6th January, Saturday
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."
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
