SMALL GROUP MEDITATION

January 22, 2017 Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Isaiah 8:23-9:3; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17; Matthew 4:12-23

Many of us, as Catholic Christians, do not remember our baptism, because we were baptized as infants. We may have seen pictures of the event in the family album. Perhaps our parents wrote the date in the family Bible. We might still cherish a special rosary, candle or gown that was given to us on that day. Some of us even know the date of our baptism, and celebrate it like we do our birthday. Why? Why do Catholic Christians make such a big deal about a sacrament we only receive once in our lifetime? Why do parents who may be unsure of their own faith go through the effort to baptize their children? What difference does baptism really make in our lives?

Two weeks ago, we celebrated the baptism of our Lord, when he was baptized by John in the Jordan River. The Holy Spirit descended on him and God the Father called him the beloved Son.Immediately he began his mission, which we hear about in this week’s gospel reading, to preach repentance to all people, and to call disciples, beginning with Peter and Andrew, to join him in his mission to bring all people back to the Father. Jesus established baptism by the Holy Spirit as one of the sacraments of initiation, which makes us members of the Kingdom of God, sons and daughters of the Father. It also assigns us a mission, to share the good news of God’s love and redemption with everyone, not like the priest or deacon preach on Sundays, but by our deeds and our words. We also have the mission to invite others to join us as disciples of Jesus. We have been given a great gift of salvation by our own baptism, and we have a mission to help God share this gift with everyone. That is the difference baptism makes in our lives. We have been given new life, the love of God, and hope in eternity. It is such a big deal, we should share the news with everyone.

For more information or to sign up for a small group contact Karen Fish at (952) 239-1949.

Reflection Questions:

  • What do you know about your own baptism? Who were your godparents? Do you know why your parents chose them? What role have they played in your life?
  • Use the Catechism of the Catholic Church to learn about the effect baptism has on us (you can find the Catechism online at or use a printed copy. The sacraments are discussed in Part 2.) What did you learn about baptism that you did not know? What does baptism do for us?
  • What makes responding to our baptismal call difficult or easy? Share some of the ways you have done so already. What was the other person’s or people’s reaction? What was the result?
  • As a group, brainstorm some new ways to live out your baptismal call. Challenge each other to choose one and report back next week on how it went.