Sunday Readings
Commentary and Reflections
Baptism of the Lord C
January 10, 2016
In preparation for this Sunday’s liturgy
As aid in focusing our homilies and sharing
Prepared by Fr. Cielo R. Almazan, OFM
The focus is on the mission of God’s Son.
1st reading: Isaiah 42,1-4.6-7
Presenting his servant and his mission
 1 Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one
with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my
spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, 2 not
crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in
the street. 3 A bruised reed he shall not break, and a
smoldering wick he shall not quench, 4 until he
establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait
for his teaching.
God’s direct address to his servant
 6 I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set
you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners
from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who
live in darkness.
1st reading: Isaiah 42,1-4.6-7

Commentary
1 Here is my servant whom
 In v.6, God tenderly speaks
I uphold, my chosen one
about his servant’s vocation.
with whom I am pleased,
 He will be victorious in his fight
upon whom I have put my
for justice. (successful,
spirit; he shall bring forth
effective)
justice to the nations, 2 not
crying out, not shouting,
 God has shown himself to be a
not making his voice heard
kind father to his servant/son.
in the street. 3 A bruised
 “He holds him by the hand”
reed he shall not break,
evokes the tender guidance of
and a smoldering wick he
the Father to his son.
shall not quench, 4 until he  “I formed you” may no longer
establishes justice on the
refer to his being formed in his
earth; the coastlands will
mother’s womb, but to his
wait for his teaching.
education, formation as his
servant grows up. (formed)
1st reading: Isaiah 42,1-4.6-7

6 I, the LORD, have
called you for the
victory of justice, I
have grasped you by
the hand; I formed
you, and set you as a
covenant of the
people, a light for the
nations, to open the
eyes of the blind, to
bring out prisoners
from confinement, and
from the dungeon,
those who live in
darkness.

Vv.6-7 also indicate the
big mission of his
servant:
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To be a covenant of the
people (source of bonding)
To be a light to the nations
(guide)
To open the eyes of the
blind (gives
understanding)
To bring out prisoners from
the prison cell (liberator)
To bring those in darkness
out of dungeons
(redeemer, ransom-er).
Reflections on the 1st reading
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Like God’s servant in Isaiah, we are also called to
establish justice on the earth.
We have been called to serve God’s interests by
virtue of our baptism.
It is a contradiction in terms if we, Christians,
cause injustice, or, if we do not work for justice.
Now we do not talk of justice due only to us,
individuals (human rights), but also due to
society (social justice) and to the environment
(environmental justice).
We can’t establish justice if we are isolated from
one another. (need for networking, Laudato Si)
Resp. Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10

(11b) The Lord will bless his people with peace.

1 Give to the LORD, you sons of God,
give to the LORD glory and praise,
2 Give to the LORD the glory due his name;
adore the LORD in holy attire.
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3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters,
the LORD, over vast waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is mighty;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
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9 The God of glory thunders,
and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
10 The LORD is enthroned above the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as king forever.
Resp. Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10

(11b) The Lord will bless his
people with peace.

1 Give to the LORD, you sons of
God,
give to the LORD glory and praise,
2 Give to the LORD the glory due
his name;
adore the LORD in holy attire.

3 The voice of the LORD is over
the waters,
the LORD, over vast waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is mighty;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.

9 The God of glory thunders,
and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
10 The LORD is enthroned above
the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as king
forever.
Commentary
 The responsorial psalm
speaks of the good effect
of God’s coming
(blessing).
 Vv.1-2 exhort the people
to give God glory and
praise.
 In vv.3-4, God’s voice is
amplified. It can be heard
everywhere. It can’t be
ignored.
 In vv.9-10, God as king is
enthroned above nature.

God is forever king.
Reflections on the Psalm
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It is a Christian imperative to praise and glorify
God.
Christians must recognize that God is king.
He deserves all our praise and thanksgiving.
We, as a community of believers, can properly
praise God in our liturgy, in our churches.
God is best praised when we do it in one voice.
In relation to the first reading, we praise God
best when we are transformed.
The focus is on the activities of Jesus.
2nd reading: Acts 10,34-38

34 Then Peter proceeded to speak and said, "In
truth, I see that God shows no partiality. 35
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and
acts uprightly is acceptable to him. 36 You know
the word (that) he sent to the Israelites as he
proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is
Lord of all, 37 what has happened all over
Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that
John preached, 38 how God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the holy Spirit and power. He went
about doing good and healing all those oppressed
by the devil, for God was with him.
2nd reading: Acts 10,34-38
Commentary
God himself
 Intro: Peter, the apostle,
 34 Peter proceeded to
preaches in the house of
speak to those gathered
Cornelius, a Gentile. He
in the house of
explains why he is there.
Cornelius, saying, "In
(in previous verses)
truth, I see that God
shows no partiality. 35  In v.34, Peter affirms
Rather, in every nation
that
whoever fears him and
 God has no partiality.
acts uprightly is
 God does not discriminate
against the Gentiles.
acceptable to him.

God accepts all individuals
who fear him and are
righteous. V.35
2nd reading: Acts 10,34-38
God through Jesus Christ  V.37 points to the events
 36 You know the word
after the baptism of Jesus
(that) he sent to the
by John.
Israelites as he proclaimed
 V.38 points also to the
peace through Jesus
Christ, who is Lord of all,
event when God anoints
37 what has happened all
Jesus with the Holy Spirit
over Judea, beginning in
and power.
Galilee after the baptism
 This is the baptism of Jesus.
that John preached, 38
how God anointed Jesus of  V.38b indicates the mission
Nazareth with the holy
of Jesus after his baptism.
Spirit and power. He went
 Doing good
about doing good and
 Healing those oppressed by
healing all those
the devil (exorcism)
oppressed by the devil, for
God was with him.
Reflections on the 2nd reading
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As God loves everyone, so must we. Jesus’ ministry
consists in healing, in casting out demons and in doing
good works.
In our baptism, we are called to share in the mission of
Jesus (preaching, healing, exorcising demons of our
society, and forgiving).
Let us not squander our vocation. Let us take
responsibility… Let us not become instruments of the
devil that promotes complacency and negligence.
Let us live as committed / engaged Christians. Wake
up laity. Don’t be clericalized, according to Pope
Francis. Your mission is in the secular world.
Gospel reading: Luke 3,15-16.21-22
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15 The people were filled with expectation, and all were
asking in their hearts whether John might be the
Messiah. 16 John answered them all, saying, "I am
baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is
coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his
sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.
21 After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also
had been baptized and was praying, heaven was
opened 22 and the holy Spirit descended upon him in
bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven,
"You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."
The focus is on the baptism of Jesus.
A simple outline!
Gospel reading: Luke 3,15-16.21-22
John, not the Messiah
 15 The people were filled with expectation, and all were
asking in their hearts whether John might be the
Messiah. 16 John answered them all, saying, "I am
baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is
coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his
sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.
Jesus, the Messiah
 21 After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also
had been baptized and was praying, heaven was
opened 22 and the holy Spirit descended upon him in
bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven,
"You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."
Gospel reading: Luke 3,15-16.21-22
John, not the Messiah
 15 The people were
filled with
expectation, and all
were asking in their
hearts whether John
might be the
Messiah. 16 John
answered them all,
saying, "I am
baptizing you with
water, but one
mightier than I is
coming. I am not
worthy to loosen the
thongs of his
sandals. He will
baptize you with the
holy Spirit and fire.
Commentary
 V.15 indicates that the people
regard John so highly, so
much so that they think he is
the Messiah.
 In v.16, John clarifies he is not
the Messiah.

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The Messiah is mightier than he
is.
The Messiah will baptize them
with holy Spirit and fire, not just
water.
Gospel reading: Luke 3,15-16.21-22
Jesus, the Messiah
 21 After all the
people had been
baptized and
Jesus also had
been baptized
and was praying,
heaven was
opened 22 and
the holy Spirit
descended upon
him in bodily form
like a dove. And a
voice came from
heaven, "You are
my beloved Son;
with you I am well
pleased."
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V.21 indicates that all the people
have been baptized, including Jesus.
V.21 seems to indicate that John’s
work is over.
V.21 indicates that Jesus was
praying.
“Heaven opened” means salvation
has dawned.
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Now, we can go to heaven.
Now, the Holy Spirit can descend upon
Jesus, like a dove.
V.22 includes a voice from the Father.
The Father affirms the divine sonship
of Jesus.
Reflections on the gospel reading
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In our baptism, God declares that we are his
children.
Baptism is not just a matter of God cleansing us
from our sins, or, a sign of our conversion.
It is, first of all, a process in which we become
God’s children.
When we read the story further (temptation and
sermon in Nazareth), we are led to think that our
baptism is a step towards combating against
temptations (the desires of the devil) and doing our
mission (the will of God).
Our baptism is the beginning of taking
responsibilities (mission) as God’s children (saying
no always to temptations).
Tying the 3 readings and the Psalms
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The first reading informs us the mission of God’s
servant.
The psalm speaks of God coming to bless us. It
also speaks of God enthroned above the waters
(The imagery reminds us of floodwaters or waters of
baptism).
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The second reading speaks of Jesus’ mission
after his baptism.
The gospel reading speaks of the baptism of
Jesus.
How to develop your homily / sharing
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We, preachers, must develop the meaning of
baptism.
There are two baptisms to explain:
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That of Jesus.
Our baptism.
The gospel reading makes clear to us, in the
story of baptism, that Jesus is God’s son.
The Father in heaven acknowledges him to be his
beloved son, in whom he is well pleased.
The Holy Spirit (in the form of a dove) is with
him.
Jesus is mightier than John the Baptist.
Jesus is the Messiah.
We should make the proper conclusions when
we learn something about the titles of Jesus.
 He is not just an ordinary human being.
 He comes from God; he has an extraordinary
mission.
 Therefore, we should take his words seriously.
 We know later on that he is here to proclaim and
establish God’s reign.
 Jesus’ baptism is the beginning of his fight
against the devil (in temptations) and his mission
to proclaim (to spread out) the kingdom of God.
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What is the meaning of our baptism?
According to our catechism, it takes away the original sin.
It restores us to our original dignity.
It is also the beginning of our mission.
As we do our mission, we are also called to defeat the
evil one.
The evil one entices us to violate God’s commands, to
renege our childrenhood.
It puts us into the test (inilalagay tayo sa alanganin, para
mapahamak tayo).
It makes us doubt our identity as God’s children.
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Our baptism is the beginning of our mission.
Taking the cue from the first reading, our mission as
God’s servants is to bring about peace and justice in the
land.
We should not complain if people are hostile to us. To
engage in mission, we must be willing to suffer.
It is about to bring healing to the wounded and remedy to
the deprivations.
It is a mission of liberation from all physical and moral
evil.
In the second reading, we are told in a summary
form how Jesus went about his mission after his
baptism.
 Jesus went about doing good and liberating
people from evil that oppresses them.
 He was able to do these things because God
was with him and was full of power.
 We must also believe that God is with us,
powered up by his Word and Spirit.
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Certainly, in our parishes, we need a lot of
explaining to the people about the meaning of
baptism.
Many Christians are baptized, but they don’t
know its implications in their lives.
They are “sacramentalized” (baptized), but not
evangelized, not engaged in evangelization
(mission).
The meaning of their baptism is not fully
understood.
Hence, we have a bunch of nominal or pious
Christians, but not committed, or have sense of
mission.
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Catechism or instruction both for the adults and
for the youth, is a part of the pastor’s priority.
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Catechism is explaining who God is to us and his
mission.
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Well-catechized people and families are more
prepared to accept Jesus in their lives and in the
Eucharist.
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They practice their faith according to the
teachings of the Church, without being fanatical.
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They understand better their faith and theology
and act accordingly for the transformation of the
world.
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The eucharist is the sacrament received by those
who are faithful to their baptismal vows.
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The eucharist is not for those who shun mission.
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True understanding of baptism must necessarily
lead us to the reception of the eucharist.
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The eucharist is the strength of those who share
in the mission of Christ.
Our Context of Sin and Grace
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No catechism
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Well-catechized
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No budget for catechists
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Exaggerated baptismal
celebrations without
knowing its meaning
Pastors and sisters who are
concerned with catechetics
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Faithful to baptismal vows
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Christians with a sense of
mission
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No follow up after 1st
communion
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No ongoing formation
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Uncompromising with evil
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Disease due to sinful
lifestyle
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Regular in receiving Holy
Communion
Suggested Songs
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Go Tell Everyone
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Sumasampalataya Ako
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa0Mzl9d
dGw
by Fr. Marcelo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGupNKiYt2s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO_O7BLczhs
Isang Pananampalataya
by Hontiveros