Reading 1 Eph 1:11-14
In Christ we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the Gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
which is the first installment of our inheritance
toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 12-13
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Alleluia Ps 33:22
May your kindness, LORD, be upon us;
who have put our hope in you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 12:1-7
At that time:So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
“Beware of the leaven–that is, the hypocrisy–of the Pharisees.
“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”
BAPTISMAL "RICHNESS AND RESPONSIBILITY"
"In [Christ] we were chosen." –Ephesians 1:11
We Christians have been baptized into Jesus and, consequently, into His death and Resurrection (Rm 6:3-4). We have been baptized into Jesus and into His priesthood, prophetic ministry, and kingship (see 1 Pt 2:9). "In [Christ] we were chosen" (Eph 1:11; see also 1:13). In and with Him, we are heirs of God's kingdom (Rm 8:17; see also Eph 1:14). Baptized into Christ, we inherit the grace to be holy, pure, and free.
The ramifications of our Baptisms are so monumental and plentiful that we will spend eternity better appreciating "the radical newness of the Christian life that comes from Baptism" (Lay Members of Christ's Faithful People, Pope St. John Paul II, 10; see also Rm 6:3). Therefore, the bishops of the 1987 Synod recommended to baptized Catholics "a post-baptismal catechesis in the form of a catechumenate...with the purpose of allowing a person to grasp and live the immense, extraordinary richness and responsibility received at Baptism" (Lay Members, 61).
Our Baptisms are the basis for God's greatest gifts to us. This extraordinary richness gives us extraordinary responsibility. If we do not fully develop our Baptisms, we are seriously failing in stewardship. "When much has been given a man, much will be required of him. More will be asked of a man to whom more has been entrusted" (Lk 12:48). Fully develop your Baptism.
| PRAYER: | Father, I renew my baptismal promises as never before. |
| PROMISE: | "Fear nothing, then." –Lk 12:7 |
| PRAISE: | Pope St. Callistus made enemies by being merciful to sinners. |
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