EXPERIENCING UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: We celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father. We celebrate the Father’s total and unconditional love for his Son, a love that strengthens him for his mission.
In this Eucharist, we pray that we become aware that we are beloved sons and daughters of the Father and draw strength for our mission of communicating the Father’s love for all people.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have failed to live as children of the Father, we ask the Lord to forgive us.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you are mighty God and Prince of Peace:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you are Son of God and Son of Mary:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you are Word made flesh and splendour of the Father:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Gloria
Opening Prayer
L: Open the heavens,
almighty Father,
and pour out your Spirit upon us.
Renew the power of our baptismal cleansing
and fill us with zeal for good deeds.
Let us hear your voice once again,
that we may recognise in your beloved Son
our hope of inheriting eternal life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
Psalm Psalm 104:1b-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28, 29-30
Response O bless the Lord, my soul.
Reading 2 Acts 10:34-38
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
John said: One mightier than I is coming;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Gospel Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine being present when Jesus was baptised in the Jordan. What are your thoughts and feelings when you hear the voice which came from heaven?
Sunday Snippets
Martin Copenhaver, Whispered in Your Ear, writes: I don’t remember the first time I walked, but it was probably something like this: I stood with my mother; my father was three steps away. I set out, wobbling and stumbling, but made it from one set of arms to the other… on my own. Then perhaps my father lifted me high in the air with great joy as if I were the first in human history to walk! After numerous hugs and exclamations, I must have felt like the most loved, greatest boy in all the world.
After some time, I could walk with more assurance and grace… but I didn’t receive much praise. In fact, I can’t remember the last time someone praised me for walking across a room. So I had to do other things… to get back to that feeling: of being valued, of being picked up with delight, of being affirmed and loved.
So it goes through life. We don’t have many experiences of unconditional love, and so we try to create conditions which will make people love us. We forget an all-important fact: if people love us for our achievements, it is not love!
On the feast of the Baptism of the Lord we celebrate the unconditional love of the Father of his beloved Son. The readings of today affirm this.
The Gospel ends with the words: “You are my Beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.” Since it comes at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, this affirmation is not because of his achievements. The Father says: “I love you.” Period! Total, unconditional love!
The first reading is the first servant song in Isaiah. God calls, forms and commissions his servant for a specific mission. The emphasis is not on the mission but on God’s love for his chosen.
The Father, who loved and affirmed his Son totally and unconditionally at his baptism, does the same for us, his beloved children at our baptism. God values you and me, not because of our achievements but because we are his beloved. All that you and I must do is to listen to him affirm us!
But human as we are, we need to hear this declaration of love often (Jesus needed to hear that affirmation again at the Transfiguration). So, you and I need to love and affirm one another. This is a concrete way of living out our baptism – by sharing and communicating our experience of God’s love for us.
Am I aware that I am a beloved son/daughter of God? Have I experienced his love for me in a concrete and tangible way? And do I share that experience with others so that they, too, may experience the Father’s love for them?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: God says: “here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying to Jesus, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased. What are the implications?
Reading 2: In the reading from Acts, Peter says this about Jesus: “He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed…” What does this mean for me?
Gospel: When have I felt most beloved by God? How can I make my life a more pleasing sacrifice to God?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Today Christ shows himself to us as the Son intensely loved by the Father, and anointed with the Spirit. That we may recognize our calling as God’s beloved children, we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may recognize and honour the dignity which God has given us in being called his children, we pray…
R: For the leaders of nations: they may renounce all forms of discrimination and treat all people as God’s children, we pray…
R: For all who are preparing for baptism and for all who are newly baptized: that they may allow the Spirit of God to guide their growth in faith, wisdom, and holiness, we pray…
R: For parents of young adults: that they may guide them as they embark on life’s journey, encourage them toward responsibility, and support them through the challenges that they will encounter, we pray…
R: For all children: that they may grow safely in body, mind, and spirit, and develop their gifts and talents to their fullest, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that we may experience the anointing of the Holy Spirit to help us live as daughters and sons of God, we pray…
L: Lord our God, you called us to a new and radical way of life when we were baptized. Keep renewing us through your Spirit, that we may have the courage to live out our baptismal promises and live as your daughters and sons. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Lord,
the Father said in a loud voice:
“You are my beloved Son;
with you I am well pleased.”
Lord God,
in and through my baptism,
you have made me your beloved daughter/son
and I can call you Abba!
What is amazing and consoling is
that you love me
not because of my achievements,
not because of my behaviour,
not because of my capabilities,
not because of my degrees.
You just love me because you are love.
You love me unconditionally.
Help me to mirror your love in a small way.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Our God and Father,
you have opened heaven to us
to fill us with the Holy Spirit.
Make us new and call us away
from our uncertainties, fears, and empty attachments.
Send us out to go forward without fear
on the road of your justice and peace,
that we may be your beloved children
together with your faithful Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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