Greetings!
This weekend’s feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the end of the Christmas Season and the beginning of His ministry. The Baptism of the Lord and Christmas are linked in this special way as a reminder to us of the reason for Christmas…the reason for His birth, namely, His death and Resurrection or Paschal Mystery. At the Jordan River, Jesus foreshadows Good Friday and Easter by asking His cousin John (the Baptist) to baptize him with water. By going under the water (an image of drowning and a connection with the Great Flood of the Old Testament) Jesus shows us that He is going to enter into death for us (Good Friday). When John lifts Jesus up out of the water, Jesus is showing us that He will destroy death and raise all of us up into the Kingdom of Heaven (Easter).
As we enter into the liturgical season of Ordinary Time, let us ask God to value in a deeper way the reality of His presence in our lives. Does it matter that He is here? Does it matter that He is with us in the Eucharist? Does it matter to us that He was born, that He died, and that He Rose for you and for me? Of course it matters…I am sure we would all respond “yes.” Perhaps a better question would be,
how much does He matter to me? Perhaps a simple comparison can help. I am sure many of us received Christmas gifts. Has the newness of the gift worn off yet? For “things” that is bound to happen. On Christmas, as at every Mass, we receive the gift of a person: Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. May the newness of
this gift
never wear off. As with any friendship, relationship, or marriage, it is so important that we are careful not to allow things to become stale, stagnate, rote, functionary, or even unappreciated. How do we keep things fresh with God? Visits to His House by participating in Mass, confession, reading the Word of God, personal conversations with the Lord, walking in His footsteps, putting on Christ in all of our endeavors.
Worship at Mass, prayer, and service (the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy) are our “meat and potatoes” as Catholics. I recommend planning your spiritual calendar for the month. Map out your weekend Mass schedule. Get a sense of ideal times for daily prayer (five minutes of prayer time with the Lord is so much better than none!). Pick a day each month for a good confession (nothing beats the peace of hitting that restart button that confession offers!). Recognize the many ways big or often small that our Lord invites you to “put Him on” or to “become Him” through service or discipleship. Beyond this, not out of necessity, but for purposes of enrichment, we have two programs currently that might be of interest to you, namely,
Walking With Purpose (a Bible study for women) and
Discovering Christ (a program that helps us make a deeper connection with our Lord, particularly if we have disconnected or drifted a bit when it comes to our faith and relationship with Jesus). Our bulletin and website has more information about these opportunities.
Lastly, we were very fortunate to have the Sisters of Life with us last October! Their life and ministry is such an inspiration and motivation. Taking their lead, perhaps each of us can reflect for a moment on our participation in the mission of promoting a culture of life. I am looking to connecting with people to reflect with me on how we as the community of St. Anthony of Padua can respond to that mission. It is a mission that involves education, witness, healing, compassion, mercy, and courage. Please reach out to me personally, through the parish office, or through the parish website if you have an interest in this. The annual
March for Life in Washington D.C. on Friday January 24
th is one opportunity to witness to life that is coming up very soon. A bus will be leaving at 5 am on that day for Washington D.C. from our parish with a stopover at Iona College where Mass will also be celebrated. You can sign-up through the parish office or through our parish website.
All the best this week! Know that you are kept in prayer.