With You I Am Well Pleased

After all the people had been baptized
and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,
heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him
in bodily form like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son;w
ith you I am well pleased.”
The Gospel According to St. Luke 3:21-22

Happy Feast of the Baptism of the Lord!

The early church had a big problem with this passage, which was repeated from Mark by Matthew and Luke. By the time that the Gospel of John was written, answers to some of the questions like, what just happened? and, who was he? were being proposed. The idea that Jesus was tempted but sinless clashed with the need for baptism, so the author of John simply omits it and goes straight to the dove. (If this week’s Corner sounds familiar, it’s because it was originally written last year but because I didn’t remember Fr. Lohfink’s comment, I thought it worth repeating.)

In Jesus of Nazareth: What He Wanted, Who He Was, Fr. Gerhard Lohfink, S.J., argues that the whole question is beside the point.

What brought Jesus to John was his growing understanding of his mission and the will of God. Jesus went to the Baptizer because he sensed that God was acting through him. Israel was now entering the crucial phase of its history. For him that meant he had to be at the place where the fate of the people of God was being decided; he had to be on the spot where God was now acting in Israel. He had to be where the eschatological gathering and renewal of Israel was beginning. Jesus’ concern was with God’s plan, with the Father’s will. By being baptized, he surrendered himself wholly to that plan. (Chap. 13, section on “The Father’s Will”, emphasis added.)

Discerning God’s will for us is the central task of discipleship and how we each can do God’s work in the world. It means taking time for prayer and study and action.

If you haven’t made a pledge for this year, it’s not too late! Please go online to st-therese.cc, click on Give on the banner, and then choose “Stewardship of Treasure Commitment Form.”

Ministries:
Nicole needs someone to learn how to run the livestream at Mass. Contact Nicole at nicoles@st-therese.cc. (Sadly, I didn’t have to edit this. Same as last year and pretty much the 52 weeks in between.)

Last year I asked for a gardener, and Victoria Ries, who apparently needed something else to do around here, stepped forward and rounded up a team of non-gardeners, with the produce going to feed the homeless. Fortunately, Joe Hastings knows something about gardens and acted as senior consultant. Thank you Victoria, Joe, and the whole garden team!

Diane hasn’t needed someone to sanitize the Parish Center for some months now. It seems the virus has opted for easier spreading over killing its host. Hopefully we’ll be past this crisis in another few months. Stay safe, y’all!

Thank you for being wonderful financial stewards of your parish! Thank you for your gratitude and for your generosity! Let us bring joy to the world in 2022!

Parish Collections
Net Income: the difference between all expenses and all income for the fiscal year so far Savings Reserve: funds in PRF drawn on to cover extraordinary expenses or urgent cash deficits This is a new format for the Parish Collections Report, we believe this more accurately reflects the current financial standing of the parish with regard to funds needed to meet expenses. We hope you find it helpful.
3 July 2021 to Current Last Year at this Time
Collections Income $220,553 $200,699
Net Income $14,036 ($6,807)
Savings Reserve $80,112 $160,199