A NEW WAY OF LIVING
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: Today we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. The Baptism confirms the identity of Jesus as God’s Son and begins a new way of living for him.
Our baptism, too, makes us sons and daughters of God, and initiates a new way of life. We pray that we may understand the significance of our baptism and live it every day.
Penitential Rite
L: For the times we have failed to live as children of the Father and as sisters and brothers to one another.
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: God of salvation,
in the river Jordan
you bathed your Son Jesus in glory
and revealed him as your obedient servant.
Strengthen us to acknowledge your Christ,
that we who are reborn in his likeness
may walk with him the path of obedience.
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 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
Response The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Reading 2 Acts 10:34-38
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered:
This is my beloved Son, listen to him.
Gospel Matthew 3:13-17
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 see him ask John to baptise him?
Sunday Snippets
A 10-year-old boy, Cameron, walked into the pastor’s office with a request: “I’d like to be baptized. We were learning about Jesus’ baptism. The teacher asked the class who was baptized and all the other kids raised their hands. I want to be baptized too.”
The pastor gently asked: “Cameron, do you want to be baptized only because everyone else is?” The boy replied, “No. I want to be baptized because it means I belong to God.”
The pastor was moved by his understanding and suggested that Sunday for his baptism. Cameron asked: “Do I have to be baptized in front of people in the church? Can’t I just have a friend baptize me in the river?” The pastor asked where he came up with that idea. “Well, Jesus was baptized by his cousin John in a river, wasn’t he?”
The pastor conceded: “You have a point. But, if a friend baptized you in the river, how would the church recognize it?” Realizing this was a teachable moment, the pastor reached for the Ritual Book. But before he could pick the book, Cameron responded: “I guess by my new way of living.” The Book stayed on the shelf! Cameron’s understanding of baptism was profound in its simplicity.
Baptism does signify that we belong to God, a belonging seen in a new way of living.
It was thus with Jesus’ baptism. The Father affirmed his sonship: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Empowered by the Spirit, who descended on him at his baptism, Jesus started proclaiming the kingdom of God, began teaching and healing, and restored broken lives instead of broken furniture.
He, thus, fulfilled the mission of the Servant of Yahweh, which we heard in the First Reading. This text gives us both the method and the content of Jesus’ mission: not by loud and violent means but by going about doing good and healing all who are bruised and broken.
It is the same with us. Our baptism is not simply a one-off ceremony or a ritual recorded in some dusty parish register. It must pervade our entire life. Through baptism we become sons and daughters of God; we belong to him. The Spirit empowers us to live this new life as God’s children.
Is my baptism seen in my way of living? Can people recognise that I belong to God?
May we live our baptism so that the Father may be able to say of us: “This is my beloved son/ daughter, with whom I am well pleased.”
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: The main objective of the Chosen One is to bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth. How does Isaiah say he will accomplish this enlightening of the world? How does the Church help to accomplish it today?
Reading 2: How do I “love God and obey his commandments”? How do I testify to my belief that “Jesus is the Son of God”?
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 live our baptismal consecration and thus become witnesses of God’s love for all people, 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 the terminally ill, the poor, and the needy: that they may know the strengthening and renewing power of the Spirit and the care of the Christian community, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that God may help us follow the commandments through loving God and our neighbour, 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,
you are baptized,
and we see the Spirit descend on you
and hear the Father’s proclaim that you are his beloved Son.
Let us come
up from the water too,
into a new life of your Spirit and of your love.
May we live this new life
as daughters and sons of our heavenly Father.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Our God and Father,
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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