January 12th 2014 The Baptism of the Lord Vol.20 No.2

First Reading A reading from the prophet Isaiah Ref: Is 42:1-4.6-7
The description Isaiah gives of the Suffering Servant is one that is fulfilled in the person and the mission of Jesus; one who brings justice or knowledge of the true God; with the qualities of meekness, patience and mercy; the one who brings salvation and establishes a new covenant between god and his people.

Thus says the Lord: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have endowed him with my spirit that he may bring true justice to the nations. He does not cry out or shout aloud, or make his voice heard in the streets. He does not break the crushed reed, nor quench the wavering flame. Faithfully he brings true justice; he will neither waver nor be crushed until true justice is established on earth, for the islands are awaiting his law. I, the Lord, have called you to serve the cause of right; I have taken you by the hand and formed you; I have appointed you as covenant of the people and light of the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, top free captives from prison, and those who live in darkness from dungeon.
This is the word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm This psalm, which may originally have been adapted from a pagan hymn, "The voice of the Lord upon the waters" suggest a voice from heaven at the baptism of Jesus.

(R) The Lord will bless his people with peace.

O give the Lord you sons of God,
give the Lord glory and power;
give the Lord the glory of his name.
Adore the Lord in his holy court. (R)

The Lord's voice resounding on the waters,
the Lord on the immensity of waters;
the voice of the Lord, full of power,
the voice of the Lord, full of splendour. (R)

The God of glory and thunders.
In his temple they all cry: "Glory!"
The Lord sat enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits as king forever. (R)

Second Reading A reading from the Acts of the Apostles Ref: Ac 10:34-38
Here Peter is preaching to a non-Jewish audience and wants to make clear that god has extended salvation to all peoples. He point to the presence of god in Jesus, in his teaching and in his good works. This presence was made clear at His baptism.

Peter addressed Cornelius and his household: 'The truth I have now come to realise' he said 'is that God does not have favourites, but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him.
'It is true, God sent his word to the people of Israel, and it was to them that the good news of peace was brought by Jesus Christ - but Jesus Christ is lord of all men. You must have heard about the recent happenings in Judaea; about Jesus of Nazareth and how he began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil.' This is the word of the Lord.

Gospel A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew Ref: Mt 3:13-17
In Matthews's short account of the baptism of Jesus the emphasis is on Jesus as the Son of God, more than the baptism. The coming of the Holy Spirit seals the mission of Jesus with divine approval. In this we see an echo of our own baptism, celebrated in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and making us adopted children of God.

Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. John tried to dissuade him. 'It is I who need baptism from you,' he said, 'and yet you come to me!' But Jesus replies, 'Leave it like this for the time being; it is fitting that we should in this way, do all the righteousness demands.' At this, John gave in to him.
As soon as Jesus was baptised he came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. And a voice spoke from heaven, 'This is my Son, the beloved; my favour rests on him.' This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Cloughduv Camogie Club A.G.M. on Wed 15th Jan at 8 pm in Cloughduv Complex. All welcome.

Second Collection
A second collection will be held at all Masses next weekend, January 18/19th. This is one of the four annual collection for Diocesan Funds.

Mass this week in Kilmurry
Masses next weekend. Jan. 18/19th
Vigil:
Canovee 6.30 p.m.
Kilmurry 8.00 p.m.
Sunday:
Kilmurry 10.a.m.
Cloughduv 11.30 a.m.

Anniversary: Daniel Harte, Crookstown

Thank You
The Christmas Recital by St. Joseph's Choir, Cloughduv on December 22nd last, raised €1,050 which this year goes towards the Cork Simon Community. A big 'Thank You' to all who attended and contributed so generously.

Post-Christmas

Long after the angels disappear into the heavens, the shepherds return to their flocks, the magi journey home and the great star sets, Jesus remains. The Child in whom we rediscover God's great love for humanity becomes the adult Redeemer who challenges us to imitate his selflessness and compassion in order that we might transform our world in love. . . May we allow the miracle of Christmas to continue long after the holiday trappings have been packed away; may we welcome the adult Messiah and his challenging Gospel to recreate our lives, making the peace, justice and hope of this holy season a reality in every season of the new year."

Reasonable Doubt
A defendant was on trial for murder. There was strong evidence indicating guilt, but there was no corpse. In the defence's closing statement the lawyer, knowing that his client would probably be convicted, resorted to a trick.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you all," the lawyer said as he looked at his watch. "Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this courtroom." He looked toward the courtroom door. The jurors, somewhat stunned, all looked on eagerly. A minute passed. Nothing happened.
Finally the lawyer said, "Actually, I made up the previous statement. But, you all looked on with anticipation. I therefore put to you that you have a reasonable doubt in this case as to whether anyone was killed and insist that you return a verdict of not guilty." The jury, clearly confused, retired to deliberate. A few minutes later, the jury returned and pronounced a verdict of guilty.
"But how?" inquired the lawyer. "You must have had some doubt; I saw all of you stare at the door."
The jury foreman replied, "Oh, we looked, but your client didn't."

A Year of Time
Though even thinking on the subject of time may prove discomforting, it is not a bad idea-especially at the beginning of a new year.
As we look into 2014 we look at a block of time. We see 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds. And all is a gift from God. We have done nothing to deserve it, earn it, or purchased it. Like the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life. The gift of time is not ours alone. It is given equally to each person. Rich and poor, educated and ignorant, strong and weak-every man, woman and child has the same twenty-four hours every day.
Another important thing about time is that you cannot stop it. There is no way to slow it down, turn it off, or adjust it. Time marches on.
And you cannot bring back time. Once it is gone, it is gone. Yesterday is lost forever. If yesterday is lost, tomorrow is uncertain. We may look ahead at a full year's block of time, but we really have no guarantee that we will experience any of it.
Obviously, time is one of our most precious possessions. We can waste it. We can worry over it. We can spend it on ourselves. Or, as good stewards, we can invest it in the kingdom of God. The new year is full of time. As the seconds tick away, will you be tossing time out the window, or will you make every minute count?
Steven B. Cloud

THE DEEP END o POINTING THE WAY
John the Baptist was driven by one mission: to point people to Jesus, to prepare the way for Jesus. Yet John is uneasy in this account of Jesus' Baptism. The moment has arrived but he is standing before someone much greater than himself and is being asked to minister. John feels unqualified, unworthy of such a task. After some persuasion 'John gave in to him' and accepted his responsibility. This is a lesson to all of us, not to let feelings of inadequacy stop us from carrying out our various missions and vocations in our lives. Jesus explains to John that this is necessary as a sign for the beginning of his ministry, a public statement of identity.
Pope Francis recently set us some homework: to find out the date of our baptism. He added: 'We are all part of the Church. If you say you believe in God, and if you say you believe in God but not in the Church, you're saying you don't believe in yourself, and that's a contradiction. We all are the Church, all of us. From that little child recently Baptised to the bishops and Pope, all of us'. He is reminding us to think deeply about what our baptism means for us, that moment when we were sent out to be part of God's mission in this world, in our local communities and sent out to minister to those around us, even if we feel unworthy of such a task. Take example from John the Baptist today and don't forget your homework!
Ref: Intercom Magazine

Canovee ICA Meeting in Canovee Hall on Mon Jan 13th at 7.30pm. All members please attend to arrange 50th Celebrations of the Guild