Sunday, January 9, 2011

I Am Well Pleased

On this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, as we conclude the Christmas Season, I am meditating on whether or not I am likely to hear these words spoken by the Father to Jesus at His Baptism when I stand before Him for my judgment. Following up on yesterday's meditation, I need to consider just what effect my Baptism had on me. If I am conscious of the obligations and responsibilities that come from being a child of God, then I can be hopeful that I will become one of those beloved sons and daughters in whom the Father is well pleased. But it takes a lot of work and a lot of practice. That is one reason I really love the phrase "practicing Catholic". Our entire lives are spent practicing how to be a worthy member of the family of God, and I need to keep practicing each and every day.
I am using this day to reflect on how I can become a better child of God, how I can live out my baptismal responsibilities in a deeper and more meaningful way. If I continue to try each day, I hope that one day I, too will hear the words “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17).
And I pray that you will hear yourself called a beloved daughter or son as well!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great follow up from today's message in Mass. After a rough week for my 14 year old, I was so glad she was able to hear your message today. We were just talking about how (even when people are mean), we have to remember that Jesus is present in them...just sometimes we have to look real hard. Great reminder that we are all hoping to hear God say that He is 'pleased' with us!!!