New heart, new spirit

Here is the reflection I prepared for this week's gathering of the people of God: some thoughts about the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, and an invitation to consider delving deeper into our understanding of God's infinite love for his children.

A new spirit for the baptized

How many people here today picked up the telephone at some point in the past week to call someone for no other reason than simply to say hello?  Perhaps the person on the other end of the line has been lonely or maybe he or she is living alone and you just wanted to make sure that that person was doing ok.

Whether it’s calling someone to say hello, or saying a prayer for someone who has been sick or facing some challenge or the other, we can all live our faith in concrete ways every day by reaching out to those around us, especially those who need to know that God and others are nearby.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  The gospel passage we read today reminds us of the day when Jesus himself went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John: the day when he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.  The day when he heard the Father’s voice speak from heaven: You are my Son, the Beloved: with you I am well pleased (Mk 1:9-11).  Like Jesus, many if not all of us have also had the experience of being baptized, although I’m not sure that the heavens rumbled, or that we saw evidence of the Spirit descending, or that we heard any supernatural voices speaking on that day.  Still, the truth is that on the day of our baptism, a special story of divine love was begun.  Since that time, each of us has been part of an ongoing adventure of love that will continue until the day we leave this world.

All of us have had experiences of calling a friend to say hello, and many are the times when I have found myself praying for those who are in need, but it’s not every day that we take the time to consider that these simple acts of kindness and compassion are responses to an invitation that is given to us by our God: an invitation to quench the thirst that lies deep within the heart of humanity by coming to the waters of his love (cf Is 55:1); and invitation to seek the Lord … and to call upon him when we need him, simply because we know that he is so near (cf Is 55:6).

We are preparing now for the fourth Season of Arise.  Once again, we are inviting you to consider taking the time to be part of a small faith-sharing group, a group of 6 to 8 people who will meet once a week for six weeks during the upcoming season of Lent.  People who have participated in the Arise program thus far have told us that they have met new friends, that they have enjoyed the experience of talking about their faith in an informal setting, that they have enjoyed the possibility of finally being able to ask some of the questions about our faith that they have never been able to ask before, and that they have discovered a rejuvenated relationship of faith.  The fourth season of Arise is called New Heart, New Spirit.  It focuses on the need for reconciliation in our lives and in our world.  These are perfect themes for the coming Lenten season.

Saint John reminds us that we have all been born of God through baptism (cf 1 Jn 5:1).  In fact, through baptism, we have all been made part of the great family of faith.  In the context of our human families, it is often our parents or members of our extended families who have hopes and dreams for us, who challenge us and who believe in our potential, sometimes even though we ourselves might not.  In the family of faith, God is the one who knows all that we are capable of.  Each day, he invites us to discover the potential of our faith and to share the joy of the relationship we share with him with those we meet.

Why not consider the possibility of exploring this relationship of love at a deeper level.  Small faith sharing groups will be formed in the coming weeks, and its not too late to participate in Season Four of Arise.  If you want to explore the relationship of love that God has begun with us, please think about signing up for one of these faith sharing groups.  Sign-up cards can be found at the entrance to the church.  They can be completed and then returned either to the parish office or in the collection baskets.  God wants to give us a new heart, a new spirit.  Are we ready to receive this gift of love?