MEMORIAL OF SAINT APOLLINARIS OF HIERAPOLIS, BISHOP

SOLEMNITY OF THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

[Sunday after January 6 (Or Monday if Epiphany is celebrated on Sunday, January 7 or 8)]

SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ JANUARY 8, 2024

Greetings beloved family and Happy Feast of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank the Lord for the precious gift of baptism🙏

Watch “Holy Mass, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Presided by Pope Francis | From the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican | Sunday, January 7, 2024” |

Watch “Holy Mass on the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord and Holy Rosary on Monday, January 8, 2024 on EWTN” |

Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | January 8, 2024 |

Pray “Holy Rosary ALL 20 Mysteries VIRTUAL🌹JOYFUL🌹LUMINOUS🌹SORROWFUL🌹GLORIOUS” on YouTube |

Today’s Bible Readings: Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord, Monday, January 8, 2024
Reading 1 ~ Isaiah 55:1-11
Responsorial Psalm ~ Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6
Gospel ~ Mark 1 : 7-11

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF JANUARY – MONTH OF THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS: The month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. After the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit, the Angel Gabriel appeared to St. Joseph and told him that the Child’s name should be called Jesus, meaning “God Saves.” According to Jewish law, on the 8th day after his birth a male child was to be circumcised, receive his name, and become a full member of God’s covenant people. According to the old Roman liturgical calendar, the Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus was celebrated on January 1st, eight days after Christmas, the same day that He was given His sacred name. Currently we celebrate the Solemnity of the Mother of God on January 1st and honor the Holy Name of Jesus on January 3rd. For Catholics, Jesus’ sacred name is the object of a special devotion symbolized by the monogram “IHS,” (sometimes called a Christogram), which is the first three letters of the Greek spelling of His name.

On this special feast day, we continue to remember our beloved late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on the first memorial anniversary of his death. We pray for the repose of his gentle soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May the gentle soul of Pope Benedict XVI and souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯

Please let us continue to pray for peace all over the world, particularly in the Middle East, for an end to the current war in Israel-Palestine, and the Ukraine-Russia conflicts and for peace in our families and throughout our divided and conflicted World. Amen 🙏

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏

A PRAYER FOR PEACE: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the true King of peace. In You alone is found freedom. Please free our world from conflict. Bring unity to troubled nations. Let Your glorious peace reign in every heart. Dispel all darkness and evil. Protect the dignity of every human life. Replace hatred with Your love. Give wisdom to world leaders. Free them from selfish ambition. Eliminate all violence and war. Glorious Virgin Mary, Saint Michael the Archangel, Every Angel and Saint: Please pray for peace. Pray for unity amongst nations. Pray for unity amongst all people. Pray for the most vulnerable. Pray for those suffering. Pray for the fearful. Pray for those most in need. Pray for us all. Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on us. Jesus, hear our prayers. Jesus, I trust in You! Amen 🙏

Prayers for Peace | https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/prayers-for-peace/

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ.

THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: The Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord is closely connected with the Solemnity of the Epiphany; both are biblical manifestations of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. In the church’s liturgical year, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord concludes the Christmas season. Although traditionally Christmas is still being celebrated all the way up to the second day of February, the fortieth day since Christmas, marking a traditional forty days of Christmas season. But this day marks that transition from our focus and emphasis on the birth of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, and into His ministry and works in this world, with the moment of Baptism marking that significant new beginning and change. The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. This feast is also referred to as Theophany because at the baptism of Christ in the River Jordan God appeared in three persons. The voice of God was audibly heard to declare to the gathered crowd, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Originally the baptism of Christ was celebrated on Epiphany, which commemorates the coming of the Magi, the baptism of Christ, and the wedding at Cana. Over time in the West, however, the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord came to be commemorated as a distinct feast from Epiphany. It is now celebrated on the first Sunday following the Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord. This year, the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord is celebrated today, Monday, January 8, 2024.

The baptism of Christ in the Jordan is the second epiphany, or manifestation, of the Lord. The past, the present, and the future are made manifest in this epiphany. Pope Pius XII instituted in 1955 a separate liturgical commemoration of the Baptism. The Tridentine Calendar had no feast of the Baptism of the Lord for almost four centuries. Then the feast was instituted, under the denomination “Commemoration of the Baptism of our Lord”, for celebration on 13 January as a major double, using for the Office and the Mass those previously said on the Octave of the Epiphany, which Pius XII abolished; but if the Commemoration of the Baptism of Our Lord occurred on a Sunday, the Office and Mass were to be those of the Feast of the Holy Family without any commemoration. In his revision of the calendar five years later, Pope John XXIII kept on 13 January the “Commemoration of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ”, with the rank of a second-class feast. A mere 14 years after the institution of the feast, Pope Paul VI set its date as the first Sunday after January 6 (as early as January 7 or as late as January 13) or, if in a particular country the Epiphany is celebrated on Sunday January 7 or Sunday January 8, on Monday January 8 or Monday January 9.

Pope John Paul II initiated a custom whereby on this feast the Pope baptizes babies in the Sistine Chapel. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1213: “Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other Sacraments”. At His baptism Jesus sanctified the earth’s waters, giving water the power to beget sons of God through the Sacrament of Baptism. Through the cleansing waters of baptism Jesus heals our sinful nature and clothes us with His own Divine life, bringing us into the Kingdom of God. It is by imitating Our Lord in His Baptism that a person becomes a Christian, the first sacrament of initiation into the Church.

Through our own baptism, when we were welcomed into the Church, be it as infants or as adults, each and every one of us have been made part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, the same Body of Christ, the united assembly of all the people who are faithful in God, and counted among the flock of those whom God had called and chosen. Each and every one of us has professed our faith in the Lord, and renewed them every time we renew them ever since at Easter. Now, the question is, are we all truly aware of what we have been called to do as Christians? Are we aware of the missions and vocation which God has entrusted to each one of us in calling us all to walk in the path of righteousness and grace? Baptism is not the end of the journey of faith, especially for all those of us who have gone through the period of catechism and catechumenate, leading to our baptisms as adults. Baptism is the beginning of this new phase in our lives, as we enter into a life of holiness, free from the bondage and the tyranny of sin, evil and death. However, we can always fall back again into sin, and be corrupted again by the many temptations present all around us. Hence, it is important that we remain vigilant, and strive as always to live our lives as worthily as possible, in obeying the Law and commandments of God, and in ensuring that our whole lives, our every actions, words and deeds are always full of faith and grace of God. Let us all therefore recall the moments when we were baptised, and initiated into the Church and in receiving this Christian faith, and hence let us all recall the promises and commitments we have made at our baptism, and heed the Lord’s call for us to follow Him and walk in His path. Let our lives be truly faithful and full of Christian virtues, at all times, and each one of us become the shining beacons and examples of our faith to others around us. The Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, brings to an end the liturgical season of Christmas as we begin the first part of the Ordinary Time tomorrow. 

PRAYER: God of light, You sent Your Spirit down upon Your Son Jesus at His Baptism. Send us your Spirit too, so that we may be filled with the courage to do all that you ask of us. May the Lord our God be with us always in this journey of faith, and may He continue to bless our every works, good efforts and endeavours, done for His greater glory, now and always, forevermore. Amen🙏

On this special feast of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, we also celebrate the Memorial of Saint Apollinaris of Hierapolis, Bishop.

SAINT APOLLINARIS OF HIERAPOLIS, BISHOP: Saint Apollinaris Claudius (2nd c.), also known as Apollinaris the Apologist was a bishop in what is today Turkey. He was a Christian leader and writer of the 2nd century. He was one of the most illustrious Bishop of Hierapolis in Phrygia of the 2nd century who became famous for his polemical treatises against the heretics of his day, whose errors he showed to be entirely borrowed from the pagans. In 177 A.D. he published an “Apologia” for the defense of Christians, addressed to the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and appealing to the Emperor’s own experience with the “Thundering Legion”, whose prayers won him the victory over the Quadi, a people inhabiting the country now called Moravia. One of his legions, the twelfth, was composed chiefly of Christians. When the army was perishing for want of water, the soldiers of this legion fell upon their knees and invoked the assistance of God. The result was sudden, for a copious rain fell, and aided by the storm, they conquered the Germans. The emperor gave this legion the name “Thundering Legion” and mitigated his persecution.

It was to protect his flock against persecution that St. Apollinaris addressed his apology to the Emperor to implore his protection and remind him of the favor he had received from God through the prayers of the Christians. In light of this miracle, Apollinaris requested the Emperor’s protection of Christians from persecution. St. Apollinaris’ work earned him the moniker, “Apollinaris the Apologist.” St. Appolinaris had written many excellent treatises against the heretics but none of his writings is still in existence. His writings are largely lost, and what we know of his work comes to us from other early Christian writers including St. Jerome and Eusebius. Eusebius, St. Jerome, Theodoret, and others speak of him in the highest terms and great eulogies and they furnish us with the few facts that are known of him. The exact date of the death of St. Apollinaris is not known, but it probably occurred before that of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and the Roman Martyrology mentions him on the 8th of January.

PRAYER: God, You made St. Appolinaris an outstanding exemplar of Divine love and the Faith that conquers the world, and added him to the roll of saintly Pastors. Grant by his intercession that we may persevere in Faith and love and become sharers of his glory.
Amen🙏

Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints, on this special feast of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, we humbly pray and thank God for blessing us all with the gift of His precious son, may we be saved by the name and baptism of our Savior Jesus Christ! May our Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary support us by her intercession in our commitment to follow Christ on the way of faith and charity, the path traced out by our Baptism. We pray for all children and all those that will receive the Sacrament of Baptism on this special day. May they receive the Holy Spirit and grace of God. We pray for peace, love and unity in our marriages, our families and our world today, as we face these incredibly challenging times. We pray for God’s deliverance from impossible causes or situations. We pray for the sick and dying, especially sick children, those who are mentally and physically ill, strokes, heart diseases, and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for an end to wars, political and religious unrest. We pray for torture victims, the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable in our communities and around the world. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and for all widows and widowers. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Bishops, the Clergy and all those who preach the Gospel. We pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for all the innocent who suffer violence due to political or religious unrest, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world… Amen🙏

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today, The Baptism of the Lord | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 1:7–11

You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased

“This is what John the Baptist proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of His sandals. I have baptized you with water; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon Him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

In today’s Gospel reading, when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, He had an experience of the Spirit descending on Him, and He heard God His Father say to Him, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you’. At every baptism, something similar happens. Through the words and actions of the ritual, the Holy Spirit comes into the young life of the child, and God the Father says to the child, ‘you are my son, my daughter, the beloved; my favour rests on you’. The child’s baptismal identity is formed and affirmed at that moment, the child’s identity as a Temple of the Spirit, a son or daughter of God, a sister or brother of Jesus and our own sister or brother in Jesus. What a rich identity! There is indeed something to celebrate here. The short rituals that follow the moment of baptism proclaim the reality of this rich identity. The child is anointed with chrism, a precious oil what was used to anoint kings, priests and prophets, in recognition the child’s baptismal dignity. The child is clothed with a white garment, expressing that he or she has been clothed with Christ, wrapped in the mantle of His love. The baptismal candle is lit showing that the light of the Lord, the light of His risen life, has shone upon this child, and will remain shining upon him or her into eternity, a light that no darkness can overcome. Parents are asked to keep this light burning brightly. Jesus was fundamentally shaped by his baptism. It was the moment when His identity as God’s beloved Son was confirmed and when His mission arising from that identity was inaugurated, His mission to proclaim the reign of God’s love in and through His life and ministry, His death and resurrection. We too were fundamentally shaped by our baptism. We received a precious identity. We also received a mission that is rooted in that identity, the mission of sharing in the Lord’s work of bringing the rule of God’s love to the world. We received both a gift and a call. That is why every day we can say, ‘I am baptized’, and not just ‘I was baptized’. Baptism isn’t something that just happened to us in the past. It is an ever-present reality. We spend our lives catching up with what happened at the beginning of our Christian journey. Each day is a day both to celebrate the gift of our baptism and to respond afresh to the call of our baptism. Our baptism is a daily gift and it is also a daily call. Our baptism calls upon us, as it called on Jesus, to allow the love of God that has touched our lives to flow through us and touch the lives of others. The Spirit of our baptism empowers us each day to bring something of God’s love to others, especially to those most in need of it.

During the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord’s truth and ministry that He was to embark on, was all revealed to us, and to St. John the Baptist himself, as we heard of the Heaven itself being opened, and then the voice of the Father speaking, revealing that the One Whom St. John the Baptist had just baptised, is the Son of God, with the words, ‘You are My Son, the Beloved, the One I have chosen.’ This truth witnessed by St. John the Baptist and other people who were present, has been affirmed and acknowledged through the three testimonies of Water, Blood and Spirit. Each one of these testimonies confirmed that truly Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the One Whom all the prophets had been proclaiming and prophesying about, the One Who has brought God’s love and compassion into our midst, unveiling to us the fullness of God’s ever generous mercy and kindness, His love and care for all of us, His beloved ones. The Lord has shown us that He was not merely just making empty promises and big words without action, but truly putting all of His love for us into real action, loving us generously at all times.

In our first reading today, from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, God spoke to His people through Isaiah regarding the salvation which God had promised to all of us, and which He would send to us in fulfilment of all that He has promised, through the coming of His Messiah, or Saviour, the Word of God, sent to the world to carry out and accomplish everything that God had planned for us all. God promised that through His Saviour, He would gather all of His people to Himself, getting them, reaching out to them and helping them on their path and journey, calling on everyone to embrace His salvation and path, gathering all of us from the darkness of this world so that we may find the joy of God’s love, providence and care. All those promises have been made by the Lord to us His people, and He fulfilled them all through His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Whose Baptism and beginning of earthly ministry we recall and celebrate today.

As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures and rejoice today on this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, let us all spend some time to reflect on whether we have been truly faithful to God in our actions and deeds, in our way of life and believing in Him. If we have not been truly faithful and devoted to Him, then the time is now for us to really consider and discern our path going forward in life, and we should spend the time to think of how we can better glorify God by our lives and actions, in each and every daily moments and at all opportunities. Let us all strive to draw ever closer to God and to remain firmly committed to walk the path towards His salvation and grace, fulfilling and ever being mindful of our baptismal promises. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may the Lord, by Whose Baptism we have been saved, through His suffering and death on the Cross, and by His glorious Resurrection, empower us and strengthen us that we may always ever be faithful to Him, now and always. Amen 🙏

Let us pray:

Lord, I thank You for Your humble act of baptism by which You opened the Heavens to all who are sinners. May I open my heart to the unfathomable grace of my own baptism each and every day and more fully live with You as a child of the Father, filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus, I trust in You ~ Amen 🙏

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary and Saint Apollinaris of Hierapolis, Bishop ~ Pray for us 🙏

Thanking God for the gift of this new year and as we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ on this day, we thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit and we pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our world and for God’s Divine Mercy and Grace upon us all. Wishing all of us a most blessed, safe, healthy, prosperous and grace-filled New Year! Amen🙏

Blessings and  love always, Philomena💖