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Spiritual Reflection
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January 09, 2010 | | | |  | Spiritual Reflection for January 10, 2010
The Baptism of the Lord.
Baptism calls us to be fully immersed in the life and teachings of Christ.
The Baptism of Jesus signifies Jesus officially accepting the mission given to him by the Father. It also showed His full and complete submission to the will of his Father. When Jesus was fully and completely submerged in the waters of the Jordan, it represented what Jesus would have to give to win our salvation. Jesus would have to give everything he had -- his life upon the cross – so that the heavens, closed by Adam's sin, could be open to us. Then as Jesus emerged from the water, the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove, further strengthening him for the demanding work that lay ahead of him.
The Father then spoke words of delight to Jesus. These words were heard by others gathered around the river Jordan that day -- “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” From that moment on, Jesus fully embraced his role and mission as the Suffering Servant. Jesus was compassionate, and just. He proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom, which gave people hope and brought light to a world mired in darkness. Jesus was a source of healing and freedom. Jesus was focused, totally and completely, on fulfilling and completing the mission given to him by the Father.
As we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, we recognize the full commitment of Jesus to the will of the Father, but we also find in Jesus a model for what our won level of commitment should be. It cannot be just on Sunday or a couple of days a year. No, we must give our lives totally. Full commitment means to seek to do the will of God for our lives in all things, at all times. | | | | | |
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 Our Lady of Lourdes - In 1858, in a grotto, near Lourdes in southern France, Our Lady appeared 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous, a young peasant girl. She revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception, asked that a chapel be built on the site of the vision, and told the girl to drink from a fountain in the grotto. When Bernadette dug at a spot designated by the apparition, a spring began to flow. The water from this still flowing spring has shown remarkable healing power, though it contains no curative property that science can identify. Lourdes has become the most famous modern shrine of Our Lady. |
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