First Sunday after Epiphany
BAPTISM OF JESUS
Acts, Chapter 10, verse 1-4
1 Now
in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Cohort called
the Italica, 2 devout and God-fearing along with his
whole household, who used to give alms generously to the Jewish people and pray to God constantly. 3 One afternoon about three o’clock, he saw plainly in a vision an angel
of God come in to him and say to him, “Cornelius.” 4 He looked intently at him and, seized with fear, said, “What is
it, sir?” He said to him, “Your prayers and almsgiving have ascended as a
memorial offering before God.
Cornelius’
Cohort was an auxiliary unit of archers, men who are expert at hitting a mark or
target.
Sin is the act of violating God's will. Sin
can also be viewed as anything that violates the ideal relationship between an
individual and God; or as any diversion from the ideal order for human living.
To sin has been defined as "to miss the mark" to have a hardened heart, a loss of love for God, a disposition of
the heart to depart from God because of inordinate self-love
Cornelius
walked with God because he lived the Shema Israel. Every day, every
action of his was metaphorically target practice aiming to love God as he
understood Him with his whole heart, mind, soul and strength. Cornelius
exemplifies the proper attitude toward wealth and was completely occupied with
good deeds and almsgiving.
Cornelius
was a non-Jew who would have been regarded as a righteous gentile and is
assured a place in the world to come if he knowingly or even unknowingly
followed the seven Noahide laws[1]
as traditionally enumerated which are:
1.
Do not deny God.
2.
Do not blaspheme God.
3.
Do not murder.
4.
Do not engage in
incestuous, adulterous or homosexual relationships.
5.
Do not steal.
6.
Do not eat of a
live animal.
7.
Establish
courts/legal system to ensure law and obedience.
Baptism of Jesus[2] A
closing celebration of Christ's initial manifestations to the world through His
life and early ministry, especially in His baptism by St. John.
"Seek the Lord while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near" (Is 55, 6).
These words from the second part of the
Book of Isaiah ring out on this Sunday that ends the Christmas season. They are
an invitation to go more deeply into the meaning for us of today's Feast, the
Baptism of the Lord. In spirit let us return to the banks of the Jordan where
John the Baptist administered a Baptism of repentance, exhorting to conversion.
Coming up to the Precursor is Jesus, and with his presence he transformed that
gesture of repentance into a solemn manifestation of his divinity. A voice
suddenly comes from heaven: "You are my beloved Son; in you I am
well pleased" (Mk 1, 11) and, in the form of a dove, the Spirit
descends upon Jesus. In that extraordinary event, John saw realized what had
been said about the Messiah born in Bethlehem, adored by the shepherds and the
Magi. He was the very One foretold by the prophets, the beloved Son of the
Father; we must seek him while he can be found and call upon him while he is at
hand. In Baptism every Christian personally meets him; he is inserted into the
mystery of Christ's death and resurrection and receives a new life, which is
the life of God. What a great gift and what a great responsibility!
Blessing of Water[3]
The commemoration of our Lord's Baptism in
the Jordan led to a number of impressive blessings concerning water. In Palestine, the river Jordan itself was blessed, with
throngs of the faithful immersing in it three times to obtain the blessing,
while in Egypt, the whole Christian population and its livestock would show up
for the blessing of the Nile and
do the same thing. In Byzantium,
Epiphany water was blessed in church and then distributed. Rome followed this custom, instituting
it on the Vigil of the feast. The formula for the blessing may be found in the
Roman ritual.
Renewal of Baptismal Vows
Dear brethren, through the Paschal Mystery
we have been buried with Christ in Baptism, that we may walk with him in
newness of life. And so, let us renew the promises of Holy Baptism, which we
once renounced Satan and his works and promised to serve God in the holy
Catholic Church.
And so, I ask you:
V. Do you renounce Satan?
R. I do.
R. I do.
V. And all his works?
R. I do.
R. I do.
V. And all his empty show?
R. I do.
R. I do.
Today we celebrate the baptism of Christ in the Jordan. This is the second epiphany, or manifestation, of the Lord. The past, the present, and the future are made manifest in this epiphany.
The most holy one placed Himself among us, the unclean and sinners. The Son of God freely humbled Himself at the hand of the Baptist. By His baptism in the Jordan, Christ manifests His humility and dedicates Himself to the redemption of man. He takes upon Himself the sins of the whole world and buries them in the waters of the Jordan. — The Light of the World by Benedict Baur, O.S.B.
- Day Twenty activity (Renewal of Baptismal
Vows)
- Day Twenty recipe (Christ's Diapers)
Novena
for Life: January 14-22 - Our nation seems to be at a
tipping point toward a Culture of Life, especially with this President. We need
to work and pray as best we can! This is the Novena encouraged by the USCCB,
and strongly promoted by the Knights of Columbus. This novena leads up to the
anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The United States Grace Force will
join forces and will be emailing (and posting on social media) to their troops
the daily prayers and reflections for this Novena for Life. Our Nation began in
1776 with the "Declaration of Independence," which declared "...
that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness." In 1973, a majority of Supreme Court Justices concluded
that since they and science could not then determine when LIFE began, they
would legalize abortion on demand, up to the time of natural birth, under the
premise of a woman's right of privacy. Since that ruling, more than 60 million
preborn babies have been legally murdered. We, as a Nation, have now turned
away from our Creator (God) and legally condone the murder of the preborn.
Since that 1973 ruling, we watched as our nation's Respect for LIFE slowly
degraded; many State Legislatures have legally condoned Physician Assisted
Suicides for the mentally impaired, terminally ill, physically handicapped and
the aged; many of our larger cities witness human trafficking and the senseless
murder of hundreds of innocent people every week - yet we remain silent. We
pray this NOVENA for God's grace to give us strength to speak out to our
neighbors, politicians and news organizations, and tell them that these forms
of Legalized Murder and assaults on human dignity are a violation of God's
natural law; and that, as a Nation, we must develop a change of heart,
prayerfully repent, and ultimately change these laws and the conscience of our
Citizens.
·
Hmm—reflecting
on the above…could this be an example of how modern America is not a righteous
Nation via metaphorically eating the flesh of a live animal?
Operation Super Blood Wolf is so
named because just as we are about to conclude this Novena for Life, we will be
treated to a Super Blood Wolf Moon (Jan. 20-21). Very simply understood, the
moon is called "Super" because it is closest to earth (so will appear
larger than usual), "Blood" because it has a reddish look as it is in
a lunar eclipse, and "Wolf" because it is the first full moon of the
calendar year. I believe God uses "signs in the sky" to get our
attention, as we see throughout the Bible. I'm not quite sure what God may be
doing with this particular sign, but having it occur so close to the
anniversary of Roe v. Wade, while we are blessed with the most pro-life
President ever, gives hope that something significant "may" occur
this year. We'll wait and see ... with great hope!
So, here's what you need
to do to prepare for "Operation Super Blood Wolf" that begins on
January 14:
NOTE: All
troops of the US Grace Force will be notified by email of FREE Epiphany Holy Water &
Salt, and two Green Scapulars (touched to a Relic of the True Cross). The first
email notification will occur in the week of January 13. You will be directed
to order HERE.
Also, I want to strongly
encourage everyone to sign-up to pre-order the all new United States Grace
Force Prayer Book. It should be available to send out in early February.
During
this New Year let us take up the nature of God by reflecting on these traits
that make us a model for our children and our sisters and brothers in Christ.
Today reflect on:
Truthfulness
vs. Deception
Earning future trust by accurately reporting past facts (Ephesians 4:25)
676 The Antichrist's
deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is
made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized
beyond history through the eschatological judgment. The Church has rejected
even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name
of millenarianism, especially the
"intrinsically perverse" political form of a secular messianism.
2486 Since it violates
the virtue of truthfulness, a lie does real violence to another. It affects his
ability to know, which is a condition of every judgment and decision. It
contains the seed of discord and all consequent evils. Lying is destructive of
society; it undermines trust among men and tears apart the fabric of social
relationships.
2505 Truth or
truthfulness is the virtue which consists in showing oneself true in deeds and
truthful in words, and guarding against duplicity, dissimulation, and
hypocrisy.
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
It has been well said that the soul and the body are two enemies
who can't get away from one another, and two friends who cannot get along.
Daily Devotions
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Laws_of_Noah#Ger_toshav_.28resident_alien.29
[2] HOMILY OF JOHN PAUL II, Sistine Chapel, Sunday, 12 January 2003
[4]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-01-13
[5]HolyLeague.com
[6]http://graceonlinelibrary.org/home-family/christian-parenting/49-godly-Tcharacter-qualities/
[7]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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