Monday after the Sixth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on July 17, 2023 by under
Scripture: St. Mark 1:9-11 (NKJV)
1:9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Devotion
This beautiful text introduces and announces Jesus Christ as the long-promised Messiah through a wonderful manifestation of the Holy Trinity: the heavenly Father speaks from His heavenly throne, the Holy Spirit descends visibly in the image of a dove, and the Only-begotten, incarnate Son is baptized. It also marks the official beginning of Jesus’ public ministry as that promised Messiah. This ushers in His Gospel ministry that will “fulfill all righteousness” as announced by the Father, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
This statement of the Father leaves no question about who Jesus is, and it destroys any blasphemous claims that question or deny Christ’s divinity residing within the personage of the Son of Mary, the man Jesus. In the Gospel of Saint Luke (4:18), we hear Jesus Himself proclaim that He has been anointed by the Holy Spirit for this Gospel ministry. It is a holy ministry that is to “preach the gospel to the poor; …to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” The Church has historically believed Jesus was approximately thirty years old (Luke 3:23) at this point, and had spent most of His previous life in and around Nazareth.
Prayer: Lord of all power and might, Who art the Author and Giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of Thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of Thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
