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Feast of Baptism of the Lord, First Reading: Extracted from the Prophet Isaiah 55:1-11 Thus says the Lord: Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty; though you have no money, come! Buy corn without money, and eat, and, at no cost, wine and milk. Why spend money on what is not bread, your wages on what fails to satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and you will have good things to eat and rich food to enjoy. Pay attention, come to me; listen, and your soul will live. With you I will make an everlasting covenant out of the favours promised to David. See, I have made of you a witness to the peoples, a leader and a master of the nations. See, you will summon a nation you never knew, those unknown will come hurrying to you, for the sake of the Lord your God, of the Holy One of Israel who will glorify you. Seek the Lord while he is still to be found, call to him while he is still near. Let the wicked man abandon his way, the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn back to the Lord who will take pity on him, to our God who is rich in forgiving; for my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways not your ways – it is the Lord who speaks. Yes, the heavens are as high above earth as my ways are above your ways, my thoughts above your thoughts. Yes, as the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do. |
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Feast of Baptism of the Lord, Responsorial Canticle: Extracted from the Prophet Isaiah 12: 2-6 The rejoicing of a redeemed people Response: With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Truly, God is my salvation, I trust, I shall not fear. For the Lord is my strength, my song, he became my saviour. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
Give thanks to the Lord, give praise to his name! Make his mighty deeds known to the peoples! Declare the greatness of his name.
Sing a psalm to the Lord for he has done glorious deeds; make them known to all the earth! People of Zion, sing and shout for joy, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. |
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See the Promised Blessings: Deuteronomy 28: 1-14 (Encouragements-12) and Leviticus 26: 3-13 (Encouragements-81). |
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Feast of Baptism of the Lord, Second Reading: Extracted from the first letter of Saint John 1 John 5:1-9 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten by God; and whoever loves the Father that begot him loves the child whom he begets. We can be sure that we love God’s children if we love God himself and do what he has commanded us; this is what loving God is – keeping his commandments; and his commandments are not difficult, because anyone who has been begotten by God has already overcome the world; this is the victory over the world – our faith. Who can overcome the world? Only the man who believes that Jesus is the Son of God: Jesus Christ who came by water and blood, not with water only, but with water and blood; with the Spirit as another witness – since the Spirit is the truth – so that there are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water and the blood, and all three of them agree. We accept the testimony of human witnesses, but God’s testimony is much greater, and this is God’s testimony, given as evidence for his Son.
Gospel Acclamation cf. John 1:29 Alleluia, alleluia! John saw Jesus coming towards him, and said: This is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Alleluia! |
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Feast of Baptism of the Lord, Gospel Reading: Extracted from the holy Gospel according to Mark 1:7-11 In the course of his preaching John the Baptist said, ‘Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’ It was at this time that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised in the Jordan by John. No sooner had he come up out of the water than he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit, like a dove, descending on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.’
Sharing: It was the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on 11 January 2015.
The Readings that were read in the Eucharistic Celebrations all over the world on the same day are shown above unless otherwise stated:
1st Reading: Isaiah 55:1-11 or Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7 (Encouragements-354), Responsorial: Isaiah 12: 2-6 or Psalm 28:1-4, 9-10 (Encouragements-354), 2nd Reading: 1 John 5:1-9 or Acts 10:34-38 (Encouragements-354) & Gospel Reading: Mark 1:7-11.
We have extracted the Homilies of Blessed Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI & Pope Francis I based on the aforesaid Readings to share with you, so that you could similarly be encouraged:
EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION ON THE FEAST OF BAPTISM OF LORD HOMILY OF POPE JOHN PAUL II Sunday, 12 January 1997
1. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
Today the Church is celebrating the feast of the Baptism of Christ, and this year too I have the joy of administering the sacrament of Baptism to several new-born babies: 10 girls and nine boys, 14 of whom are Italian, two Polish, one Spanish, one Mexican and one Indian. Welcome, dear parents, who have come here with your little ones. I also greet the godparents, as well as all of you who are present.
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15 February 2015 |