of Amminadab, the son
of Admin, the son of Ami,
the son of Hezron, the son of
Perez, the son of Judah
the son of Jacob, the son of
Isaac, the son of Abraham,
the son of Terah, the son of
Nahor, the son of Serug,
the son of Reu, the son of
Peleg, the son of Eber,
the son of Shelah, the son of
Cainan, the son of Arphaxad,
the son of Shem, the son of
Noah, the son of Lamech,
the son of Methuselah, the
son of Enoch, the son of Jared,
the son of Mahalaleel, the
son of Cainan, the son of Enos,
the son of Seth, the son of
Adam, the son of God.
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Commentary on Lk 3:23-38
The genealogy of
Jesus in St. Luke’s Gospel differs from the account in St. Matthew
significantly. “Whereas Matthew
1:2 begins
the genealogy of Jesus with Abraham to emphasize Jesus' bonds with the people
of Israel, Luke's universalism leads him to trace the descent of Jesus beyond
Israel to Adam and beyond that to God (Luke
3:38) to stress again
Jesus' divine sonship.”[5]
CCC: Lk 3:23 535
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OR Short Form
When Jesus began his ministry
he was about thirty years of age.
He was the son, as was
thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli,
the son of Melea, the son of
Menna, the son of Mattatha,
the son of Nathan, the son of
David, the son of Jesse,
the son of Obed, the son of
Boaz, the son of Sala,
the son of Nahshon, the son
of Amminadab, the son of Admin,
the son of Ami, the son of
Hezron, the son of Perez,
the son of Judah, the son of
Jacob, the son of Isaac,
the son of Abraham, the son
of Terah, the son of Nahor,
the son of Cainan, the son of
Arphaxad, the son of Shem,
the son of Noah, the son of
Lamech, the son of Enos,
the son of Seth, the son of
Adam, the son of God.
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Commentary on Lk 3:23, 31-34, 36, 38
In the shorter
form of the genealogy of Jesus a number of generations are omitted. Included
are the significant touch points in Hebrew history linking Jesus with Abraham,
Jacob, Isaac, and Noah. Like the Longer form, the list concludes with Adam.
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Reflection:
As we still bask in the glow
of our Christmas celebration, sacred scripture gives us a fast-forward through
the early years of the Savior only days ago found in a manger. St. Mark’s Gospel relates the story of Jesus’
baptism in the Jordan. In a sense it is
like many families today, we are in such a hurry to prepare for the future, we
jump right past the innocence of childhood, rushing to change the world.
In the grand scheme of God’s
plan, the Lord’s early childhood was fairly obscure. We know the Holy Family was forced to flee to
Egypt for a time. We have also heard
that Sts. Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple to fulfill their Hebrew
obligations. We were told about Simeon
and Anna’s predictions when Jesus was presented. We know that, when the Holy Family returned
from their exile, they made at least one pilgrimage to the Temple when Jesus
was still a young man. We heard how he
was left behind and caused his parents great anguish until they found him in “His
Father’s House.”
The time before Jesus’
baptism, for the most part, is a blank parchment which many people, even some
very holy people, have speculated about.
In the end, we find Jesus at the Jordan with St. John the Baptist, his
kinsman. We find him ready, prepared
mentally and physically, to take up his mission. We may only infer from this that Mother Mary
and her husband, St. Joseph, had done their job as good parents. The Lord’s brief walk in public life attests
to this.
We are told he is True God and
True Man. This would indicate that St.
Mary and St. Joseph had parental influence over the Lord. His divine nature would certainly have molded
his character; however, his parents, one biological and the other foster, must
have had more than a care-taker role.
Their free will could have caused mistakes. Yet here is Jesus, ready to take away the
sins of the world as the perfect sacrifice his Heavenly Father had
intended. St. John knows he is washing a
clean vessel. There is nothing but
symbolism in the Lord’s bath in the Jordan.
It is the Father’s way of revealing His Only Begotten Son for the second
time (the first was in that manger in Bethlehem).
As we recall all of the
events that have led up to this moment, we must look at our own
preparation. Are we ready to do what God
asks of us? Can we accept the challenge,
the challenge accepted by St. Mary, St.
Joseph, and even Jesus himself? Can we
walk into the world as his adopted children, proclaiming the Lord’s Kingdom
with our words and deeds? Are we ready
to be the Epiphany? We are now given a
chance to make one last resolution in this new year, may we be what God calls
us to be.
Pax
[1]
The picture is “Baptism of Christ” by Guido Reni, c. 1623
[2]
S.S.Commemoratio
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
See NAB footnote on Mark 1:10-11
[5]
See NAB footnote on Luke 3:23-38
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