Daily Reflection – 1/8/2024
Sacred Scripture
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.” (Mark 1: 7-11)
Reflection
The moment for which John the Baptist was living His life happened on this day. The Messiah stood before Him, John the Baptist baptized Jesus and then God, the Father, spoke in an audible voice for all to hear, “You are my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Can you envision that day? I know you can. The crowd watched as the very heavens opened and their salvation, and ours, began.
When difficulty arises in our life, when we feel alone or pressed down by the weight of our lives, we begin to wonder about ourselves as followers of Christ. There are times when we might question our very worth, or question the teachings of Jesus, or even wonder where God is in these moments.
It’s in these moments that we must rise above our humanity and hold on to our Christian foundational beliefs.
You are the reason why the Father sent His son. You are the very reason that His Son preached His Gospel. Your importance to God is so great that His Son reminded us that He would not rest until God our Shepherd brought the one lost sheep home.
But sometimes it’s still hard to find consolation in those beliefs. They just seem so far beyond us – perhaps even while the words might seem comforting, we just can’t seem to bring their meaning alive in our lives.
And that is exactly when we must stop and literally surrender ourselves to our Father. How? It’s quite simple. We begin by repeating these words: “Lord, I surrender my life to you.” Repeat these words as if they were a mantra. Repeat them throughout your day. Pray them.
As we do that, there will be a pronounced change in our life. In our surrendering ourselves to Him, we are opening ourselves to His involvement in the days of our life. It’s in these moments that His Spirit begins to become more active within us. Jesus did. He bowed His head in humility and was anointed with the waters of Baptism. He then lived His life so that we would know His Father’s kingdom.
The Lord Jesus is ever ready to renew us in his Holy Spirit and to anoint us for mission. We are called to be “light” and “salt” to those around us. The Lord wants his love and truth to shine through us that others may see the goodness and truth of God’s message of salvation. Ask the Lord Jesus to fill you with his Holy Spirit that you may radiate the joy of the Gospel to those around you.
Our world needs each of us to recognize the waters of our baptism. Our baptism washed away our sinfulness. We need to always remember the mercy of God transparent in that. As he showed us His mercy then we too should live our lives grounded in that mercy. To understand that no matter what we may think of ourselves, we are important to God. We are needed to help His word to come alive in others.
Never forget how vital you are. Never forget how you can affect another. Do so in His love. Bring alive His mission for your life.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus, I want to take a moment to thank you for your wonderful gift of baptism, the moment when you opened for me the doors to heaven, the moment from which I can be called one of your followers. Through my baptism I can be truly called a Christian! Help me to be worthy of this calling. Strengthen me today with your grace and presence. Guide me along the path of life. Help me to be your light in the world.”
Daily Note
God has made us God’s own. God has chosen us as sons and daughters and God continually surrounds us with gifts that bring us life and joy God’s sons and daughters, we who claim God’s love and recognize God’s blessings, are the people who can say without hesitation that “the best things in life are free.”
