THE WORD
Part of a royal priesthood Lk 3:1-16. 21-22
The Baptism of the Lord marks the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. St Luke tells us that after his baptism in the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus and a voice from heaven reveals that he is the favoured one of God. Now he is anointed for ministry.
Jesus’  baptism marks the start of his public life just as our baptism marks the start of our new life as his brothers and sisters. If we have been baptised as infants, it is our parents and godparents who took on the responsibility of nurturing our relationship with God until such time as we were mature enough to live our Christian faith for ourselves. Adult baptism, on the other hand, is a decision taken by the individual for him or her self. By asking to be baptised they have already discerned that they want to follow Christ.
But baptism is not the end of the journey. As in the case of Jesus, it simply marks the beginning. Washed with water and anointed with oils, we are prepared for the journey that lies ahead. Jesus asked to be baptised not only as an example to us but so that he also would be given the strength to follow his true calling. It is encouraging for us to know that Jesus, the man, knew his need of God.

SAY
“I thank you, Lord, for the gift of faith and for being part of your Church. Help me to serve you faithfully. Amen

DO  
You won’t remember the day of your baptism (unless you were baptised as an adult), but take some time to think about that day and its significance. What have you been anointed for?

PRAY
Pray for bishops, priests and deacons who live their priesthood in a special way. Pray that the devastation caused to the innocent by a tiny minority of clergy will never be allowed to happen again.

LEARN

• Through our baptism we have become consecrated to Christ, part of a royal priesthood, a holy nation
•  Through baptism, we are one family, brothers and sisters
•  Our baptism impels us to play a full and active part in the life of the Church

REFLECT
Last June, on the feast of the Sacred Heart, Pope Benedict inaugurated the Year of the Priest. This year is an opportunity for Catholics to focus on the role of the priest and to pray for all priests and for vocations to the priesthood.
Pope Benedict is referring in particular to the ordained ministry, those who have chosen a particular way of life in the service of God and the Church. But priesthood is not restricted to the ordained ministry. All of us by virture of our baptism have been anointed into the priesthood of Christ, the royal priesthood.
This year of the priest is an ideal opportunity for us to reflect on our calling. Where does my vocation lie? How do I live out my Christian faith? If put on trial for being a Christian, would I be convicted or aquitted? It can be quite convenient to believe that simply by attending Sunday Mass we have done what is required of us. But Christianity goes much deeper than fulfilling the Sunday obligation. It is expressed in all our thoughts, words and deeds. As baptised members of the Church, each of us has a responsibility to work to bring about God’s kingdom.
Priesthood starts with each one of the baptised. Let this be a year of serious reflection on our vocation while at the same time appreciating and praying for those who have given their lives to the ordained ministry.

THE WORD
The last word John 1:1-18
The whole New Testament is really an attempt to answer the question Jesus puts to his followers: “Who do you say I am?”  Yet the Gospels are not biographies of Jesus. They don’t tell his story from birth to death, but rather reflections on his significance in God’s plan of salvation for the world.
In today’s Gospel, we read John’s wonderful account of who Jesus is. In this opening passage of his Gospel, John outlines the bare bones of the story, which he will fill in with stories and parables as the narative unfolds.
John’s reflection springs from the very beginning of creation. Jesus is the Word of God, present with God before time began. Through him all things came to be, and he gives life to all that exists. He is God’s only Son, through whom all of creation has the opportunity to share in God’s life. He has pitched his tent in the midst of our world, and begun his mission, announced by John the Baptist. Christ is the light that shines so brightly no darkness can overcome it. But people have refused to recognise the light, and they languish in the darkness. Those who do hear the Word, however, and respond to him will becalled the children of God.
As Christians, we are called to respond to God’s word, and to be God’s voice and light in our world today. Through our sharing in the Eucharist, may we renew our commitment to help the Light of God to shine in our world, through our lives and by our example.

SAY
“You, Lord, are the light of the world. Help me to place my trust in you. Amen.”

DO 
Light a candle and place it in your window as a sign that Christ has come into your life.

LEARN 

•   Actions reveal the true measure of our words
• Jesus is the Word of God, the Word of life
• We are called to speak God’s words to others

PRAY
Repeat the prayer that we say before receiving Holy Communion. Pray it from your heart. “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you but only say the word and I will be healed.”

REFLECT
There was once a good and kind man who wasn’t keen on Christmas. He admitted he just didn’t understand why God would choose to become a human being. Being an honest man he wouldn’t go to church with his wife because he felt it was hypocritical.
One Christmas eve when his wife and children were at church he heard a thud at the window. Thinking it might be children throwing snowballs he went to have a look. There were no children, only a flock of birds struggling to find shelter from the storm. In their distress they had tried to fly throgh the window. Concerned about their plight, the man tried to encourage them into his barn where it would be warm. But try as he might, even enticing them with food, the birds would not go in. Instead they scattered, fearful of him, before dropping once more to the ground. It became apparent to the man that the birds must think of him as quite frightening and strange.
He wondered how he could get them to trust him and wished that he was a bird,  just for a short time, so that he could lead the to safety.
As he was thinking this he heard the church bells ring.  For a moment he was silent and then it hit him, “Now I understand,” he whispred. “Now I see why You had to do it.”
This Christmas parable, written by Louis Cassels, highlights how difficult we find it to understand the great mystery of the incarnation, and why God found it necessary to come amng us as one like ourselves. ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only son’ so that we might have eternal life.  God took on our flesh so that we might live. He did it to show us the way to salvation.