The testimony of God

Sisters and brothers in Christ, the month of January is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus.

Saint John tells us, in today's first reading, that "the testimony of God is this, that he has testified on behalf of his Son." And what is God's testimony? We read it is today's Gospel. As Jesus rose from the Jordan, after John the Baptist had baptized him, his Father in heaven said of Christ: "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Son of Man, fully divine and fully human, and he died on the Cross so that we may become adopted sons and daughters of the Father through him. However, for our part, we must believe: ". . .you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God

I have been listening to a novel (off and on) and I caught a conversation between the characters about a theory that our DNA was put in a pod and shot into space and that we are still evolving. We can believe in such thoughts and ideas and yet somehow it is so hard for us to believe in God as our Creator, that He created us our of love and sustains us through love.

What are faith and science but man's way of finding the Truth about himself and what it means for him to be the son of God and the son of Man? However, reason takes us so far before faith has to take over because we cannot know and understand the mysteries of God completely. On this, the student does not surpass the Master.

. . .

Gospel of the Day

This is what John the Baptist proclaimed:

"One mightier than I is coming after me.

I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.

I have baptized you with water;

he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee

and was baptized in the Jordan by John.

On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open

and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.

And a voice came from the heavens,

"You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

or

When Jesus began his ministry he was about thirty years of age.

He was the son, as was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli,

the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha,

the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse,

the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala,

the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin,

the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez,

the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac,

the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,

the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem,

the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Enos,

the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.