In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Christ, our King.
Thy Kingdom come!
Preparatory prayer (to put me in the presence of God)
Jesus, what a joy and what a gift to have this time of prayer to be able to be alone with You. I want to discover you and know you more deeply. I want to hope in you more firmly. I want to love You more. Only You can give me these gifts
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Mark 1:7-11
At that time John preached, saying, «He who is stronger than I is coming after me, and I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals by bowing down. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit». And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And as soon as he came up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn apart and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, descending on him. And a voice was heard from heaven, «You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased.».
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Sometimes, God's will is burdened with a fog of mystery. No one expected Christ, the Son of God, to approach the poor prophet John to be baptized. Even the Baptist himself tried to prevent him. But when the Master asks, one must know how to lower one's head....
The slogans of our beloved world, proclaiming the age of freedom at all costs, have but enslaved man to his own whims and disorderly tendencies. Never has man been so bound by the chains of his pride, anger, and greed... The Master, on the contrary, proclaims the freedom of the spirit by humbling himself before the prophet, to whom he says: “It is fitting that it should be so”. Only after this act of simplicity is the divinity of Christ revealed, culminating in the words of the Father: “This is my beloved Son...” Why is Christ the beloved of the Father?
Precisely because he offered himself for the salvation of mankind, making reparation for Adam's sin. We will never understand that a whole God degrades himself to the point of becoming a creature, a man. But the teaching has not ceased to be the same: “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart”. Christ does not presume to be God and to have everything. He presumes to be meek and humble. And in fact, the image of his death, chosen by the prophets, will be that of a meek lamb led to the slaughter...
The humble man is peaceful and patient. He lives trusting in the Providence of the Father. He does not rejoice in successes, nor despair in failures. Because he knows that God watches over him, and that he will never, never, never leave him alone.
«When Jesus received John's baptism in the Jordan River, “the heavens were opened.” This fulfills the prophecies. Indeed, there is an invocation that the liturgy makes us repeat in the season of Advent: “Would that you would rend the heavens and come down!” If heaven remains closed, our horizon in this earthly life is bleak, without hope. Instead, as we celebrate Christmas, faith has once again given us the certainty that the heavens were rent with the coming of Jesus. And on the day of Christ's baptism we still contemplate the open sky. The manifestation of the Son of God on earth marks the beginning of the great time of mercy, after sin had closed heaven, raising a barrier between man and his Creator. With the birth of Jesus, heaven opens».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, January 12, 2014,).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer, prepare yourself to talk with much love with the One who loves you.
Purpose
Propose a personal one. The one that involves the most love in response to the Beloved... or, if you believe that this is what God is asking of you, live what is suggested below.
Take the time to visit the Blessed Sacrament to thank Christ for his love for my baptism.
Farewell
We thank you, Lord, for all your benefits, you who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
Christ, our King!
Thy Kingdom come!
Most prudent Virgin, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
