We are Moving Quickly

Each year, the early life of Jesus is covered very quickly in our liturgical cycle. He was born on Christmas, a little over two weeks ago, acknowledged as a member of the Holy Family two weekends ago, visited by Magi last weekend, and now baptized as an adult this weekend. The reason for the rapid series of events is the lack of information about the life of Jesus from his birth to the beginning of his public ministry, believed to be around the time he was thirty years of age.

The only scriptural reference of his life following the immigration adventure of the Holy Family, leading them to settle in Nazareth in Galilee, and his appearance to be baptized by John, is the event when he was twelve, where he remained in the Temple with the learned adult faith leaders. His parents, Mary and Joseph, found him, but not before he impressed learned adults with knowledge beyond his years.

I strongly encourage you to spend some time in reflection and prayer with the collection of statues in our narthex depicting Mary and Joseph with a figure of Jesus who is probably thirteen to fifteen years of age. This statue not only depicts a moment in the Holy Family’s life but is a statement of the level of value that we put on our teenage parishioners and their many contributions to our community and beyond.

This weekend, just a little over three weeks since Christmas, we hear of Jesus’ baptism according to Matthew. Our first reading at Mass is from the 42nd chapter of Isaiah. The great prophet extols the servant who is coming. The beginning of the passage leads us to wonder weather this is a prediction of John the Baptist or Jesus or both but the statements about him, “…not crying out, not shouting…” confirms that it is Jesus of whom the prophet is extolling, the one who, “…establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for His teaching.”

The second reading from chapter 10 of The Acts of the Apostles gives us a unique description of the impact of John the Baptist, telling us of “…the baptism that John preached.” I really like that statement because it urges us to see that John brought his words and his actions together.  He ritualized true contrition, and he preached a message that reached people who perhaps were never baptized through his preaching; a message that included, “…how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power… for God was with Him.”

I really appreciate the story of Jesus’ baptism according to Matthew because it underscores the fact that Jesus immersed himself fully into the river of human life, thus showing that he was truly one of us. His immersion into human life is an immersion fully into your life and mine more completely, sealing His human nature. By being baptized into a small, dirty river, he was being immersed into the good, bad, ugly, beautiful, dirty and life-giving flow of all human nature.

This event is sealed with the presence of a dove symbolizing peace and the very voice of God giving affirmation in a dramatic fashion.

As we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, let’s all allow ourselves to let Jesus immerse himself in the entire flowing river of our lives.

Puerto Rico

We will once again be partnering with Catholic Extension Society for this year’s Lenten Social Justice Project by assisting several parishes and Catholic agencies in Puerto Rico. Following hurricane Maria in 2017 and an earthquake in 2020, hundreds of Catholic churches and schools on the island were left severely damaged.  In response, Catholic Extension Society helped communities in dioceses across the island by restoring sacred spaces along with some FEMA funding and the Puerto Rico Recovery Project. This initiative is expected to create 7,000 direct and indirect jobs, offering hope on an island where more than 40% of people live below the poverty level. 

Our support will add to efforts of renewal, both physically and spiritually, because rebuilt churches and other structures will be stronger in the face of future challenges from Mother Nature.

Puerto Rico is where Christianity first took root in the Americas and remains home to more than two million Catholics across six dioceses. For more than a century, Catholic Extension has stood in solidarity with the Church across the island.

Sue Geegan, our Director of Human Concerns, and I will be visiting several communities in need of our assistance at the end of January. As we have done in previous years, that visit will enable us to bring back to you details of a story of need that we will share with all of you throughout Lent. Our visit will be the foundation of conveying to all of you the great need for restoration and hope for several communities, many of which have been devastated or even completely destroyed in several natural disasters recently.

Many more details will follow.