Collect Series : Solemnity of Baptism Of The Lord

 Collect Series

The Mass: Collect series icon.

COLLECT

 

The Collect for Solemnity of Baptism of the Lord reads as follows:

Almighty ever living God,

who when Christ had been baptised in the River Jordan

and as the Holy Spirit descended upon Him,

solemnly declared Him Your Beloved Son,

grant that your children by adoption, reborn of water and the Holy Spirit,

may be well pleasing to You.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. What does the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord mean to me?

2. What does being a child of God through adoption mean to me?

3.  Do I hear God say to me’ You are my Son/daughter the Beloved- My favour rests on You’?

4.What is my relationship with the Holy Spirit?  How might I deepen that relationship this year?

5.How will I be pleasing to God this coming week/this month/this year?

 

Gospel Reflection: Beloved and Sent

 

Matthew 3:13–17 Theme: “You Are My Beloved Son.”

Setting the Scene

Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. This moment marks the transition from His hidden life to His public ministry. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, calling people to prepare their hearts for the coming of the Messiah. Yet here stands Jesus — the sinless One — stepping into the waters alongside sinners.

John hesitates, recognising that Jesus does not need repentance. But Jesus insists, saying that it is fitting “to fulfil all righteousness.” In this act of humility and obedience, Jesus fully enters into the human condition. He stands in solidarity with humanity, embracing the path that will ultimately lead Him to the Cross.

As Jesus emerges from the water, the heavens are opened. The Spirit of God descends like a dove, and the voice of the Father is heard: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” This revelation unveils the heart of the Trinity and confirms Jesus’ identity and mission at the very beginning of His ministry.

 

The Baptism of the Lord reveals who Jesus is — and, in a profound way, who we are called to be. Before Jesus performs any miracles, teaches crowds, or calls disciples, He is named and claimed as Beloved. His identity is not rooted in what He does, but in who He is in relationship with the Father.

This moment reminds us that our own baptism is not simply a past event, but a living reality. In baptism, we too are named as beloved children of God. God’s delight in Jesus extends to us — not because of our achievements, but because we belong to Him.

The opening of the heavens signals that something new has begun. God is no longer distant. The Spirit moves freely, and Jesus is anointed for mission. From this point onward, Jesus will teach, heal, forgive, and call others to follow Him — all flowing from this foundational truth of being loved.

The descent of the Spirit also reminds us that discipleship is not lived by our own strength. The same Spirit who rested upon Jesus accompanies us, empowering us to live faithfully in the ordinary rhythms of daily life. Ordinary Time begins not with dramatic demands, but with a quiet assurance: You are loved. Now go and live from that truth.

Personal Reflection

The Baptism of the Lord invites us to pause at the very beginning of Ordinary Time and remember who we are. Before we strive, serve, or try to improve ourselves, God speaks a word of love over us.

In the busyness of life, it is easy to forget this truth. We can begin to measure our worth by productivity, faithfulness by effort, and holiness by perfection. Yet today’s Gospel gently calls us back to the waters of baptism, where God simply says: “You are my beloved.”

Ordinary Time offers us the space to live out this identity day by day — not in extraordinary gestures, but in ordinary faithfulness. Each choice to love, forgive, listen, or trust becomes an echo of our baptismal call. As we begin this season, we are invited to let our lives flow from belovedness, not striving.

Questions for Reflection·     

• What words or images from Jesus’ baptism stay with me today? 
  
• How do I understand my own baptism — as a past memory or a living identity?  
• Where do I struggle to believe that I am truly beloved by God? 
• What voices compete with God’s voice in shaping how I see myself? 
• How might my daily life change if I lived more consciously from my identity as God’s beloved child? 
• In what ordinary moments is God inviting me to live out my baptismal call this week?
  
  
  What is a Solemnity.
  
  

  What is a Solemnity in the Catholic Church?

  A Solemnity is the highest rank of liturgical day in the Roman Catholic calendar.

  It commemorates central mysteries of the faith or persons of supreme importance in salvation history, and it is celebrated with the greatest liturgical weight and fullness that the Church gives to any feast.

  What do Solemnities celebrate?

  Solemnities primarily fall into four categories:

1. The Lord (God Himself)
   – e.g. Christmas, Easter, Trinity Sunday, Pentecost
2. The Paschal Mystery
   – events directly connected to Christ’s saving work
3. The Blessed Virgin Mary (in her role within salvation history)
4. Saints of universal importance
   – especially St Joseph, St John the Baptist, St Peter and St Paul
   
   

   Solemnities of the Lord (10):

   Mary, Mother of God (1 January)

   Epiphany of the Lord

   Easter Sunday

   Ascension of the Lord

   Pentecost

   Most Holy Trinity

   Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)

   Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

   Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

   Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)

Solemnities of the Blessed Virgin Mary (4):
 Immaculate Conception
Assumption
Annunciation of the Lord (theologically Christological, but Marian in celebration)
Mary, Mother of God (already listed above but counted here thematically)

of Saints (3):

15. Nativity of St John the Baptist
16. St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
17. Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles

(Different official lists sometimes group them slightly differently, but the total remains the same.)

 

Why does the number sometimes seem higher?

In addition to the 17 universal Solemnities, there are also:

National Solemnities (e.g. patron saints of a country)
Diocesan Solemnities
Parish Solemnities
Solemnities proper to religious orders
The Solemnity of the Dedication of a Church

These are true Solemnities, but they apply only locally, not to the whole Church.

That is why people often say:

“There are about 17 Solemnities — but more if you count local ones.”

Both statements are correct, depending on context.

Defining characteristics of a Solemnity

A Solemnity is distinguished by the following liturgical features:

1. Gloria is sung or said (except during Advent and Lent when otherwise prohibited)
2. Creed is professed
3. Three Scripture readings are used (even on weekdays)
4. First Vespers (Evening Prayer I) is celebrated the evening before
5. Te Deum is used in the Office of Readings
6. White or proper liturgical colour is used (unless red or another colour is proper)
7. If it falls on a Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Solemnity replaces the Sunday

In other words, the Church treats a Solemnity as if it were a Sunday, and in some respects with even greater theological focus.

A concise theological summary

A Solemnity is the Church’s highest act of liturgical remembrance, reserved for the mysteries and persons most intimately bound to the identity of God, the work of salvation, and the structure of the Church herself.

• Closing Prayer

Loving Father,
You revealed Your Son as the Beloved at the waters of the Jordan.
Help me to remember that I, too, am claimed and loved by You.
Send Your Spirit upon me anew,
that I may live each day rooted in Your love
and faithful to the call You have placed upon my life.
Amen.

 

Come Holy Spirit Series: Spirit of Truth

 Come Holy Spirit Series

Come Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit — Spirit of Truth

 A New Year, a Deeper Unfolding

As we continue our journey of getting to know the Holy Spirit more intimately, we now turn to some lesser-known but deeply meaningful titles drawn from Scripture and tradition. These may not appear in our common liturgical language, but they carry profound truths about the Spirit’s role in our lives.

Each name offers us another doorway into mystery—another way the Spirit reaches out to us in love.

Title: Spirit of Truth

            Scripture

“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but will speak whatever He hears, and He will declare to you the things that are to come.”
— John 16:13

         Reflection

Jesus introduces the Holy Spirit to His disciples not as a force or feeling—but as a Person who speaks, listens, guides, and reveals. And in this moment, He names the Spirit something essential and unshakable: the Spirit of Truth.

Truth is not only facts or doctrine—it is reality as God sees it. To live in truth is to live in alignment with God’s love, will, and wisdom. Yet, we often struggle to know what’s true—about the world, about others, and especially about ourselves.

The Spirit of Truth isn’t sent to condemn, but to liberate:

• To guide us through the fog of confusion.
• To reveal what God is doing even when we can’t yet see it.
• To speak to our hearts the truths we’ve forgotten or never dared to believe.

Truth and love are not opposites—they walk hand in hand in the Spirit.

A Personal Word

I wonder if you, like me, have ever found yourself saying, “I just don’t know what’s true anymore.” In a noisy world of opinions and narratives, the Spirit of Truth doesn’t shout louder—He whispers more deeply.

He reminds me that truth is not always easy, but it is freeing. It is never far away, because Truth Himself dwells within us.

When I quiet my soul, He is there—gently correcting, guiding, reminding me of who I am in Christ. The Holy Spirit never shames us but wants to restore us.

What truth do you need the Spirit to speak into your life today?

Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth.
Speak into the confusion of my heart.
Where I have believed lies, reveal Your truth.
Where I am afraid to see, give me courage.
Where I have distorted Your voice, purify my hearing.
You are not a spirit of fear or accusation,
but the Spirit of clarity, peace, and light.
Guide me into all truth—
the truth about You,
the truth about myself,
and the truth about my calling in this world.
Amen.

 

Come Holy Spirit Series The Fire of Love-The Holy Spirit as Flame.

 Come Holy Spirit Series

Come Holy Spirit 

The Fire of Love — The Holy Spirit as Flame

1. Scriptural Roots: Fire as a Sign of the Divine

From the burning bush in Exodus 3 to the tongues of fire at Pentecost in Acts 2, fire is one of the most powerful and consistent biblical images of God’s presence. It reveals, purifies, and empowers. The Holy Spirit as the Fire of Love captures all three of these dimensions.

• Acts 2:3-4 — “Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”
• Matthew 3:11 — “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Here, fire is not destructive but transforming. It burns away sin, lukewarmness, and fear — making room for divine love and holy zeal.

2. A Love That Consumes but Does Not Destroy

The Holy Spirit, as the Fire of Love, acts like the flame in the burning bush — alive, holy, drawing attention, but not consuming. This fire refines rather than annihilates:

• It purifies our intentions and hearts.
• It enflames our love for God and others.
• It ignites the Church for mission.

St. John of the Cross often described the action of the Spirit as a living flame of love — a love that wounds sweetly, heals deeply, and invites us into divine intimacy.

3. The Fire Within: Personal Transformation

When we speak of being “on fire with the Spirit,” we are not speaking metaphorically. The experience of the Spirit can be just that powerful: stirring restlessness, bringing tears, evoking joy, inspiring boldness, or calling to repentance.

Signs of this interior fire:

• A growing desire for prayer and silence.
• A new compassion for others, especially the suffering.
• A boldness in witness and proclamation.
• A shedding of spiritual apathy or coldness.

This fire brings both comfort and challenge — warming our hearts but pushing us beyond ourselves.

 

4. The Fire That Unites and Divides

Jesus said: “I came to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49). The Spirit’s fire sometimes divides — not by hatred, but by decision. Those set aflame with the Spirit’s love must choose: do I remain the same or surrender to the fire?

This flame is not tame. The Spirit burns away idols, illusions, and comforts. It calls us to love as God loves — sacrificially, without conditions.

5. Prayer: Come, Fire of Love

Come, Holy Spirit, Fire of Love.

Burn away all in me that resists Your will.

Kindle in me the flame of divine affection —
for God, for others, for the poor, for truth.

Set my heart ablaze so that others, drawn to the warmth,
may come to know the light of Christ.

Amen.

 

Collect Series: Feast of the Holy Family Year A

 Collect Series

The Mass: Collect series Icon

FEAST OF HOLY FAMILY YEAR A

 

COLLECT

O God who were pleased to give us the shining example of the Holy Family,

Graciously grant that we may imitate them in practicing the virtues of family life and the bonds of charity,

And so in the joy of Your house, delight one day in eternal rewards.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged:

1.    What is the shining example of the Holy Family?

2.    Why did God us the example of the Holy Family?

3.    What answer do I give to someone who mocks the Holy Family and/or who says they are irrelevant today?

4.    What are the virtues of family life?

5.    How will I practise the virtues of family life this coming week?

6.    What spiritual goals will I implement in this  coming year?

Matthew 2:13–15, 19–23

Theme: “Out of Egypt I called my Son.”

Setting the Scene

The tenderness of Bethlehem gives way to urgency and danger. An angel warns Joseph in a dream to take the Child and His Mother and flee to Egypt, for Herod seeks to destroy Him. In the dark of night, Joseph obeys immediately. The Holy Family becomes a family of refugees, guided only by faith and trust in God’s promise. 

In Egypt, they live among strangers, waiting until another angel announces that it is safe to return. They settle in Nazareth, fulfilling what the prophets had foretold: that the Messiah would be called a Nazarene. 

This passage reminds us that God’s protection often comes through quiet obedience and that holiness sometimes requires courage in the face of uncertainty.

Gospel Reflection

Matthew presents Joseph as a man of action rooted in faith. He listens, discerns, and obeys without hesitation. His silence speaks volumes — a faith that does not argue or delay, but trusts completely in God’s plan.  The Holy Family’s journey mirrors the journey of Israel — out of Egypt, through exile, and back into promise. Jesus, the new Moses, will later lead His people from the slavery of sin to the freedom of grace.  Their flight also reveals the vulnerability of love. God enters a world of danger, not as a powerful ruler but as a Child carried in the arms of His parents. Holiness here is not serene comfort but courageous love that protects, endures, and trusts.

Personal Reflection

This Gospel speaks to every family that has faced fear, change, or hardship. The Holy Family shows us that divine strength often takes the form of quiet resilience.  Like Joseph, we are called to listen to God’s voice, even when it leads us into unfamiliar places. Like Mary, we are called to trust that God’s providence will not fail us.

Every home becomes holy when love is stronger than fear, when faith lights the path through uncertainty, and when obedience is shaped by compassion.

The flight into Egypt reminds us that God’s plan is at work even in the detours — that our journeys, too, can become sacred if we walk them with trust.

 

Questions for Reflection

1. How do I respond when God’s plans interrupt my own?
2. What can I learn from Joseph’s quiet, immediate obedience?
3. Where do I find the courage to trust God in times of uncertainty?
4. How might my own family or community be called to “flee” from harmful patterns or influences?
5. What helps me remember that God’s protection sometimes comes through simple faithfulness?
6. In what ways does the Holy Family’s journey reflect my own spiritual pilgrimage?

Closing Prayer

Lord God,
You guided the Holy Family through danger and exile,
and led them safely into Your promise.
Protect our families with the same watchful love.
When we face fear or uncertainty,
teach us to listen as Joseph listened,
to trust as Mary trusted,
and to walk in faith as they walked.
May our homes be places of refuge,
our hearts temples of Your presence,
and our lives paths of obedience to Your will.
Amen.

 

Moments with the Gospel Series: The Tender Mercy of God

 Moments With The Gospel

Moments with the Gospel series;

The Tender Mercy of God

As I was meditating on Luke 1:78 Gospel for Christmas Even ( morning Mass, the expression the word tender leapt off the page. I wanted to savour it more.

“The tender mercy of our God…” (Luke 1:78)

First, notice that Scripture does not just say mercy.
It says tender mercy. Those adjective matters.

Let us turn our attention to What tender is not.

1. What tender is not

Tender is not:

• Harsh
• Rushed
• Impatient
• Distant
• Clinical

God’s mercy is not administered like a verdict or a transaction.
It is not “You are forgiven, now move on.”

2. The feel of the word tender

Tender is a felt word.  It evokes:

• A hand placed gently, not gripping
• A wound being touched carefully, not pressed
• A voice lowered, not raised
• A closeness that knows fragility

Tender assumes vulnerability in the one being touched.

God does not approach us as if we are sturdy.
He approaches us knowing we are easily bruised.

3. The original sense (why Luke chose this word)

The Greek word Luke uses (splanchna) refers to the deep inner organs — the gut, the womb, the place where emotion is physically felt. Think about that for a few moments- deep inner organs…that is where God wishes to gives us His tender mercy.

This is not surface kindness. This is mercy that:

• aches
• stirs
• moves from deep within

God’s mercy is visceral. It comes from His depths toward ours.

 

4. Tender mercy at the manger

Now place this word beside Christmas.

God does not arrive: with force, with volume, with dominance Rather He arrives as an infant, unable to speak, unable to defend Himself, dependent on human care- the care of Mary His mother and Joseph his step father.  He has no royal throne but born in a stable amongst the animals. That is tender mercy embodied.

God does not shout forgiveness from heaven.
He lies in straw and gazes on the world with His tender mercy.

5. Tenderness assumes time

Tender things cannot be rushed.

You don’t rush tending a baby, don’t rush touching a wound or don’t rush comforting grief

The tender mercy of God moves at our pace, not His power.

This is mercy that waits for us to be ready.

6. A Christmas Eve invitation

Perhaps today’s Gospel is not asking us to do anything. Perhaps it is asking us to:

• stop bracing
• stop explaining
• stop proving
• stop holding ourselves together

And to let ourselves be treated tenderly by God Even — especially in the places we hide.

.

 

Come Lord Jesus series Fourth Sunday of Advent Year A

Come Lord Jesus series

Advent Wreath: Come Lord Jesus series Icon.

Fourth Sunday of Advent — Year A

Entrance Antiphon:

“Drop down dew from above, you heavens,

and let the clouds rain down the Just One;

let the earth be opened and bring forth a Saviour.”

(cf. Isaiah 45:8)

Reflection

Advent now reaches its final threshold. The long watching, the repeated promises, the patient waiting all gather into a single, urgent prayer: “Drop down dew from above.” The Church no longer speaks only of preparation; she speaks of imminence. Heaven is addressed directly. Earth is commanded to open. Salvation is no longer distant — it is about to take flesh.

Isaiah’s imagery is rich and deliberate. Dew does not fall with force or noise. It arrives gently, silently, almost unnoticed — yet it brings life wherever it rests. This is how God chooses to come. Not with violence, not with spectacle, but with a quiet, life-giving descent. Advent has trained us to recognise this kind of coming: humble, faithful, transformative.

“Let the clouds rain down the Just One.”
The Saviour who comes is righteous — not merely morally upright, but perfectly aligned with the will of God. He comes to set right what is distorted, to restore what has been bent by sin, to bring justice that heals rather than wounds. Christ is the “Just One” because in Him, mercy and truth meet.

Then the prayer turns toward us: “Let the earth be opened.”
The earth is no longer passive ground. It must open, receive, cooperate. Advent reaches its climax here. God is ready to give — now the question is whether we are ready to receive. The opening of the earth mirrors the opening of the heart. Salvation is never forced; it is welcomed.

“And bring forth a Saviour.”
This is the heart of Christmas waiting. The Church stands on the edge of fulfilment, knowing that the promise will soon be realised in Mary’s womb, in Bethlehem’s poverty, in a child laid in a manger. God’s answer to the world’s longing will not be an idea, but a person.

Fourth Sunday of Advent is quiet, intense, and deeply focused. There is nothing left to add. Nothing left to prepare except the heart itself. Heaven is ready. Earth is summoned. Salvation is at hand.

Practice for Today:
Pray slowly, throughout the day:
“Lord, open my heart to receive You.”
Then rest in the stillness of this final waiting.

Come, Lord Jesus.

 

Come Lord Jesus Series: Saturday of Third Week of Advent Year A

 Come Lord Jesus Series

Advent Wreath Come Lord Jesus series Icon.

Saturday — Third Week of Advent (Year A)

Entrance Antiphon:

“Come, O Lord, visit us in peace,

that we may rejoice before You with a blameless heart.”

(cf. Psalm 24:3; Psalm 85:8)

Reflection

As the third week of Advent draws to a close, the Church once again places on our lips a simple, trusting prayer: “Come, O Lord.”
The repetition is intentional. By now, Advent has moved us beyond curiosity and anticipation into desire. We are no longer asking if the Lord will come, but how we might receive Him more fully.

The prayer asks for a visitation — not a passing moment, not a fleeting consolation, but a presence that enters and remains. When God visits His people in Scripture, something always changes. Peace settles where there was restlessness. Clarity emerges where there was confusion. Strength is given where weakness was felt. Advent teaches us to ask not for dramatic signs, but for this quiet, transforming nearness.

“Visit us in peace.”  Peace here is not merely calm or comfort. It is wholeness — the restoration of right relationship with God, with others, and within ourselves. As Christmas approaches, the temptation can be to rush, to push, to manage everything perfectly. This antiphon gently resists that impulse. It reminds us that true readiness comes not from control, but from peace received.

The fruit of this visitation is beautifully named: “that we may rejoice before You.”  By Week Three, Advent joy has matured. It is no longer the sudden lift of Gaudete Sunday alone, but a steadier joy rooted in trust. To rejoice “before” the Lord is to stand honestly in His presence, without pretence, without fear, knowing that He comes in mercy.

And finally: “with a blameless heart.”  This is not perfection. It is simplicity. A blameless heart is one that is turned toward God, willing, open, and ready to receive. Advent does not demand flawlessness; it invites orientation — a heart facing the Lord.

As we stand on the threshold of the final days of Advent, this prayer gathers everything we have learned:
Come.
Visit.
Bring peace.
Awaken joy.
Unify the heart.

Week Three of Advent — A Short Reflection & Review

Week Three of Advent has been marked by joy deepening into confidence.
We have heard heaven and earth rejoice, we have been comforted by God’s mercy, we have been reminded that Christ our King comes as the Lamb, and we have been assured that He who is to come will not delay. Fear has been named — and gently loosened — as the Saviour draws near.

This week has asked us not only to rejoice, but to trust.  Trust is to  trust God’s timing and to trust His way of coming.
To trust that peace is possible even before everything is resolved.

As we prepare to enter the final, most intense days of Advent, the invitation is to simplify and  to let go of what clutters the heart so that Christ may be welcomed with freedom and joy.

Spiritual Review Question — Week Three:

Where has joy or peace grown in me this week, and what might I need to release so that my heart can be fully ready for the Lord who comes?

Let the answer be gentle.
Advent is almost complete.
The Lord is very near.

 

.Come, Lord Jesus.