Deacon
Tom Writes,
Christ Among Us
Today’s celebration of The Baptism of the Lord marks
an end to this Christmas Season. I hope the peace and joy of the Christ Child
touched you and your loved over the course of this holy time of year. You will
notice that the white vestments that have signified these solemn days of
Christmas will give way to green indicating a return to “Ordinary Time” as the liturgical calendar rolls forward.
Last Sunday we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany
of Our Lord. This Feast’s importance is centered on the visit of the magi whose
presence before the newborn King of the Jews reveals God’s loving plan of
salvation for all the nations of the world. Yes, God who first befriended the
people of Israel now sends his Only Begotten Son into the world so each person
may experience the intimate presence of Emmanuel, the presence of Christ living
among us.
In today’s gospel text Jesus comes to John to be
baptized in the Jordan River, a second occasion where God is visibly living and
active in our human family. God’s voice from on high proclaims and affirms
Jesus His “Beloved Son” as the Holy
Spirit descends in bodily form. Yes, today we experience the fullness of
Trinitarian love fully present in the completely human person of Jesus.
The Baptism of Jesus reveals the mystery of the
presence of God in all of our lives. God comes to us when we are baptized just
as he came to Jesus, filling us with his Spirit and claiming us as his own. We
too become his “beloved”. We are invited to deepen our awareness of the calling
we have received in our own baptism and, as our journey of faith continues, to
pass the fire burning within us to all those who come into our lives.
Our relationship with God is much like our
relationship with others in our lives. Just as it would be virtually impossible
to have a healthy and meaningful relationship in this life with someone we
claim to love but then constantly ignore, so to with God. To be his “beloved”
is to be in an intimate and trusting relationship with him, a union of trust
and faithfulness that is mutually nourishing, beneficial, health, and
supportive, and yes, even full of surprises!
As we ease back into Ordinary Time, let us remember
that we are God’s “beloved”. Let this simple thought become our mindset in
these next few days so that we seek take advantage of every opportunity to act as
God’s beloved and continue to grow in his love, deepen our relationship with him,
and to share the abundance of his love with everyone whose lives touch ours.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
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