6th January
1 John 5:5-13 / Mark 1:6-11
Jesus is baptized; "You are my beloved Son."
These three images point to the three persons of the Holy
Trinity: the Son, standing in the water, the Spirit, symbolized by the dove,
and the Father, symbolized by the voice.
The trinitarian theme of Jesus' baptism is present at every
baptism. The officiating person at the baptism pours water on (or submerges)
the person to be baptized three times, saying, "I baptize you in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
***
Do we feel more comfortable praying to the Father? To the
Son? To the Holy Spirit? To all three at once? "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
Gospel gives us Mark’s account of the baptism of Jesus. We look at it in the
spirit of the Christmas season. On Christmas, he manifested himself as a child,
God as human in his weakness, through he was the Son of God. At the Epiphany,
he manifested himself to the Gentiles as the Savior of all of humankind. Today,
he manifests himself as the Son intensely loved by the Father, with the Spirit
resting on him and guiding him. This scene is the inaugural vision of his
public life. Now, he can begin his mission. For us, too, it is a reminder that
in Jesus, we become God’s beloved sons and daughters, and in our baptism began
our mission as Christians.
***
Christmas is celebrated in many countries as a public
holiday. Even in countries where it is not a public holiday, it is seen as a
Christian religious festival. Regardless of how it is celebrated or how it is
acknowledged, the religious aspect of Christmas is always there. The
"reason for the season" is often embellished with commercial
overtones and secular festivities like parties, such that Christmas can be even
devoid of any religious meaning. But for us Christians, the reason for the
season and the spiritual meaning of Christmas is such a profound and
overwhelming truth that is often beyond our comprehension.
The truth is that God became man and took on our humanity
and yet He remained divine. Even to understand Jesus as human and divine can be
mind-boggling.
What is beyond the grasp of our understanding is that
supreme divinity can allow itself to be lowered to the level of weak and sinful
humanity. For the Creator to become like a creature is almost like saying that
we want to become like the pets that we love so much. But that is the truth of
God's love for us. God loves us so much that He sent His only Son Jesus to save
us and to show His love for us. That is the truth and the meaning of Christmas.
May we always be aware of this truth and meaning so that Christmas can truly be
celebrated as Christmas.
***
Prayer
God, our
Father, with your whole people reborn in baptism we give you thanks and praise that
in Jesus each of us has become your beloved son or daughter. Fill us with the
fire of the Holy Spirit who guided Jesus in life and death. Let this Spirit set
us free for our mission to serve you and one another with unselfish, grateful
love. We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
***
Andre Bessette was born on August 9 1845 in
Mont-Saint-Gregorie, Quebec as Alfred Bessette as the eighth child in a family
of twelve children. As an infant he was so frail he was baptized conditionally
as an emergency ritual. His father, Isaac Bessette, lived as a carpenter and a
lumberman and his mother, Clothilde Foisy Bessette played the role in educating
the children of the family. Unfortunately for Alfred, his father passed away in
a logging accident when he was nine and was orphaned when her mother passed
away three years later of tuberculosis.
Alfred then was put under the care of Timothee ans Rosalie
Nadeau of Saint Cesaire, Quebec and whilst living with his new family, he was
instructed in catechism by one Reverent Andre Provencal. It was due to this
that he developed great devotion to the passion of Christ and Saint Joseph and received confirmation from Bishop Jean Charles
Prince.
It was after he was sent to school when he was 14, that it
was discovered that Alfred had difficulties in reading and writing. and due to
this, he was trained as a laborer as it was seen fit by his caregivers that it
was no use educating an orphan. He was then taken in by Louis Ouimet, the then-mayor of Saint Cesaire. During his stay with the Ouimet family it was realized
that he also had difficulties in keeping a steady job for himself due to his
weak health and so he moved around a lot having short-lived professions till he
moved back to his home town in 1867.
In the year 1872, Archbishop Ignace Bourget of Montreal,
intervened on his behalf so that he may be accepted to the congregation of the
Holy Cross in Montreal after he was rejected for his weak demeanor and health
problems. Reverent Andre Provencal, after seeing his devotion and generosity,
had earlier presented the congregation witha note saying,”I am sending you a
saint.”
He was admitted to the congregation and took the name,
Brother Andre for which he was known for the rest of his life and made his
final vows on February 2 1874, when he was 28.
He worked as a porter at the college Notre-Dame in Quebec. He
was known to have had great confidence in Saint Joseph, and he recommended the
saint’s devotion to everyone that came to him with afflictions. He also used to
anoint the people he visited, with oil and many claimed that they had been heal
after the act and praised him but he would always reply that it was the power
and intervention of the saint.
During a pandemic, he volunteered as a nurse and not a
single soul perished. The sick would often flood the doors of the college to the
point it causes a stir with the superiors and so he was instructed to receive
them in a nearby tramway station.
Let us pray. “Lord our God, friend of the lowly,
who gave your servant, Saint André Bessette, a great devotion to Saint Joseph
and a special commitment to the poor and afflicted, help us through his
intercession to follow his example of prayer and love and so come to share with
him in your glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and
ever. Amen.”
