Sunday Bible Readings for Mass January 13, 2008 The Baptism of Our Lord with Traditional Catholic Commentary

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January 13 2008 Sunday
Baptism of Jesus

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/011308.shtml – Note. The Official Liturgical readings may not match the current NAB you may have.

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
Douay-Rheims Challoner

1 Behold my servant, I will uphold him: my elect, my soul delighteth in him: I have given my spirit upon him, he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. 2 He shall not cry, nor have respect to person, neither shall his voice be heard abroad. 3 The bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench, he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. 4 He shall not be sad, nor troublesome, till he set judgment in the earth, and the islands shall wait for his law.
6 I the Lord have called thee in justice, and taken thee by the hand, and preserved thee. And I have given thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles: 7 That thou mightest open the eyes of the blind, and bring forth the prisoner out of prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

Acts 10:34-38
Haydock New Testament

34 Then Peter, opening his mouth, said:

In truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. 35 But in every nation, he that feareth him, and worketh justice, is acceptable to him. 36 God sent the word to the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all). 37 You know the word which hath been published though all Judea; for it began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached, 38 Jesus, of Nazareth: how God anointed him with the Holy Ghost, and with power, who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed by the devil: for God was with him.

The Gospel According to Saint Matthew 3:13-17
Haydock NT

13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan, unto John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John stayed him, saying,

I ought to be baptized by thee, and comest thou to me?

15 And Jesus answering said to him:

Suffer (allow) it now: for so it becometh us to fulfil all justice.

Then he suffered him. 16 And Jesus being baptized, went up presently out of the water: and behold the heavens were opened to him: and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him, 17 And behold a voice from heaven, saying:

This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.

Haydock Commentary Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7

• Ver. 1. My servant. Christ, who, according to his humanity, is the servant of God, (Ch.) and Redeemer of others; none else being able to satisfy for themselves. W. Phil. ii. 7. C.—This passage clearly refers to the Messiah, (Chal. Kimchi) who was prefigured by Cyrus. v. 6. C. Hugo.—It is quoted by S. Mat. (xii. 18) who has some variations both from the Heb. and the Sept. (C.) particularly the first part of v. 4. which the Sept. render, “He shall shine, and shall not be broken.”
• Ver. 4. Islands. Sept. and S. Mat. “the Gentiles shall hope in his name.” H.
• Ver. 6. Gentiles. This was literally verified in Christ. Cyrus is also styled the just, (C. xli. 26.) and gave liberty to many nations.
• Ver. 7. House. The Jews out of captivity, prefiguring the redemption of mankind. These miracles proved that Jesus was the Messiah. Lk 7:22.

Haydock Commentary Acts 10:34-38

• Ver. 35. In every nation, &c. That is to say, not only Jews, but Gentiles also, of what nation soever, are acceptable to God, if they fear him, and work justice. But then true faith is always to be presupposed, without which, (saith S. Paul, Heb. xi. 6.) it is impossible to please God. Beware then of the error of those, who would infer from this passage, that men of all religions may be pleasing to God. For since none but the true religion can be from God, all other religions must be from the father of lies; and therefore highly displeasing to the God of truth. Ch.—He that feareth him, and worketh justice. SO he calls the prayers, alms-deeds, and charitable works of this Gentile Cornelius. Wi.
• Ver. 36. God sent the word. By this word, some understand the eternal Word, the Son of God; but by the next verse, we may rather expound it of the word of the gospel preached. Jesus Christ … he is Lord of all things. A proof of Christ’s divinity. Wi.
• Ver. 37. For it began, or its beginning was, &c.

Haydock Commentary Matthew 3:13-17

• Ver. 16. He … went up, &c. Christ was in the river when he was baptized. As soon as he went out, and was praying, says S. Luke, (iii. 21,) the heavens were opened to him, or in favour of him; and he saw the Spirit of God descending: i.e. Christ himself saw the shape of the dove, which was also seen by the Baptist, as we find, Jo. i. 33. And it was perhaps seen by all that were present.—As a dove, or like a dove in a bodily shape. The dove was an emblem of Christ’s meekness and innocence. Wi.—Calmet supposes that it was S. John that saw the Spirit of God descend thus upon Jesus Christ. The Greek text is favourable to this interpretation. But the Vulgate supposes it was Jesus Christ himself. S. John declares that he saw the Spirit; (John i. 32) but this apparent disagreement is easily cleared, by supposing that both saw the shape of the dove, and also the surrounding crowd, and that they all heard the voice of the Father, as it was heard by the disciples in the transfiguration on Mount Thabor, (c. xvii,) and by the crowd in the temple. John xii. T.
• Ver. 17. This most solemn testimony of God the Father, relative to his own beloved Son, is repeated below in c. xvii’ and is of such great moment, that the Holy Ghost would have it repeated not only by three evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but also by S. Peter, as a fourth evangelist, 2 ep. c. i. T.—In Greek, the emphatic article ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, strengthens the proof that Jesus Christ, upon whom the Spirit of God descended in the shape of a dove, was not the adoptive, but natural Son of God, born of Him before all ages, and should silence every blasphemous tongue and pen that can attempt to rob Jesus Christ of his divinity, and poor man of all hopes of salvation, through this Godman, Christ the Lord. But if it here be asked, why Jesus Christ, who was innocence itself, yes, and the very essence of sanctity, condescended so far as to be baptized with sinners, we answer, with the Holy Fathers, that it was, 1. to sanction the baptism and ministry of his precursor; 2. not to lose this opportunity of teaching humility, by placing himself among sinners, as if he had stood in need of the baptism of penance for the remission of sins; and lastly, with S. Ambrose, that it was to sanctify the waters, and to give to them the virtue of cleansing men from their sins by the laver of baptism. A.