Contemplating today's Gospel
Today's Gospel + homily (in 300 words)
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made; by the breath of his mouth all their host. For he spoke, and it was made; he commanded, and it stood forth.
See, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness, to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine.
Our soul waits for the Lord, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, o Lord, be upon us who have put our hope in you.
“Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit”
Mons. F. Xavier CIURANETA i Aymí Emeritus Bishop of Lleida (Lleida, Spain)Today, the liturgy invites us to worship the Most Holy Trinity, our God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One only God in three Persons, in whose name we have been baptized. By the grace of Baptism, we are called to participate in the life of the Most Holy Trinity down here, in the darkness of faith, and, after death, in eternal life. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we have been made partakers of the divine life, becoming children of God Father, brothers and sisters in Christ, and temples of the Holy Spirit. In Baptism, our Christian life began, receiving the vocation to sanctity. Baptism makes us belong to the One who is supremely Holy, the "three times Holy" (cf. Is 6:3).
The gift of sanctity received in Baptism calls for fidelity to a task of evangelical conversion that must always guide the life of God's children: "This is the will of God, your holiness: that you refrain from immorality" (1 Thess 4:3). It is a commitment that affects all the baptized. "All the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity " (Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, n. 40).
If our Baptism was the true entrance into the holiness of God, we cannot be content with a mediocre, routine, and superficial Christian life. We are called to perfection in love, as Baptism has introduced us into the life and intimacy of God's love.
With deep gratitude for the benevolent plan of our God, who has called us to participate in His life of love, let us worship and praise Him today and always. "Blessed be God the Father, and His only Son, and the Holy Spirit, for He has shown mercy to us" (Entrance Antiphon of the Mass).
Thoughts on Today's Gospel
“I have tasted and seen with the light of the intellect in Your light, the abyss of You, the eternal Trinity, and the beauty of Your creature, for, looking at myself in You, I saw myself to be Your image.” (Saint Catherine of Siena)
“The mysterious God is not infinite loneliness; he is an event of love. The Son and the Father are both one in the Spirit, who constitutes, so to speak, the atmosphere of giving and loving which makes them one God.” (Benedict XVI)
“All the Old Covenant prefigurations find their fulfillment in Christ Jesus. He begins his public life after having himself baptized by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan. After his resurrection Christ gives this mission to his apostles: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you’ (Mt 28:19-20).” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Nº 1223)
