Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Lord’s Baptism. In today’s Gospel (Mk. 1, 7-11), we hear of John’s baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan, which he did in all humility, declaring to all, “I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of His sandals.” After Jesus was baptized, a voice from heaven said, “You are my beloved Son: With You I am well pleased.” What made John and Jesus pleasing to the Father? They were obedient and humble. So, too, must we be. What can revive our faith, and what can help us renew our baptismal promises? Obedience and humility. Pope Francis visits us this week with his message of mercy and compassion. If we are not obedient and humble, we cannot be true recipients or agents of mercy and compassion. May Pope Francis’ grace-filled presence in our midst this week remind us again of the most basic lesson in life: We are not gods, and neither should we play god. A text message sent to me said: “A good apology must start with admission, continue with contrition, and end with reparation.” If we want to become truly pleasing to the Father, we must go beyond lip service, and go to concrete service. The bottom line is that we must please God, not ourselves, or other people. Many of us spend our whole lifetime focused on our financial journey, fame and popularity journey, power journey, beauty journey, and what have you. Our Lord Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, His herald, and now Pope Francis, His vicar on earth, teach us that the most important journey is our journey to God’s heart. Indeed, what does it profit us if we can gain the whole world, and in the end lose our soul? What is your “wristwatch”? What is it that keeps distracting you from truly focusing on and serving God? It boils down to the 4Ps: pera (money), power, pride, and pleasures. And if we may add another “P”—politics. The evil one knows how to distract us. Let us be vigilant and prayerful, for only if we truly listen to God can we discover how selfish and how self-serving we all are.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 04:17:53 +0000
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