Exploring the depth of our prayers
We just jumped ahead thirty years in a single week. We’re now celebrating Jesus’ baptism, which happened at the beginning of His ministry.
Continue reading “The Baptism of the Lord”After all the people had been baptized
Luke 3: 21-22
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.”
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” — Luke 3:16
We have a colloquial phrase in American English: “baptism by fire.” I have no doubt that it’s based on exactly this biblical passage, although with a slightly different meaning.
Do I actually want to be baptized by fire?
Today is the culmination of our Church Year, the feast of Christ the King.
It doesn’t seem that we relate much to monarchy in this country, so the concept of “King” seems distant, even quaint. It’s more like putting our Lord up on a pedestal of glory and honor.
Which is fine, I suppose, but it doesn’t really grab me. It might even cause me to distance myself from Christ.
God is love.
And, as we read today, the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love others.
Sure, we would all like to be in a world where everyone’s all loving each other: supportive, generous, sharing. So if that’s what we all want, why is it that we haven’t created a world like that?
We’re thinking about prophecy and proclamation today, especially in the first reading and the Gospel.
Christian churches seem to have a split personality in this regard. Either we’re reserved and humble, or over-the-top Evangelical. I find that Catholics trend toward the former. Which is in my comfort zone as an introvert.
But there are things that I’m very passionate about, where I’m constantly thinking and talking about it.
Why do I struggle with doing this in my faith?
How wonderful that Pope Saint John Paul II introduced the Luminous Mysteries to our Rosary in 2002! Of course, on Corpus Christi Sunday, it’s so appropriate to focus on the institution of the source and summit of our faith.
That all sounds well and good, but some Christians might find it strange that we seem to maybe be putting the Eucharist ahead of Jesus Himself.
But that’s not what we’re doing at all.
For thousands of years people have asked the question: Why did Jesus need to get baptized?
You may have heard an array of answers: