Sunday Readings' Discussion Questions
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord , Jan. 13, 2013 (BaptismLordC)
From the Center for Liturgy at Saint Louis University
Sunday Readings
Podcast of the Readings
Video of Reflections on Readings
Lecturas y Comentarios
New American Bible
Prayer of the Hours
BQ: Why must Catholic parents to baptize their babies?
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Questions on Sunday's Readings for use by discussion groups,
prayer groups, or for individual prayer.
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First Reading
Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 or Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
1. In this reading (Isaiah 42), God says to the suffering servant, "Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased." Then in the Gospel a voice comes from heaven, saying to Jesus, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." What are the implications?
2. Wastelands, deserts, rugged land and rough country (Isaiah 40). Could these words describe the world today? The Church? Your spiritual life? Does this reading suggest that there is help in fixing these or do you have to do it all yourself?
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 29: 1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
1. The Psalm's verses speak of the power and splendor of the voice of the Lord, thundering over the waters. Have you heard God's powerful voice
speaking to you, anointing you as one of His chosen ones?
2. Our psalmist encourages us to give God the glory due His holy name. Tell of how you give God the glory in your activities and your everyday life.
Second Reading
Reading II: Acts 10:34-38 or
Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7
1. Did we do anything to earn salvation? Why does God give it to us? What does St. Paul in his letter to Titus say about the extravagance of God's gift to us?
2. In the reading from Acts, Peter is quoted as saying about Jesus: "He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil." Compare this with Isaiah in the First Reading: "I formed you…to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness."
Gospel
Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
1. John the Baptist was the middleman. He pointed back to Isaiah and forward to Jesus, connecting the whole plan. What or who are the "middlemen or women" who connect you with God? In what way are you a middle person?
2. Jesus stood in line with everyone else to be baptized. What does this tell you about him? Can you think of anything that God asks you to do that Jesus didn't experience in some way?
Sunday Bible Study Group
Please share your thoughts on these Sunday Readings. And please do use these questions for your own Bible study sessions with family and friends.
“Bow down before the Lord's
ReplyDeleteholy splendor!”
The Psalm is about the splendor
and the power of God. “Give
to the Lord the glory due God’s
name. Bow down before the Lord’s
holy splendor.” The Psalm speaks
of the voice of the Lord, “Thundering
over the waters.” “The voice of the
Lord is power, the voice of the Lord
is splendor.”
That same awesome voice was heard
over the Jordan River that day when
the heavens were torn open and the
Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus just
after he was baptized. What could be
more powerful than the voice of God
declaring, “This is my beloved Son,
with whom I am well pleased.”
What happened at the Jordan River
that day was to fulfill what the Lord
said to Isaiah (lst reading) – “Here is
my servant whom I uphold, my chosen
one with whom I am pleased, upon whom
I have put my spirit.”
The Lord's baptism may have
happened over 2000 years ago, but that
for us was an encouraging sign.
God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit
and power that day (2nd reading), the power
to serve the faithful (people like us), and
to do battle on our behalf with the devil.
From that time forward we too became
eligible to serve the Lord as His chosen
ones. Isaiah tells us what our spiritual
mission is to be: Like Jesus, we are to
be a light to the nations, and open the
eyes of the blind (those who do not know
the Lord). And imitating Jesus, we are
to bring out prisoners from confinement
(those who may be imprisoned by sin).
What better way would there be for us
to serve the Lord?
Amen