FIFTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR - B

FIFTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR – B:
(Job 7:1-4, 6-7; 1Cor 9:16-19, 22-23; Mark 1:19-39)
Theme: We are the walking Gospel: Let us spread the perfume of the good word and deed

Reflection

- In this fifth Sunday of the ordinary time of the Liturgical year, the church encourages to be and to live what we are truly. We are called to be the ‘Mobile Good News’ of God’s word and deed. This is what we are and our call and vocation lies in this. We have to remember always this truth of our identity and live it.
- After reflecting on our Christian dignity of being ‘the consecrated possession’ of God which we have done last Sunday, today we are called to recall our true selves of being for God ‘a vehicle of his love’. We are possessed not by the evil spirit but by the Spirit of God. In the miracle of last Sunday Jesus has driven out the evil spirit from the man (Mk 1:21-28). Possession is making something one’s own. Man was possessed by the evil spirit. Not that just an evil spirit entered into a man but it has made him his own and his own property. Jesus has come to throw out and pull out this spirit which has made man his property. He has just done that. He has called out from him the evil spirit that has pitched his tent in him and that has placed his throne in him. Once man is freed from the clutches of this evil spirit he immediately becomes God’s property and God’s possession because man is originally made/created in the ‘image and likeness’ of God (Gen 1:26) and thus becoming ‘His own’. Jesus has come to restore us this ‘image and likeness’ of God by which we will be again His possession. Once Jesus has started his mission of saving the men from the bondages of the evil, from then on has started also the time of our sanctification by the ‘indwelling of the Holy Spirit’ which will destroy the evil within us and make us the ‘possession of God’.
- With this Christian identity we are given also the mission of being God’s instrument of the gospel. We are the moving gospel. We are the mobile good news. We are the vehicle of God’s love in the world. We are called to keep ourselves always on the move. We are not to sit and take rest in the world. As Christians we are always on the march towards spreading the perfume of God’s goodness and love. The church by giving us the model of St. Paul in the second letter and by offering us ‘Jesus at word and work’ in the Gospel, gives us also the Christian responsibility of being their followers. We have to be always available for the people like Jesus and we are asked to makes ourselves ‘all for all’ like Paul. It is the consequence of the faith. Faith thus becomes not only a moment of expression by the word but a moment of ‘living and doing’ the Gospel. In a word, we are called to be ‘the walking Gospel’.

First reading:
God himself has to reveal the mystery of the innocent suffering which cannot be fully and perfectly comprehended by the human and logical mind:

- The book of Job is part of the ‘wisdom literature’ of the Bible. Thus its principle interest, like any other wisdom books, is to make man open to the reality with the knowledge and reason and above all to make him ‘humble and obedient’ to God’s will and work when he finds himself helpless and incapable of understanding the reality.
- Job is not the author of the book; but the sacred author, who writes this book in the period of the deportation of Israel to the slaver of Babylonia, wants to recall to the people the dramatic situation of suffering and slavery; he wants to present both God and his people as innocent of what is happening;
- The author of the book speaks about a man (here we find his name as Job) who is faithful and pious before God; he is perfect in his faith; he has not sinned and has not given even a single possibility for falling into sin.
- Still, there is a power of evil which has taken troubled and tempted him by removing from him his property and by killing his sons and daughter and finally by making him attacked by the horrible disease. This is the condition of Job and he finds himself helpless and incapable. The only instrument is his unwavering hope and firm faith in God.
- This book is the book that reveals to the ultimate manner the mystery of God, man and evil. There is God who desires that every man to be good. There is a man who embraces God and refuses Evil. And there is also an Evil who wants to destroy man by tempting him. As a consequence of this evil there is also a suffering and pain to the believer which we often call: innocent suffering.
- Job has lost everything though he has not done any fault. His friends come to him and suggest him to see whether he has committed any sin against God. Job who knows his innocence affirms that he has not done anything wrong in the sight of God. But there seems to be the prevalent the pain and suffering: both psychological by the loss of all his kith and kin and his possessions and physical by the loss of health and bodily form. In spite of such a great suffering Job does not lose the faith; in fact at certain point expresses his ‘commitment to God’s will’ by saying: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (1:20). The book reveals us that “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing” (1:21). Such was the great faith of Job.
- Job, through this obscure way of pain and suffering, becomes the model for the believer who loves the true God in himself and for himself, without further motivations. His words refuse the thinking of his friends and their old formula: that he who suffers has to be necessarily a sinner and only the sinner suffers. But Job does not want to perceive God in this basis of human thought and logic: for him God reveals himself in his actions. In this way Job leaves, both good and bad, innocence and suffering, to God who alone knows everything even if the human mind cannot comprehend it.
- Let us be silent and obedient even if we don’t understand what is not within our hands and limits: we have to silently accept what is happening to us without our own doing and without blaming anybody let us confront it because it is God who knows it and allows it for the ‘great reward’ that follows it. It is what Job has done. When he is not able to understand why he has to suffer for what he has not done, he leaves everything to God with silence and faith, rather than blaming himself or somebody else or accusing God. The attitude of Job will help us to understand that we are humans and some things are not in our hands and still we have to accept them ‘as the stepping stones’ to become perfect believers in God. We have an answer for an ever ending question: why the innocent suffer. Job gives an answer. God himself gives an answer in His Son Jesus Christ on the cross. God has left his own son to suffer and die for the fault he has not committed. Why? We do not grasp everything of what God does and what he plans to do. We are only finite people and thus we have to be quite and calm and above all, we have to be confident and trusting in God who reveals himself to us ‘in the suffering of his innocent son’.

Second Reading
Becoming ‘everything for everyone’:

- Paul finds out that he is entrusted with the Gospel and it is the fruit of the gospel that a missionary is always on the move proclaiming it. he acknowledges that it is not he who has initiated it but it is the in charge/responsibility given by the Christian call: those who accept the call of Christ has to proclaim the Gospel and it becomes a thing ‘must of a missionary of Christ’.
- No one is obliged by anybody and anything. Each one is free and absolute in his doing. But a Christian on the other hand has to be ‘at the service of others’ and has to become ‘servant’ for others (v. 19: “I made myself servant of all in order to gain good number”), by ‘denouncing his personal freedom and interest’ (v.19: “though I am free from all”). This is the consequence of the ‘acceptance of the Gospel, Jesus Christ, who has become servant in order to make us the liberated children of God. At the end Paul exclaims that all that he does is for the ‘Good News’ and for becoming ‘participant’ of it.

Gospel
Jesus is ever available for all and for always

- Jesus is the Messiah who save - the intention of the Evangelist Mark:
o Jesus is the Messiah who is, at the same time, both a preacher of the word and the performer of the good deeds. Mark presents Jesus who has come to save the people from the ‘malice of the mind’ by his proclamation of good news of the kingdom of God and from the ‘illness of the body’ by his miracles and wonder-works. This is the reason Mark presents Jesus immediately on the task without wasting time or giving many references of his childhood like Mathew and Luke.
o His Jesus is the ‘Word’ and Son of God who preaches and heals and thus both ‘word’ and ‘work’ go hand in hand; we have just seen in the last week’s gospel passage that Jesus, after preaching in the synagogue, immediately drives out the demon out of a man and thus putting the proclamation in the performance.
o Even today’s Gospel shows that Jesus was preaching and healing all the day long.
- Jesus always sets out for a mission: of being with and for the people – being available for all and for always:
o In the Gospel passage we see three moments of Jesus in his mission:
 Healing of the mother-in-law of Simon
 Other healing after the setting of the sun
 Jesus leaves the house to pray
o Let us mediate few important words and enter into the deeper reflection of it so that we can the great significance of Jesus’ word and action:
 V. 31: “took her by the hand and lifted her up”: the root word of this is ‘sollevare’ in Greek which means ‘to raise up’ which indicates also the resurrection. The authors of the New Testament have made use of this word passing from its ordinary meaning of ‘healing’ the mother-in-law of Simon to it ultimate and final significance of ‘being raised’ at the end of life/or time. We can also refer to John 2:19-22 and Ephesians 5:14. Mark in the whole of his gospel uses this verb to suggest the salvific action of Jesus who raises up all those who trust in him and all those who are presented to him by the Christian community.
 V.32: “That evening, at sundown”: the evening of the day, specially the time after the sunset is the indication of the ‘start of the new day’ for the Hebrews. Jesus has entered into the synagogue on Sabbath and the daylong he was preaching and healing (in the temple and in the Simon’s house) and now the evening (which is actually the beginning of the following day) all those who are sick and possessed by the evil spirits have been brought to him and Jesus healed all of them. We understand two important elements here:
• First one: is that Jesus gives link between the day that is just past and the day that is just begun. He connects the past of yesterday and the future of tomorrow in his person and in his presence. He becomes the Lord of the past and the future who always is (present). He has no difference between the days that have been passed and the days that are yet to begin. He becomes the Lord of the time and history.
• Second one: is that the evening, after the sunset, the Sabbath has passed and the ‘day of the Lord’ has begun; for the first Christian community the day after the Sabbath is the ‘Day of the Lord’ and the ‘Day of the Resurrection’ and in one word, ‘the Day of Life’. Jesus by healing all those who are brought to him that evening, which is the day of the resurrection, gives us the message that ‘he has come to give life and life in abundance’ to all who gather around him. He heals the sick and restores them the good life. He throws out the throne of evil from the ‘possessed ones’ and raises them up from the ‘pit of the demons’ and brings them to life of the Spirit.
 V.34: “he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him”: Even the demons recognize and proclaim the identity of Jesus as the Son of God. This we have already seen in the last Sunday (Mk 1:24 – “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God”). Mark maintains always this ‘messianic silence’ in which Jesus says to those who are cured to be silent and not to speak anything of what has happened. This is demanded also from the part of the demons. That’s why Jesus does not permit the demons to speak out. He does not want to be proclaimed and highlighted. The messiah is the ‘God-Sent’ messenger and he has to give testimony only to him. He wants to disappear and make known the glory of the Father rather than his own glory. The gospel of Mark is characterized mostly with the ‘messianic secrecy’ for the reasons that:
• Jesus wants to avoid the confusion in the people between the messiah who has already come among them in the person of Jesus and their own expectations of a savior with the weapons and with power.
• Jesus wants to hide himself or diminish his self-manifestation so that the will and the action of the Father will be revealed by his words and works.
• Jesus wants to refuse the titles given by the others and he wants to receive his glory only from His Father; he wants to rejects any title and any power which cannot be made his own unless and until he confronts the passion and death.
• Apart from all these motives for his messianic silence, Mark underlines another aspect for this secret: he wants to express that Jesus from the beginning is the Son of God and so He has to receive everything from the Father and this is the key-motive of the Incarnation.
 V.35: “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed”: Mark registers many a time the prayer of Jesus both directly (1:35; 6:46; 14:35-39) and indirectly (6:41; 7:34; 8:7; 15:34). This indicates that Jesus starts his day and his journey of the mission with the “knowing and accepting of his Father’s will” and this is the prayer for him. His first task of the day as indicated here seems to be ‘his ever-living relationship’ with the Father and from this ‘intimacy and interaction’ (the prayer) that everything of His word and work take a beginning and an end; and thus Father is the cause and fountain of all that Jesus does and continues to do. In the prayer he prepares the day according to His Father’s will and wish.
 V.37: “all are searching for you”: from this emerges the theme of ‘searching for the Lord’ which is also seen in the Old Testament (Amos 5:14; Ps 24:6; 27:8; Isaiah 55:6 – in which main aspect is that ‘we need to search for the Lord when he makes himself near to us’) and this aspect will also be slowly developed by John 1:38; 20:15.
 V.38: “Let us go also to the neighboring towns….. that is what I came out to do”:
• ‘let us go’ indicates the ever continuing journey of Jesus on earth in search of finding and saving the lost sheep. He keeps on going. He keeps on moving along. He does not stop. He does not waste any time in waiting for the people to come to him; instead, he goes out to meet them.
• ‘let us go’ also indicates an open space into the limitless and boundary less mission that Jesus wants to do. It crosses the boundaries of the nations, races and embraces the whole humanity.
 “I came out to do”: contextually the ‘coming out’ means that Jesus has just come out from the Capernaum (v.21) and here this meaning goes beyond ordinary textual significance. It means that Jesus has come out from the bosom/presence of the Father because he is sent by the Father (Lk 4:43 the parallel text) and he has come ‘from God’. References to be made also to John 8:42; 13:3; 16:27-28, 30.
o Jesus made himself available for the people: the enlistment of the program of the ‘usual day’ of Jesus ,like that of preaching in the synagogue, visiting the villages and houses, healing the sick and driving out of the demons, shows that Jesus does not leave any time for himself but goes on to be on the mission of the Father; and he affirms it saying to his parents: ‘why are you searching for me; do you not know that I have to be in the work of my Father?’. And today’s gospel too affirms this: ‘let us go to the neighboring villages so that I also preach there; for this is what I have come to do’. We also see that Jesus taking a short rest and getting up early in the morning to start his mission of being with the Father and with the people. Thus, he also becomes ‘Immanuel’ – God with us.

Conclusion
Three attitudes to learn: leave to God – be with God – be with the people

- Today’s gospel teach us three aspects to carry with us today and this very moment and to practice them from today itself:
- First: We may question God for the suffering we have, but we should not accuse or blame him: Job is the great example for this from the Old Testament who never accused God for all the evil that has happened to him and that has taken away both ‘his health and wealth’; instead he praised God in all his doings; this shows the total and committed trust he has in God; he manifests his faithfulness and his devotion to his God who never abandons him; but when the moment of suffering has come for which he is not guilty he expressed his firm faith in God; he left everything to God; when he is not able to understand why this happens, he completely entrusts it to God’s will; that’s what we have to learn. As humans and with the limited mind we cannot all the time understand the pains and sufferings that surround us; instead of blaming somebody, or God or our own self, we have to learn the attitude of Job and ‘leave what is not comprehensible to our human mind and logic to God’ who knows to suffer and to love. God, indeed, knows the innocent pain and guiltless suffering. He has offered his own son to suffer for us on the cross; we see the innocent lamb on the cross in which God has ‘left alone’ his son to undergo this pain for the love and salvation of mankind. Even Jesus did not accuse God for this and he did not blame him for this innocent suffering; instead of blaming he only questioned with the prayerful heart: ‘O God, O God, why have you abandoned me’. Let us learn to accept and live what comes on our way for which we are not the cause.
- Second: We have to learn to pray and ‘keep aside a certain time even among our busy schedule’: Jesus also has busy schedule; from the morning until late in the evening he keeps himself busy and working for the people; but he has not given up his time for prayer; for being with his Father; he has not sacrificed his precious moment of sitting in the presence of God for things secondary; for all else is only the aftermath of the prayer; prayer comes first and is prior to anything else; this attitude we have to learn from Jesus today: yes, we are busy; yes, we have hundred and one things to do; yes, we have number of appointments; we cannot deny them; in fact they are necessary too; But they should not make us ‘go astray’ from our ‘Christian way of living’ which is basically prayerful first; our Christian life has to start with the prayer; with knowing what is our mission and task of the day from the will of God in whom we believe; how often do we give importance or priority to the ‘prayer’ which has to be ‘our intimacy with God in silence and in tranquility’? let us not sacrifice our foundation (faith and prayer) in order to build our social life (power, prestige and possession). They will surely follow when we dedicate our life to the intimacy with God and Jesus affirms this: “seek first the kingdom of God and the rest will be added unto you” (Mathew 6:33). His will has to be in the first place. Jesus even before his moment of passion prays: “Not my will but your will be done” (Mk 14:36) and thus he leaves everything to the will of the Father and this is the prayer we have to learn to make; in fact, when we pray ‘Our Father’ we say this only: “Let your will done” but we should leave them just as words but we have to practice it.
- Third: we have to learn to bear and fulfill our Christian mission of being ‘available to all and always’ (like Jesus) and to make ourselves ‘all things to all’ (like Paul): this is the fruit and the consequence of the Word of God we have heard today; if we are really ‘listeners’ and ‘doers’ of this word – because Jesus promises that those who do the will of God will be worthy of His kingdom – we have to learn to ‘carry on’ our vocation. Let us not be silent. Let us not sit and waste time in the chatting. Let us not strive for what is temporary. Let us fix our mind on the will of God. Let us prepare ourselves ‘like the Israel on the march with the rope on the waist’ and walk forward proclaiming the Gospel through our word and through our kind deed. Let us set out with the task that each one is entrusted within the limits of our call and vocation;
- In a word, we recall to our mind, “We are the walking Gospel: Let us spread the perfume of the good word and kind deed through our Christian testimony of life.” Let the Lord be all in all. Amen.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR - B

FOURTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR – B
(Deut 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 7:32-35; Mark 1: 21-28)
Theme: We are the Consecrated Possession of the Lord: Let us remember and live this dignity of our Christian Vocation

Reflection

- As we enter into the fourth Sunday of the Ordinary Time of the Liturgical Year, we have to once again remind ourselves of our identity and dignity as Christians: We are the Consecrated Possession of the Lord and we have to live as belonging to him alone as his anointed and redeemed children.
- We are moving in our journey towards perfect communion and fellowship/friendship of our Lord Jesus Christ and in this journey, as Pope Benedict XVI says, we are not alone. In fact, Jesus will not leave us alone on our way but he is with us and he keeps walking with us always making us remember our unity with him and this is our dignity of Christian mission: we walk towards him but with the same presence of him.
- We connect ourselves and our present situation with the past in which we have promised our faith in Baptism and with the future in which we become fully participants in the eternal habilitation with God in Glory. With this aspect of continuity let us remember also what we have reflected last week and connect it for today and see how it has effect for tomorrow too.
- Last Sunday we have mediated upon our ever ready availability in the camp of Jesus by synthesizing whole reflection into a theme: “The time of the world is completed. It is time for us to enter into the working field of Jesus with the total conversion and with the committed belief to the good news of the Kingdom of God”. This reminds us that we are full of ‘the presence of the Spirit’ in the conversion of our heart and life and we are also full of ‘the presence of the Word’ in the acceptance of the gospel proclaimed. With this power of the Word (Jesus Christ) and with the power of the Spirit (Holy Spirit) in and with us we become enriched and encouraged in our path towards fulfilling our Christian mission with ease and with enthusiasm.
- All the readings of today give us today the same message that “we have to bear in mind our identity and our dignity of being God’s beloved and consecrated possession.” Let us enter into the readings to understand this deeply and to carry with us the fruit that provides for us as the spiritual nutriment.

First Reading
The Prophet is the ‘Word and Action’ of God and Jesus is that High and Eternal Prophet of God

- God promises a Future Prophet through Moses:
o This passage is to be read in the light of messianic tradition of Judaism and in this background it points out to the ideal face of the prophet (the efficacious presence) and his special and powerful task in the confrontations with the other political-religious institutions of the people of Israel (that is of the king, the priest, the Levite and the judge).
o Prophet is the ‘spokesperson’ of God himself. With this immediate divinely natured aspect, the prophet is closer to the God’s mission in the world than other departments as we have seen such as king, as priest and as judge. He speaks for God or more aptly, it is God who speaks through him. the prophet is the ‘voice’ of God and the ‘word’ of God.
o The internal structure of his mission as the prophet has its ‘anchor’ in God himself. It is not his personal choice or will but it is the will of the one who sends. The foundation, therefore, for the prophecy is God himself; as long as he acts and lives as ‘Voice’ of God, even his words and his actions are so potent and so efficacious and so creative as the words of God himself. Therefore, the word of God and the prophet of God become one in nature because the prophet has not his life or rather, he does not live for himself anymore but lives for God and lives for his word.
o God promises this kind of prophet in the future who becomes the ‘Word of God’ in human word and in human action with the divine flavor and fragrance. This promise which was made by God through the Moses is perfectly realized in the person of Jesus Christ, the Word-Incarnate of God, ‘the Voice and Work’ of God, which has manifested in the authentic and authoritative teaching which has the capacity of renovating the recipient (Gospel). This promise is made by God in the words: ‘I will rise up one prophet from among his people….’ (v. 18).

Second Reading
We are people set apart for the love of God by fulfilling our Christian status of life

- Christian virginity is the ‘total offering of life/ perfect consecration of life to God’s love: Paul expresses this in the second reading of today in which we are asked to read the passage with the eyes of faith and with the heart donated to God.
- Single life or solitary life is neither a sin nor a weakness: it is a Christian vocation in which whole humanity of the celibate person is consecrated to the love of God.
- Event the matrimony or family life is neither bad nor something not allowed: it is also a Christian vocation in which the one is offered totally for the well being of the partner, thus, husband to the wife and wife to the husband; they have to live this love reciprocally and together they have to become a ‘perfect offering’ to the celestial love of God.
- In both of them, the choice of the status of life in which one wants to live is not the important matter. Both of them divinely planned and both of them have their unique nature and role in the world.
- The significant note that Paul makes here is that ‘whatever life one chooses’, the ultimate consecration should be to God becoming participants in his eternal love. This is the Christian message of life and vocation. It is God who has to be above all our normal, personal and social choices. If there is a list of preferences in one’s life as a Christian, the first of the list should be God and His Will.
- It is in this background that we can also connect it to the words of Jesus that ‘in heaven there is no marriage, no husband, and no wife, they all will be like angels’ (Mathew 22:30).
- Therefore, we have to seek first the kingdom of God (Mathew 6:33) and let the love of God precede all other human occupations because: it is the heavenly life and it is the authentic Christian life to which we are called and to which we have to offer ‘virginity of our life’, in other words, ‘purity of our total self’ to God and to His Kingdom on earth so that we are worthy of participating in His Eternal Joy and Love.

Gospel
Jesus Christ is the Word and Work of God in and for us

- Word at Work: Jesus preaches and operates at the same time in Mark.
o We will begin by entering into the general context of the passage: In the Gospel we see the first miraculous driving off an evil spirit from a man. The evangelist Mark directly and straightaway enters into the central point which he wanted to convey. His Gospel does not contain long introductory part like that of John and not even long infant narratives like that of Mathew and Luke. His is the first gospel and he wants to project Jesus, his life and ministry, as the one sent by God (1.1-2) and as the one who is more pleasing Son to God (1:11), and as he is set out to fulfill the work of salvation in a word and in a deed.
o Mark’s intention is not to divide his word from his action, his preaching from his miracle operation, his teaching from his mission of salvation. it is found here in the particular passage which appears still in the first chapter and thus, still in the very beginning itself; Here we see Jesus teaching in the temple and immediately ‘as though the matured fruit cannot stay longer on the tree’, he demonstrates the effect of the word already at work of demolishing what is evil and re-constructing what is divided and collapsed.
o Jesus word and work at one and the same time is destructing here the ‘possession’ of the evil by which man has lost his identity and dignity of being a child of God and thus, he started repairing the damage by pulling out the power of unholy spirit.
o The reaction of the people around is noteworthy:
 When he preached – they were taken up by wonder (v.22: astounded)
 When he healed – they were taken up by fear (v. 27): though the English version say that they were ‘amazed’ and closer translation say that they were taken up by ‘fear’, which might be also the wonderstruck-fear.
 In both the people have seen something new when never happened before: that he teaches the word with authority and he works miracles with command.
o Both the word and work, thus both teaching and healing, are not separately seen here. They come in the one instance and they come one after the other or rather one from the other. That continuation or that connection is seen here. It is all because the Messiah sent by God has initiated his mission of redeeming people from the power and fear of evil.
o His word is always transformed into an act of bringing fallen creature into the true identity and dignity of being God’s children.

- Evil divides and Jesus unites:
o We will start by entering into the particular context of the gospel passage. We will take even small elements which seem to be insignificant but they provoke that man is always ‘tempted’ and ‘operated upon’ by an evil that is always at work of pulling him away from God’s design and will. Once again and little later, Peter will admonish us with this truth saying that “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering” (1 Pet 5:8-9).
o Jesus’ word is effective and efficacious: we see Jesus preaching to the people but not as the Scribes (v. 22): this difference is made between Jesus and the Scribes to show that both are authentically given the possibility of teaching the Law. Even the scribes were authorized by God in the Old Testament to handle well and to teach well the Law of Moses. But people did not find any newness or creative effect in their teaching. They only teach and their teaching remains only as a teaching. Jesus teaching is little more authentic and with prophetic voice (first reading – he is the promised prophet sent by God to speak in His name) of God. He speaks and his speaking has special effect, not only in the form of miracles but even prior to it because people have seen something different tone and efficacy coming from his words and soon they recognized that he is speaking with authority and command. Mark brings out this difference to show the authenticity and redemptive character of the ‘word’ of Jesus.
o Unclean spirit takes a possession of a man (v.23): we have to consider here that subject is man and the object is an evil spirit but it is the object that takes the control of the subject. A man with an unclean spirit, in other words, a unclean spirit takes a man as his possession or man himself allows to be ‘controlled’ and ‘operated’ by a unholy spirit. Whatever is the condition, the damage is also to the subject, that is, to the man. The consequence is:
 Man loses his integrity which means he becomes divided, he becomes a slave to the other who is considered as more powerful than himself, though in reality, it is the subject who is always potent and persistent.
 Man is not anymore the one who speaks, who does; it is the words and works of the unclean spirit which has taken control of him which are exhibited.
 Man loses his mind, his thought and sometime even the integrity of the body because often we see in the gospels that evil spirits ‘stir up and throw’ the persons to the ground.
o Started shouting: ‘he cried out’ (v.23): till now in the same synagogue there was this man, calm and quiet, tranquil and without making noise; but only when it has heard Jesus talking ‘with authority’, it has roused up because it has recognized the power of the word of Jesus and started crying out: the words of Jesus always arouse the difference between good and bad and provoke to choosing the good. The word of God is so powerful that it breaks open the heart and reveals what is holy and what is unholy in the person. We read this in the Letter to the Hebrews: “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12).
o Evil spirit also recognizes Jesus as the Son of God (v.24): we see little later Peter proclaiming the identity of Jesus as experienced by them in the illusory manner till then confessing: “You are Christ” (Mk 8:29). But even before that and even before the people with amaze confirm him to be the Messiah by the words with authority and by the miracles with command (v.27), we see the evil spirit already confessing Jesus as the ‘Holy One of God’. We can observe two things here:
 One, he speaks in the plural manner: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us”: and here we do not have any reference to the ‘plurality’ of the evil spirits; there is only one unclean spirit which has possessed man; but it speaks it speaks ‘We’ and ‘Us’; this means that it is exhibiting its dividing nature telling in other worlds: ‘I have divided man; he is not himself; he is mine; he has become my property; he has come under my control; we are two in number now’. This is the diving character of the evil: it destroys the integrity of human nature.
 Two, he confesses in the singular manner: “I know who you are, the Holy One of God”: when it is time to recognize who is the One who is acting upon him, he immediately confesses that he already knows him; man has not recognized the power and presence of Jesus but the evil spirit has immediately understood it and thus has cried out ‘accepting’ and ‘confessing’ his helplessness and his incapacity.
 In the first phrase, we see the ‘triumphant’ nature of the evil spirit as though it has won and brought the man to himself by possessing him and by destroying his identity and dignity of being the child of God: we see the tone of victory on the part of the evil spirit.
 But in the second phrase, we see the ‘losing’ nature of the evil spirit as though its ground is being shaken, as though its action is being questioned, as though his power is being dethroned and finally as though he has lost his property, the man: we see the tone of loosing on the part of the evil spirit.
 It is because of this prior recognition of word and work of Jesus, the Messiah, that the evil has lost its game even before Jesus has commanded it. It is because of this it was silent and helpless when Jesus said: “Be silent and get out of him” (v.25). it is because of this, without any further trial it has just left him with the last agitation in the man.
o Devil in Greek means “the one who divides” and the one who seeks for all the possible modes in order to create confusion and thus division. Making this as the starting point let us go back in understanding what happened both in the gospel and in the second reading:
 When the scribes were teaching the Law of Moses, people found different and divided explanations. They found the Law becoming into various laws losing its integral significance of being ‘Word of God’. But when Jesus was teaching the same, people found it being put together whole law, prophets and the psalms into one and single ‘Will and Word of God’. Therefore, while the devil divides, Jesus started re-uniting the nature of the Word.
 Devil has divided the man and destroyed the one human nature of man who is basically supposed to be ‘image and likeness’ of God and damaged this identity and dignity; devil was at work, not the man; devil was speaking, not the man; devil was controlling the whole condition of man and thus man has become a slave in the hands of the devil; But Jesus, driving out this evil spirit from him by his authoritative command, has restored him again to his normal human nature and thus he has become again ‘an image of God’.
 Little more power is the admonition of St. Paul in the second letter: he brings out, as we have already seen, the only two Christian life styles, either being celibate or being married; only these two realities are true and commanded by God; and only in these Christian vocation man finds his ‘consecrated love’ to God and to the mission: as the celibate to spread the love of God to all and as the married one to share the love of God to his married partner; the will and word of God makes this ‘unity of love’.
• Though it seems to be strange and impossible for our day as we enjoy the modernism and secularism in all the aspects of life: personal, social, psychological and even moral. Yes, indeed, it look out-dated and ‘insignificant’ for today’s society. But for the one who believes in Jesus and for the one who desire to have a true joy and joy without end, this virtue stands still alive and active and meaningful.
• On the other hand, Paul admonishes the community of Corinth to retrospect once again their attitude towards their moral behavior. By talking to them in the name of Jesus (for a prophet always speaks and acts for God and in the name of God – first reading), and making fraternal observation tells them: “I say this for your own benefit, not to put any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and unhindered devotion to the Lord” (1 Cor 7:25). It is not for his good but it is for the good of the one who observes it;
• He says that any other relationship will divide the ‘nature of the unity’ of love between man and woman; and this ‘division’ is the character of the devil. The evil spirit who is always at work like a lion plays with the one who is not attentive to God’s word and will. It controls him and divides him.
• It is because of this ‘diabolic attitude’ in us that we have so many divisions:
o in ourselves: often there is no coherency between our words and actions;
o in our families: often we do not trust fully the other either because of our ego or because of infidelity;
o in our society: often we feel insecure and frightened by the elements of superiority or inferiority complexes or because of the different authorities that take control of us – be it political, economic, or cultural;
o in our religious sphere too: often we encounter doubts and questions about God and the faith because we do not find an immediate response from them for problems of our existence;
• on the other hand we have Jesus who has assumed our human nature and by becoming a obedient servant – to live and suffer for us and thus to stand as a ‘force’ and ‘source’ of life for us and finally to lead us to the ‘acceptance and living’ of our identity and our dignity of being children of God; thus Jesus came ‘restoring’ everything to the Kingdom of God by ‘seeking and saving the lost’ (Luke 19:10). He becomes the point and force of ‘unity’.


- Evil spirit may be the first one to find out ‘Son of God’ in ‘Jesus of Nazareth’:
o Another important theological point we observe here, although partially, is that: the Evil spirit also finds out, in fact the first one to find out according to Mark, the relationship between ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ and ‘the Son of God’;
o though it seems to be very simple here it has an underling truth which we have to note; especially, in the contemporary times when all the theologians are trying to gather together the canonical and traditional and magisterial teachings of the Church to find out connection and link between Jesus of Nazareth and Word-Son of God.
o There various Christological views come up to find out the ‘authenticity’ of Jesus as Son of God:
 One is ‘an ascending Christology’ by which we have our starting point: Jesus of history and how reveals his identity of being Son of God through his life and ministry and particularly through the Paschal mystery; and thus, we move from Jesus of Nazareth to the Son of God.
 Second is ‘a descending Christology’ by which we have our starting point: ‘Eternal Word of God’ who has entered into the history in the person of Jesus of Nazareth who by his words and deeds reveal that he has come from above and returns to Him who has sent him for the self-communication of his love to the world.
 Third is ‘Christology from within’ by which we have our starting point: Jesus Christ who is both of History and Mystery and we cannot take one element into consideration to find out his true identity.
o But to conclude our reflection, I just bring out this observation, though looks very peripheral and banal: even before all these views have come up with much struggle and with much study and inquiry and with much agreements and disagreements, there is already this relationship made between ‘Jesus of Nazareth and Son of God’ as one and the same in the beginning of the Gospel of Mark itself and specially, confessed by the enemy of God, devil himself: “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? I know who you are: Holy One of God”.
o Let us keep aside, for a while, all these theological deviating views and ‘confess’ that Jesus is the Son of God and that he has come to make us realize by his Word and Work ‘our true identity’ as the Children of God.




Conclusion

- If we reach Jesus, listen to him and accept him we are safe and firm in our integrity both as Christians and as human beings. If we leave ourselves controlled by the evil spirits with negligence and with indifference to the presence and power of God, we lose what we are and we become ‘the property of the devil’ and thus confusing ourselves and the world around us.
- Let us therefore remember our identity and dignity of being ‘the consecrated possession’ of God and live worthy of it.

THIRD SUNDAY - YEAR B

THIRD SUNDAY OF THE ORDINARY TIME – B
(Jonah 3:1-5, 10; 1Cor 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20)

Theme: Let us enter into the time/hour of Jesus because the time of the world is over

Reflection

- Today we celebrate ‘our participation’ in the ‘hour of Jesus’ and thus, the third Sunday of the year places before our minds and hearts this message of Jesus. We have started our walk of faith, in this liturgical year, and search for the true life in Jesus by recalling to our minds the Christian vocation with which we are entrusted in the celebration of the feast of baptism of the Lord; Again we have made ourselves closer to the message of the Church, who has placed herself in the post of John the Baptist, and thus listening to her, we have listened and followed Jesus and thus we have decided to be with him and this is what we have meditated and reflected last Sunday.
- Today, this Sunday, the third ordinary Sunday of the liturgical year, we are called to go little further, in our walk of faith and in our journey towards life in Jesus; it is for this Jesus himself invites us, with the message of the kingdom of God which receives us with our conversion and with our faith. From here we have the message of today that we have to enter into the ‘time’ and ‘hour’ of Jesus himself because the time of the world is over.
- The time of John the Baptist is over; the time of his mission is over; the time of the preparation for the ‘hour of Jesus’ is over; there begins the actual time of Jesus and the fullness of the time of the kingdom of God; this is what we see notice at the beginning of the gospel of today; it is after the arrest of John the Baptist that Jesus initiates his mission of proclamation inviting the people to reject the ‘time of the world’ (conversion) and to accept the ‘time of God’s presence’ (belief); Jesus begins his message calling them to participate in the kingdom that is already present amidst them in his own person.
- The time of the promise and the preparation is over; God has promised in the history of his chosen people Israel that he would send the savior/Messiah who would gather all the people into one kingdom; from the call of Abraham to the ‘arrest of John the Baptist’ it was the story of preparation for the actual realization of it in the entrance of Jesus Christ, the Beloved Word and Son of God, into the world. Now is the time of not only hearing but living the good news already promised and prepared. Now is the time of not only getting ourselves ready to listen to him and to follow him but ‘staying’ with him as the true disciples who always place themselves at the foot of their master. Now is the time of not only proclaiming the kingdom of God but ‘actually participating’ in it with total return to him and that is the real conversion and believing.

First reading

- Conversion: Turning away from their own ways and following the way of the Lord:
o This is what happened in the first reading of today: in the story, the prophet Jonah who is already saved by God from the great fish is offered life again to give himself to the proclamation of the word of God and pointing of the wrath of God upon the wicked.
o He comes out to preach to the people of Nineveh who are fully occupied with their own desires and wishes; but once they have heard the sentence of the Lord from the mouth of the prophet that in forty days the city of Nineveh would be destroyed, they immediately left their ways, from big to the small, have put on the sack, the symbol of humility, and have fasted to please God by doing according to his will.
o This is the true conversion: they have rejected (conversion) and have accepted (believe) in the word of God (gospel/good news) and thus became the people of God (kingdom of God).
- The story of Jonah is an example also for every one of us: to be at the disposition of the proclamation of God and to preach conversion to all:
o The people of Nineveh are not part of the chosen people of God, Israel; but God who is merciful and loving willed that all the people turn to him with repentance and with the desire to be as his people.
o The mission of Jonah is an incredible one for a Jew: to preach the conversion for the salvation even to the country which is considered until now as the sign of malediction (vv.1-3); God makes even malediction into benediction when the people repent and come back to him.
o The response of the ‘infidels’ and unfaithful people is also exemplary: the people who have who have been understood as the one who are fully immersed into their sin and punishment have accepted immediately the message of the prophet and turned to God with the three gestures:
 With the faith in God and in Prophet (v.5a)
 With the works of conversion (v. 5b), and
 With the radical change of life which justifies them before God (v.10).
o The change of attitude from God is also a model: even God, who is said to be unchanging and unmoving ones he takes some decision, as we see now, changes his attitude towards the people plead him for the mercy and salvation; God changes his mind; God turns away from his decision of destroying them; God, if we can say still, also have the change of heart, the conversion, ‘turning of the self towards the other’. He turned towards the people and listen to their prayers and has seen their works of repentance and has the mercy towards them as he is the “God who has no desire in the death of the wicked but wills that he converts himself and thus live” (Ezek 18:23); this is the ‘good news’ that Jonah had to proclaim and he has done as he is asked of and thus he becomes model for all of us both for the ‘internal conversion’ and for the mission of preaching the message of ‘conversion’ to the others.

Second Reading

- The figure of the world will pass away (v. 31):
o The central message of St. Paul for today is this: that the appointed time is grown short and everything is place before the great change with the mystery of Jesus Christ; the appointed time for entering into this mystery is very short; now is the appointed time of the participating into the life of Christ who is above and beyond the world;
o This world is passing away; the present form of the world also will vanish; there will remain only the ‘form’ and ‘life’ of the spirit in and by whom we will sanctified and made partakers of divine life in Christ;
o At this juncture, we have to transform our worldly attitude. Though we possess everything possible in the world we have to be feeling as though we do not possess anything because whatever we accumulate in this present world will pass away; we have to change our attitude towards the worldly needs and goods; we need them in deed, but we are not for them; we need to have control over them rather than allowing them to take control of us; we have to be consistent and content both in our ‘having’ and in our ‘losing’ of these worldly goods; this is the attitude that the Risen Jesus asks of his followers; and for us today, this is the conversion: we need to turn away from our wanting of more and more of the world and its life and turn towards Jesus Christ who wants us even more.
o In a word, we have to comprehend well that ‘the time of the world is short’. We have to digest the truth that even our life is short; therefore, our time in the world is already measured with the span of days and years and one day, we find ourselves at the end of the time, or passing of our life; in order to enjoy to the full the life in Christ we have to ‘leave’ what we have (conversion – leaving what we have like the disciples in the gospel who have left their nets and their father too) and we have to ‘accept’ what we are offered (believe in the good news) that we are the children of God in the new life that Jesus himself gives us with his death and resurrection.

Gospel

- ‘Leaving’ what we have is the conversion – ‘accepting’ what are called for is the faith:
o Today’s gospel presents to us this ‘proclamation’ and the ‘call’ of Jesus. Let us reflect it more deeply to grasp its content for us today by the exegetical study of it.
o Arrest of John and beginning of Jesus public ministry (v. 14): we have already noted this in the introductory part of the reflection. The mission of John as the predecessor of Jesus is accomplished and his time is over and thus, the time for the preparation for the kingdom of God is over; Now is the time to enter into the kingdom that is already present and Jesus exactly starts his mission with this proclamation that “the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near; convert and believe in the gospel”.
o The kingdom of God is near (v.15): the Greek text reminds us the more closer meaning that ‘the kingdom of God is here’: with this we have three possible meanings:
 The kingdom of God is already begun because Jesus is present here;
 The kingdom of God is imminent: it will come very soon with the paschal mystery of Jesus and thus, with his passion, death and resurrection;
 The kingdom of God is imminent: it will be fully realized at the glorious coming of the Christ at the end of the times;
o Repent: in the Old Testament the conversion is ‘a return to God’. May be here the same idea is found again with little more profundity; in the New Testament there is new conception of the verb ‘repent’: the repentance and faith are linked with the call of Jesus; for example, Levi is converted (Mk 2:14) only because he is called by Jesus and has the enough faith to leave everything in order to follow him.
o Believe: it is the acceptance of being saved by faith in Jesus from the part of the disciple; believing the good news means ‘taking into heart’ the word and the will of God and doing everything possible, even giving of the self and life, to allow it to lead us and guide us; therefore, the faith is always accompanied by the ‘sacrifice of the self’ and the ‘offering of the life’ for the ‘eternal life’ we opt for.
o Jesus saw/found first disciples (v.16): Simon is the one who is seen first along with Andrew by Jesus, at least according to Mark; Jesus gives him the name of Peter only little later; in reality it is not certain whether Simon is the one who is called first as we have seen also last week (John 1:35-42); but Mark presents him to be the first one to be found and called. Jesus appeals his name frequently in the gospels and makes him little above in the group of the twelve (example: Mk 1:36; 3:16; 8:29; 9:2; and the list goes on). It also shows that Jesus has a special role designed for him: to be the first of the community.
o There are other disciples, Andrew, and little further, James and John: these first four disciples have their own priority in the group of the twelve; Mark lists them to be the first ones (3:16); they appear in the beginning of the discourse of Jesus on the end of times (13:3). Above all, Jesus takes them in precedence to other in many important occasions: he takes Peter, James and John (there is no Andrew) with him when he rose up the daughter of Jairus (5:37), to the Transfiguration (9:2) and for the prayer in Gethsemane (14:33). These apostles are given a position of precedence also by Luke in his book of the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:13; 3:1-11; 8:14-17; 12:1-3).
o Follow me (v.17): nothing is prepared in the anticipation to the call of Jesus. This is precisely the theological presentation of the call that Jesus offers: the immediate response by the disciple is characterized not by the preparation from the part of the one who is called but by the one who called, Jesus; everything has a starting point only in and from Jesus; he calls when he wills and we are to be ready to accept this call at any time; all other things like personal merits (whether we are personally worthy of it or not), moral, spiritual and psychological preparations are not of great value for Mark; it is the call of Jesus and one who listens to it has to follow him immediately.
o Call is always followed by the promise: Jesus calls them from where they are and from what they do; he calls them with the promise of making them even more: fishers of men; Jesus uses their own language to make them understand the ‘significance’ and ‘value’ and ‘depth’ of his calling;
o Left their nets and followed him (v.18): Mark underlines the aspects of ‘radical requirements of the faith’; once call of Jesus arrives to us our response and our acceptance of it should be ‘immediate’; here the disciples were throwing the nets into the sea and once Jesus called them their reaction is immediate; they did not think of the future of their nets or their own future; Just they immediately followed him. This is the concrete attitude of every disciple who accompanies his master; but in the Gospel of Mark, this ‘radical leaving’ of what they have to follow Jesus has become the expression of the ‘style of Christian life’ who becomes the disciple of Jesus through the faith.
o Leaving their father and the boat (v.20): it is not little that they have left; they have left everything: they have left their father, their work, their country, their family; this is the total offering of the oneself to the call of Jesus; the first Christians were of this type of attitude: they have sacrificed everything for their Christina mission and for facing the persecutions.
o Conversion is ‘turning completely opposite’: the disciples who were facing the sea for their work and their earning with their nets and boats, NOW have ‘turned towards Jesus’ who called them; they did not look back; they are now facing only Jesus;
o Believe in the gospel is ‘digesting every word of it’: the disciples immediately understood the power of the word uttered by Jesus: follow me; it is a call to the new life; it is an offer of new being; it is a word that transformed them; their word became Jesus’ word; their life became His life; they opted for what he gives rather than holding on to what they possess; and this is the ‘faith’/believe: leaving/renouncing what we have and accepting/embrace what is given/offered to us;

Conclusion

- It is a call to the faith: “believe in the good news”: Jesus calls us to believe in the gospel with the conversion of life; each one is responsible for his own life and mission; each one is offered this call in order to participate in the kingdom of God. The choice of embracing or rejecting the new life is placed in our hands and it is we who have to respond to this call with the total and committed faith; let us examine ourselves of our faith in Jesus: where do we stand in faith? Are we really firm in faith once the difficulties and troubles hit us with the doubts of the presence of God in our life? Today we are here to answer this call of Jesus to faith. Are we really ready to face this call and respond to it with faith?
- It is a call to the mission: “Get up and go to Nineveh and announce to them what I say”: like Jonah each of us is entrusted with a mission: to proclaim the word of God. But many times we are like Old Jonah who always tried to escape from the mission of God by telling many excuses. We have our own excuses for our mission; our routine and daily excuses are: time is not enough, I am not capable, I do not know, it is not my work, I am busy with my work, and finally for what it serves, I do not find any meaning in keeping my faith in God; these are our normal and usual resistances. We stop the word of God flow from us like that of Jonah; we have followed Jesus and therefore, we have the mission of transforming his word and his message into our word and our message and this is the true mission we called for. Let us remember this always and try to fulfill this mission so that we gain the ‘joy of being’ with the Lord.
- It is a call to conversion: we are asked to leave immediately what we have and what we desire and turn to Jesus who gives us his life; we have different meaning of it; it is not that immediately we give up everything and set out for the divine life; it is not even so easy in our times and in our conditions and in our world; Jesus asks us to ‘convert’ our minds and our ways: we have to replace our thoughts with the will of Jesus; we have change our ways of personal interest and walk in the way of sacrifice and self-renouncement that Jesus shows us; we have to finally, give our priority to the call of Jesus than to the pleasures of the world although they have become part of our life in our conditioned life today. Our priority has to change; our message has to change; our life has to be transformed into his. That is the call to conversion.
- All this call to the faith, to the mission and to the conversion is an urgent call: we have no time; our time is fulfilled; our old nature and our old behavior has to be transformed immediately; our old self has to die; the world which we have built for ourselves has to pass away; now is the time for the change; now is the time for the living; now is the time for the Christian action and vocation; tomorrow is not certain; day after doesn’t exist; we have to be ready to face everything and to change everything and first of all, ourselves; therefore, let us set out into the world, into our community, into our society, leaving aside what we are and what we have; let us set out with what we are in Christ and with what we have of Christ;
- Let us get up; let us leave out boat; let us take the ‘step’ of Jesus; and let us keep ourselves on the mission of preaching and vocation of testimony; the world is waiting for us; the church is waiting for us; our family is waiting for us; above all, God is waiting for us because it is his time; therefore, as today’s theme encourages, let us enter into the time/hour of Jesus because the time of the world is over.

SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR - B

SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR – B
(1Sam 3:3-10, 19; 1Cor 6:13-15, 17-20; John 1:35-42)

Theme: We are called to listen, follow and stay in the tent of the Lord

Reflection

- We are in the second Sunday of the Ordinary Time of the Liturgical Year. We are just starting our journey into the mystery of Christ so that ‘we will always remain with him’. In fact, we have already began our celebration of the Ordinary Time with the last Sunday itself; today is the second Sunday; in this Sunday the church proposes us to have our eyes fixed on the ‘Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world’. It is the first step in our travel towards fully entering into the life of Jesus our savior;
- Indeed, though last Sunday was the first Sunday of the liturgical ordinary year, the church has asked us to celebrated the feast of the baptism of the Lord; it was right and appropriate also because it is with the Baptism that Jesus has set out to inaugurate his public mission of preaching about the kingdom of God and doing good to the people leading them to the true way of the salvation and from our part it is apt to start our liturgical celebration of the Ordinary Time with the same feast because we are reminded and re-immersed into the mystery of our own baptism in which we have been called and sanctified as the children of God and with that ‘moment of our entrance into the faith through the baptism’ we have also ‘set out’ to following Jesus giving testimony of the Christian life and vocation; therefore, we have just participated in the call of God through the baptism as it was exactly revealed in the baptism of Jesus, who although it was not necessary for him, still have received it from John the Baptism and in the waters of Jordan, shown it as the ‘first condition’ to be God’s children.
- In the procedure that the Church proposes for the three cycles of the celebration of God’s mysteries, we have the gospel of Mathew for the year A; gospel of Mark for the year B; and the gospel of Luke for the year C; and the gospel of John is inserted in the ‘proper mysteries of Christ’, especially, in his great events in the history like that of Incarnation, in the Paschal event, that is, in his Passion-Death-Resurrection and in the descent of the Holy Spirit; this insertion is because of the ‘special attention’ that the Church gives to the theological meaning of the fourth Gospel and moreover to make her children participate in the life of Christ beyond geographical, historical and contextual confines of the gospel; this means that:
o Gospel of Mathew is written particularly to the Jewish Christian community and it presents Jesus as the ‘fulfillment of God’s promise’ of salvation; therefore, it has a character of belonging to a special group.
o Gospel of Mark is written particularly to show that Jesus is the ‘Son of God’ who is the Messiah and the savior and it is the first written gospel and its contents are limited; it presents Jesus as the ‘son’ God and ‘son’ of Man in whom the salvation of God itself is hidden; therefore, it has a character of limitedness in the presentation of Jesus and is geographically limited;
o Gospel of Luke is written particularly to show that Jesus is the ‘savior of the poor and marginalized’ and he has come to the world to be with the suffering and with the sinners; it present Jesus as the ‘Son of God’ making himself poor and sitting in the company of the overthrown people of the society; therefore, though it seems to be having universal character of Jesus preaching, it’s predominance is only for a particular sections of the society: poor and marginalized, weak and the sinner, woman and suffering people.
o Gospel of John is completely different in its character: it is both particular and universal; it is both beginning and the end; it is both a call and a fulfillment; It starts with the eternal plan of God and ends with the consummation of everything in him; the gospel starts with Word Christ who was already there from the beginning and enters into the world to be with the men; in this way this Gospel is peculiar and significant in its presentation of the mystery of Jesus Christ;
o And may be for this reason, the Church proposes this gospel for all the predominant event of Jesus;
o Even today we have the gospel reading again from John; it is because of the reasons we have already seen; and the intention the Church is that we have to re-start our Christian journey with the spiritual nourishment of the richness of John’s theology; if we see, second Sunday of the ordinary time of any year we have the gospel reading from John and only from the third Sunday we actually start the gospel proper to the destined year.
- Discipleship of Christ: we reflect today on the discipleship of Christ; Jesus calls the first disciples and asks them to follow him and they immediately follow; and today we have to remind ourselves of our own calling through our acceptance of faith; in fact, we called to be his disciples; the second Sunday is dedicated to this calling of Jesus; once we are admitted into the Christian faith through the baptism (first Sunday), we are now endowed with the responsibility of following Jesus with the committed zeal and will (second Sunday) and we will again meditate about the same calling of Jesus next Sunday also (third Sunday); in this way, the Church prepares us to acknowledge and embrace the life of true discipleship so that we go forward to be in his tent; following Jesus is the common theme for these weeks of Christian Liturgy;
o Jesus calls and men respond: this is the common understanding of discipleship and today many preach on this; many preach on the Christian vocation as the invitation of Jesus; Yes, indeed, Jesus calls and we are given the possibility to respond to his call and follow him; this is the structure of the first two gospels too: Both in Mathew (4:19) and Mark (1:17) present to us the calling of the first disciples by Jesus inviting them to follow him and he would make them ‘fishers of men’; this is the normal understanding of the theme of discipleship: it is first Jesus who calls them and they, leaving their belongings, follow him immediately;
o ‘come and see’: many use these two words for their preaching today; they are the beautiful words of Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry and in particular when it is compared to the ‘common invitation’ of Jesus who has preached: “Time is fulfilled; kingdom of God is near; be converted and believe in the good news” (Mk 1:15); these words ‘come and see’ go beyond their ordinary meaning and it makes the one who accepts them to participate fully in the ‘true living of Jesus’. In this way, today’s preaching for many is founded on this invitation of Jesus’.
o Both these points of view are not wrong; they are meaningful and apt; and they open us the opportunity to enter into the discipleship of Jesus;
Gospel of John: opens the new path of entering into the mystery of Christ

- A different structure of discipleship of Christ: but today we have another point of view of understanding the disciple of Jesus; I want to present another way of viewing the whole scenario of the call and the response between Jesus and his followers; it is an integral and comprehensive one; let us reflect over the same words of the Gospel to learn it:
o In the Gospel of John we have two pillars:
 One is John the Baptist who show to the people the ‘Lamb of God’ (vv. 35-36): what happens there:
• He is with his two disciples: and it is his staying for the Lord
• Fixed his sight on Jesus who is passing by: and it is his being in the Lord
• Said: ‘Here is the Lamb of God’: and it is his testimony of the Lord;
• Therefore, we have to carefully notice all his particular gesture to understand who this John the Baptist is.
 Second is Jesus who has asked those two who follow him: ‘what do you seek’ (v.38-39): what happens here:
• Then (v.38) is the continuation of what is already happening: and it is the attention of Jesus to those who desire to follow him
• He turned to them: and it is the initiative of Jesus to dialogue with them;
• Observing that they are following him: it is the observation of Jesus;
• Said: ‘what do you search for’: it is action of Jesus who creates a desire in them;
• Therefore, we have to comprehend well each and every movement and moment of Jesus;
 These Two pillars have a common destination: preparation and acceptance of discipleship on the part of the two followers (v.37): what happens here:
• Two disciples have ‘listened’ what John has said;
• They have ‘followed’ Jesus;
• In this way, they stand between two pillars: firstly, John who showed them the ‘True Lamb of God’ and to whom they have listened and according to whose word they have followed Jesus and secondly, Jesus himself who has initiated the dialogue with them by knowing their desire;
• Therefore, it is ‘internal and spiritual desire’ of the disciples to know the truth, the way and the life that precedes both the demonstration of John and the invitation of Jesus.
• And both John and Jesus are aimed at bringing and leading those desired disciples one to the true God who is at work for the salvation of humanity.
• John prepares and shows the way of salvation and Jesus actually calls them into the participation of it and the disciples listening to John followed Jesus and following his ‘invitation’ they went, stayed with him and found the messiah in him.
o This is the actual structure of the disciples that the church places before us by offering to us ‘the passage from John’s gospel’:
 First of all, the man needs to have a desire or a quest for finding true God and true life;
 Secondly, God is always ready to reveal the ways and means to know him and this revelation is there from the beginning;
 Man, who has the quest, has to search for the probable means that are present before their eyes, and thus embracing those means, he enters into the life of the one whom he is searching for;
 To put it in the context of today’s gospel: men who are really thirsting for God, have to search for the means of self-revelation of God and that means for the present world is the Church; God is revealing himself in and through the Church and the Church placing itself in the place of John the Baptist, show the true ‘Lamb of God’ and the true savior of the world; if one listens and follows the Church and its life through the word and the sacraments, one can really ‘meet’ Jesus and this Jesus calls him to be with him;

First Reading: Call of God to Samuel through Eli

- This is the exact mode we find also in the first reading of today; there is God’s call offered to the boy Samuel; when God’s voice has come, the boy has thought that it is Eli that is calling him and that’s the reason why he goes to Eli and makes himself present to him; the boy is not in a condition of knowing the call of God; he needed certain help of the prophet Eli; and finally it is Eli who has understood that God is calling Samuel; he guided him rightly to the following of God’s voice and accept it by consenting: “Here I am Lord, speak, your servant is listening” (v. 10);
- If the presence and guidance of Eli not were to be there, Samuel would have lost the call of God and thus he would have lost also the possibility of entering into the ‘mission of salvation’ that God has prepared for him; Eli’s word and enlightenment was a necessary for that moment, though we may say that God has many other ways of revealing and making his call accepted;
- Thus, Samuel represents here for the one who is always open to the God’s intervention and action; and represents the one who is always ready to listen and follow the way that that the ‘mediator’ between God and him indicates; on the one hand, the desire of Samuel and on the other side, the guidance of Eli, that made the call of God completely revealed;

- Let us make a synthesis of whole reflection and say that according to the present structure, discipleship is founded not firstly in the call of Jesus but in the ‘personal desire’ of the one who seeks for God. It is this desire that makes us to listen and to accept the church that has been planted in the middle of the garden of the world and that would lead us to the true savior who takes away the sin of the world and only by this we have the possibility of ‘following and staying’ with Jesus; this is the meaning of discipleship;

Discipleship is a dialogue and testimony

- Let us also reflect little on the words ‘come and see’: they are the words that is central to the whole of the passage; here comes the intervention of Jesus for the disciples who really follow him; he himself initiates a dialogue with them; he asks them of what they are searching for;
- What do you search for? (v. 38): is the question that is posed to us each time when we meet the word of God; what are we searching for is the question we have to pose ourselves whenever we are tempted to go away from his path. What do we want in life, in Christian life? It is the basic question with which we can always remain intact in our rapport with God and with the Truth of love; it also reminds us to purify our ways now and then and thus to remain worthy of God’s action in our life;
- Each and every time, Jesus offers us an invitation of ‘come and see’: it is not come and listen; it is come and see; therefore, it makes the one who comes to participate directly in the very life of the Lord; it is seeing where does the Lord live; it is seeing what does the Lord do; it is seeing how does the Lord give the testimony of his mission;
- Every Sunday we come to the church just to see the Lord; but are we still seeing what we are asked to see; God invites us to see his actions and his marvelous and wonderful events are before our eyes, in the form of the word proclaimed and in the form of the bread broken and shared; are we really ‘seeing’ them; if we see, we actually participate in its essence, that is, we really take part in the same humble and obedient life of Jesus to his Father; it is the actual meaning of discipleship; it is not only following him but it ‘living’ with him, in him and for him;
- That day they remained with him (v.39): once the disciples went and saw where he lives, they also felt to remain with him sharing all that he has and he offers to them; remaining with him is both ‘first requirement’ and ‘first fruit’ of discipleship.
- We have found Messiah (v. 41): we do not have elaborate explanation of what has happened to them that day or what Jesus had done to them; but one thing is certain; something strange has taken place; some change has come in them; they could feel it; they have found what they were searching for; and their experience was so enriching and overwhelming that ‘they could not control their joy of being with the Lord’ and they have come out to their friends and relatives and gave the testimony of their first sight with this ‘Lamb of God’ that John has indicated them; they exclaimed: we have found Messiah.
- Discipleship does not end with ‘listening, following and being’ with the Lord; it consists mainly in ‘living’ his life; it consists in ‘giving testimony’ to the joy of being with the Lord;

Conclusion

The readings of today offer us three important things:
- That we have to listen to the words of Jesus, to follow his path confronting all the obstacles that come on the way, and to ‘dwell’ in his tent; and this is what we are called to do today and from today as we start ‘our journey with the Lord in the Spirit to the Father’ in this liturgical ordinary time; let us first of all ‘imbibe’ the desire for the Lord because once we have this desire to follow him, we are ready to face any kind of situation or any amount of difficulty and we even become ever ready to offer our life for him. let us not lose this desire;
- That we have an answer for those who question: what is Church? Why we have to listen to her and why we have to come to the church? Can we not have the experience of God directly rather than this Church, her preaching and her sacraments? The answer is that ‘we are not capable of knowing God directly’. We are limited in our mind and in our thoughts; we are very small and fall short in front of the ‘greatness’ of God; we may try but we have many possibilities to fail rather than to have knowledge of God by ourselves; God himself knows this and that is the reason why he has chosen to reveal himself and this is the revelation manifested in the Old Testament in the form of promise and prophecy and in the New Testament in the very person of Jesus Christ; and now the same revelation comes to us through the means of the Holy Spirit working in and through the Church; one may say that we cannot keep boundaries for the action of the Spirit for it can also work outside the Church and without the Church; may be; but we have to stop only with may be because we are not sure, though we don’t doubt the power of the Spirit; but the we have one sure way that our Lord Himself has shown us founding his community of followers on the ‘rock’/peter (v. 42) and thus commanding them to defuse this faith in the name of the Trinity; thus the Church is the sure ‘means’ of our knowledge of Christ because it is not human institution, though sometimes it may be criticized of its physical and material structure, it is the mission and commission of Jesus himself; leaving aside all those who do not want God or Christ or some faith, for those who wish to follow Jesus, the Church, like St. John the Baptist, indicates ‘the True Lamb of God’ – Jesus Christ. Therefore, we need the church and its presence in the world for the knowledge of Christ and his mission of salvation for the world and for all the humanity; for this, first of all, we have to understand ourselves as limited as humans in front of God, because his ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts (Is 55). Though we have lot of potency to generate and create anything with technology, once we place ourselves in front and in the presence of God, Almighty, we have to accept our human incapacity and thus follow the same means that God provides us to reach him and for our time and for our Christian faith, it is Church alone that is the ‘proper’ means to reach him;
- We should not become perplexed with the reality of the Church; humanly speaking it may has its own limits; but as long as it strives for the coming of the kingdom of God into the world through its word and actions we may follow it; the followers of the church can easily become followers of Christ too; John’s disciples have become Jesus’ disciples; disciples that followed the word of John have reached to the place they were searching and found the messiah; it would be the same case with all of us who are in the church and we wish to be the disciples of the Church; though we are fearful to see its struggle for existence today in the modern times, it will never fail because it is Christ who leads it and keeps it remained with him and in him with the sanctifying grace of his Spirit;
- Let us therefore, as we are here for the liturgy of the word and the Eucharist, our spiritual nourishment, bear this truth in our minds and in our hearts that: “We are called to listen, follow and stay in the tent of the Lord.”

BAPTISM OF THE LORD - Year B

BAPTISM OF THE LORD – Year B
(Is 55:1-11; 1John 5:1-9; Mark 1:7-11)

Theme: We are of the Lord; let us therefore, live as his true and beloved children

Reflection:

- Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Baptism of the Lord: Jesus, after his life at home and with his people for thirty years, comes to the river Jordan to receive baptism from John the Baptist, his predecessor who walks before him to prepare the way for him and to show to the world his presence, and thus to enter fully into the mission for which he has come to the world; in this sense, the feast of the Baptism of Jesus stands in between his preparation and his actualization of the will and purpose of his Father;
- The feast of Baptism is a central point to which all the preceding events like His Incarnation (that is, the Christmas), His manifestation to the Magi (that is, the Epiphany) lead him and from which all the following events like His Proclamation of the Kingdom of God and His Paschal Mystery begin. It is the ending of all his preparations and the beginning of the actual mission; it is the completion of his private manifestations at home and in his home town and it is the starting of his public testimony to others and to the surrounding towns;
- Even liturgically, this feast stands as the summary of all the preceding celebrations in joy and in festive atmosphere and at the same time it stands as the stepping stone for all the proceeding message and ministry by word and deed; we also stop celebrating and start living; we stop all the holidays and start working; we stop ‘being’ what we are and start ‘doing’ what we have to; it goes still further, we stop ‘showing’ that we are Christians and begin to ‘live’ and ‘testify’ our Christian vocation; this feast invites us today to pass from our identity to our task; to pass from our identity of being children of God to our task of living as the children of God; and thus the Church invites us to carry with us always this truth that ‘we belong to the Lord’ and thus we have the responsibility (and more than responsibility), ‘the mission of living’ as his true and loving children.
- His first and intentional manifestation to the people: every event of Jesus is the self-manifestation of God himself and until now only the infant Jesus has manifested himself as the ‘savior born’ to the pastors and as the ‘king of Jews’ to the three wise men from the east. And little further, as the ‘boy of maturity and wisdom of God’ to the scribes and doctors of the Church in the Jerusalem temple with his ‘questioning and answering’ them. Now as we follow the scriptures is the first time that Jesus who is by now well-grown and fully-matured in his decision to set out for the mission of his Father, comes out himself and with the committed vigor and manifests ‘his true divine identity and divine mission’ to the public with the testimony of the who sent him, the Father, and, with the power of the one who is in him, the Spirit. Thus this feast reminds us that it is the first and intentional act of self-manifestation of Jesus who is filled with the mission of God.
- Let us immediately enter into the readings which the Church herself presents to us today with lot of care and study of the scriptures so that they fill us the spiritual nourishment this particular moment as we listen to them and again so that we will enjoy their richness of meaning and take them as our torching guide in our walk of faith as the baptized children of God.

First Reading: Let us offer everything to Him who makes it ‘spirit-filled’ grace for us

- Today’s first reading is full of spiritual power; each word of it gives us boost to opt for what is useful and what remains for ever; each verse of it encourages us to lead a life worthy of God’s call with the necessary sacrifice and ever-willing renewal of the soul. At the first look this reading looks out of place for the feast we celebrate because of lack of any reference to the baptism, but when we enter deeply into its integral comprehension, we find that its placement is right and that it prepares us to leave what is of this world and to choose what God has promised for us. Besides this, the reading begins with God’s call of invitation to the waters (v.1) and ends with the effect that these waters of God (Son and the Spirit) brings about (v. 11) in each individual recipient. Let us meditate and take into our hearts at least ‘three ways’ of placing our life in the hands of God;
- We have to spend our belongings for the things above (v.2): the verse encourages us with the demanding question: “why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food”.
o In the cited verse, first there is a question that makes us to have a self-examining our daily worries and fatigue: we really worry too much about buying and gathering many things for ourselves; we spend so much of our money to fill our homes with the things; we spend lot of energy to accumulate a lot for ourselves; many times, we spend each and every drop of blood to grow in life with riches and with prestige; who can say that they are not needed? They are very much needed as we live in the world and as we are capable of getting of all them; it is not a fault to have these things and necessary and available comforts in life; the only question of God is whether we are really spending our life for that which is real bread and the bread that satisfies us. Are we really happy in life with all that we have and we are doing? We have to question ourselves sincerely;
o Secondly there is a solution for the many ‘dissatisfactions’ of our life and the only way we need for our ‘true liberation’ is that which God proposes. He asks us first of all ‘to listen’ to him carefully, like Mary in Bethany, and then ‘to eat’ what is good and lasting, the bread that comes from heaven and the food that God himself provides us; therefore, ‘liturgy of the word’ and ‘liturgy of the bread’ are the solutions for our unending displeasures.
o This is what we have to seek for and for this we have to spend all our energies and our capacities: to participate in the marvelous work of God in front of our eyes, the Eucharist in which we are given the ‘word’ and ‘bread’ that satisfy our hunger and thirst and that makes us reach the true path.
- We have to capture the sight of God before we miss it (v.6): the verse reminds us the truth that it is not we who really search for God but it is He who searches for us and who makes himself closer to us and thus it is call for us to be attentive and observing ‘his presence’ near and in us: “seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near”.
o God makes himself ‘one of us’: from the beginning it is God who is in search of men; from his first question of seeking ‘Adam where are you’ and until now it is He who makes himself known to us; ultimately he comes down to the earth ‘searching for the lost men’ ( I have to come to seek and save the lost – Luke 19:10); His ultimate nearness to us as ‘God-with-us’ is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ amongst us; he knows our preoccupations; he knows what are searching for; he knows that we spend our time and energy to seek something else; he knows that man neglects his capacity to know him and to come near him; therefore, he himself comes closer to man and makes his presence felt by him;
o We have to move into him: now is the time for us to respond to this nearness of God; we have to ‘seek’ him with the sincere heart; we have to call upon him often so that we receive his answers for our life;
o Baptism is time for us to ‘find him’ and to ‘accept him’ and finally to enter into his life.
- Allowing the power of the word, the spirit, work in our hearts (v.10): the verse encourages to leave a space for the operation of the presence of God: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater”.
o The purpose and power of rain is to make a ground/soil bear fruit: the word that comes from God is in the same way enters deeply into the heart of men and tills the will – that is, making it sharpen to accept its presence – and finally makes it fruitful in following his ways. Otherwise its purpose and power are in vain; it makes even the barren ground flourish; it is so powerful that it cuts through and goes deep like that of double edged sword and cleans it and implants its goodness and charity;
o We have to prepare a space for it: God is always willing to enter into our hearts; he sent his Son so that he goes deep inside our hearts, indwells there, and makes our life a really Christian; he pours out his Spirit upon us and the Spirit’s work is continuous even though thorns of our indifferences, stone of our hardness of heart try to block it; at the end the spirit prevail and makes the love sprout from the heart that was senseless and spiritless;
o In fact, Jesus through his baptism enters into the waters of Jordan symbolically but more than that he enters in each and every recipient of baptism and remains there until bear much fruit and we shall remember his own words: ‘I speak to you these things so that you may bear the fruit and the fruit remains forever’ (John 15:1-11).

Second Reading: In true faith we can be the conquerors of the world

- Love is the Letter and Character of John: John’s particular character of his gospel or his epistles is: love. He views God as the God of Love and he goes little further and says ‘God is Love’; it is from this back ground we have to read each and every phrase of his writings; all that God does is the manifestation of his love in his Son and in his Spirit;
- In Love God has generated us: another truth that we have to understand is ‘with the revelation of love by regenerating his Son Jesus into the world’ he has opened the possibility so that all those who participate in this love become ‘regenerated’ in and by Him with the merits of loving sacrifice of His Son and with the sanctifying grace of His Spirit. We have to carry with us this reality as long as we are Christians that ‘we are generated into the world by our parents’ and in baptism and in faith ‘we are regenerated into the heavens by the love of God’.
- In faith we win the world: once we participated or become part of regenerating love of God we are capable of conquering the world because we are filled with the ‘power’ of Jesus who is victorious on the dominion of sin, evil and death and we are the indwelling temples of the ‘presence’ of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16 – “Do you not know that ou are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? if anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”) and the Spirit who always battles against all forms of evil that drags us always out of grace and out of love like a roaring lion (1Pt 5:8 – “Discipline ourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith”). Thus in faith and in love we can always confront these situations of temptation and spiritual battle and finally win over the powers of the world;
- We stand above the world: we are called to be in the world but not of the world; we do not belong to the world though physically we are confined to this earth; as Christians we have an vocation: standing above the world and its implications; passing through the desires and pleasure of the world that surround us but without ‘stopping’ ourselves; we continue our spiritual journey in spite the attacks from every part of the human sphere and in every form of its pressure; we are capable of moving ahead only because we are regenerated by God in the Word and in the Spirit which took place in the event of our baptism of faith; we have to always bear this in mind and in heart: our identity as ‘regenerated’ by God and our mission as ‘standing’ above the world;

Gospel: ‘You are my son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased’ is God’s voice for us today

- Baptism of Jesus reveals His mission of love, of humility and of sacrifice:
o We will understand the gospel from its exegetical explanation so that we have also the possibility of participating in his ‘person’ and in his ‘work’, that is, in his identity of being a Beloved Son of God and in his mission of setting out for the fulfillment of His Will;
o He allowed himself to be baptized (v.9): Jesus came to the river Jordan and placed himself in the line of sinners, in the middle of his people, as though sharing all that they have, and asks John to give him the same rite as he was doing for others; though in the beginning John hesitated with his unworthiness before his greatness, once Jesus assured him that it has to be done in this way for now, then he has given him the baptism; Jesus permits himself to be in the condition of sinners (Rom 8:3) because he has humbled himself as a mere man (Phil 2:6-7) and undergoes the baptism of John; this baptism of Jesus is an announcement of his death on the cross (Mk 10:38);
o here we have another important virtue to learn: love that lowers itself for others; here we find the manifestation of the greatness of God-Love; but manifests in the manner which is contrary and incomprehensible to the mind of man; it is a greatness of love that is manifested in the act of humility, in the act of lowliness, in the act of utter degradation; He allows himself to be baptized, that is, to be immersed, in the waters of Jordan; we have to keep in mind two points here:
 Firstly, ti is not that Jesus was in need of baptism but he willed it; he allowed it; he permitted it; he desired it; he has surrendered himself completely to the design of God; all this is in response to the man who is self-satisfied with his limited and arrogant understanding of the world and himself and to the man who pretends to be in no way need of God; only in self-diminishing/ ‘humbling oneself’ that one can really feel and find the presence and power of God. The modern man is content with his technological developments and scientific progress and thus thinks in the pride of his capability that he can travel above the heavens; in this self arrogance he does not find any more time and space for the thought God and need of God. For this kind of attitude of man, Jesus’ love which is manifested in his humility gives an answer and makes him to realize the futility of the passing things and instills in him the desire to reach God;
 Secondly, Jesus reveals to the maximum his divine filial relationship to God: he proclaims himself in the silence of the human line and in the hidden gesture of being baptism that he is the Son of the One who has sent him and he is there to do everything for His glory; it also reminds us to bear always in our hearts that we are the children of God and thus we have the responsibility of obeying his word with total self-sacrificing love and thus manifest our filial bond that we have with God.
o The heaven were torn open (v.10): this imagination signifies that the communication is an act and that there is a communication between the heaven and the earth, between God and men; this kind of invocation previously appears in Isaiah 64:1: “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down”; and again at the hour of the death of Jesus there would be mentioning of the veil that is torn open which signifies that with the breaking opening the hurdle in the temple there is open also a possibility for the new communication between the heaven and earth (the veil in the temple represents the firmament of heaven).
o Spirit of tenderness and sacrifice in the form of a dove: the coming of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove helps us to comprehend the sense of the mission entrusted to the one who is ‘sent’ of God;
 the figure of a dove is in contrast to the imagination of an ‘eagle’ (Ex 19:4 and Deut 32:11) that has directed the marching of the people of Israel in Exodus to the promised land through the passage into the desert and into the waters of Jordan;
 the figure of a dove also reminds us of the ‘spirit of God’ hovering over the waters in the beginning and at the work of creation (Gen 1:2);
 the figure of a dove would also refer to the dove that Noah has sent out in the time of deluge, the great flood (Gen 8:8-12) and Peter connects it to the image of baptism of the purified humanity which has come out of waters (1 Pt 3:20-21);
 again, if we analyze the understanding of Hebrews of the image of a dove we get the complete meaning of it; they consider dove as an expression of sweetness, love and tenderness and in the same time they recall the idea of cry and suffering; this final impression come from the fact that the dove is the only suitable bird for being offered in the sacrifice.
o Therefore, the image of a dove orients Jesus towards a mission of love, of weakness, and of sacrifice.
o Beloved Son is realized in being ‘servant of the Lord’ (v.11): this verse that ‘you are my beloved son; with you I am well please’ sends us back to the Psalm 2:7 in which God affirms says to the Psalmist ‘you are my Son; today I have begotten you’ and the adjective of ‘beloved’ is used to constitute an allusion to the Isaac who was destined to the sacrifice (Gen 22:2, 12, 16 and Heb 11:17-19). This indicates that Jesus is the unique Son and that his relation to the Father is a relation of love. The last words of the phrase, “with you I am well pleased” are taken from the songs of the ‘Servant of the Lord” (Is 42:1) because Jesus is the servant of God who will fulfill his mission in the suffering and in the sacrifice;
o Therefore, the baptism of Jesus, through the various images, words, allusions, declares the sense of the mission given to Jesus: a mission of sweetness and love, which has to be realized through the humility of suffering and death and through which alone he enters into the kingship of the world.

- Baptism of Jesus reveals the reality of the Trinitarian God at work in every event of salvation:
o Our Christian faith confirms and proclaims that our God is Triune and three persons who are the ‘communion of reciprocal love’; in love three become one; theology also elaborates this truth by saying that ‘in love which is the binding force of union each person of the Trinity moves towards the other two with complete self-offering and with the total openness to be filled by others’. It becomes a play of love; in love there is total self-giving and total receptiveness; in love there are no conditions; in love there are no limits; in love there are no boundaries; therefore in perfect giving and receiving each stands before the others: because of love and it is for this reason we say that ‘God is Love’.
o In every event that God intends and brings into realization there is the presence of the Triune God: in the act of creation – there is the Creator, the Word he utters and the Spirit who hovers over the waters: and we say it is an act of the Father in the Son and in the Spirit; in the act of incarnation – there is the Father who wills and makes his Son enters into the world, the Son Jesus who obeys the Father and makes himself to appear in human form and the Spirit who makes this will of the Father and the incarnation of the Son possible with his power; now in the event of Baptism – there is the Son who stands there for the baptism, the Voice of the Father who testifies him as the Beloved Son, and the descent of the Spirit in the form of a dove; in this way, the Baptism of Jesus reveals the presence of the Trinity in the work of renewal of human being through the grace of baptism.

Conclusion:

- In the baptism we become the children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, members of the Church and indwelling place of the Spirit and the instruments of grace to others;
- In the baptism we are immersed into the mystery of Christ:
o into the mystery of incarnation of Jesus where we learn the act of ‘total humility of the self’,
o into the mystery of proclamation of the kingdom of God where we learn the act of ‘committed research into the depths of the principles of God’s will’,
o into the mystery of passion and death where we learn the act of ‘utter commending of the life’,
o at the end, into the mystery of resurrection where we learn the act of ‘testimony of new life’.
- In the baptism we participate in the death of Jesus and thus rise to new life; our life is transformed and our mission is reformed;
- Therefore, we have to carry with us always this truth that ‘in baptism we become children of God because we belong no more to the world but to God’, and that therefore, we have the responsibility of living a life of true children; thus on the one hand, let us enjoy our identity of ‘God’s chosen children and on the other hand, let us also enjoy our mission of suffering and sacrifice in love.