Welcome
Welcome to St Bede Catholic Church
The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
And the love of God
And the communion of The Holy Spirit
Be with you all
“This is my beloved Son…”
Today we celebrate the baptism of the Lord. This is how Matthew narrates the story. Jesus stands in the Jordan river, and before he preaches a single sermon, before he works a single miracle, before he hangs on any cross, the heavens open, and the Father speaks: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Identity precedes activity. Belovedness precedes accomplishment. This is what is extraordinary; Jesus goes into those waters not to be cleansed- he who is without sin- but to stand in solidarity with humanity, to sanctify the very waters that will become our gateway into this same identity. His baptism is the door through which
our baptism will have meaning.
Matthew tells us how John tried to prevent Jesus from been baptised by him: “I need to be baptised by you, and yet you are coming to me?” John knows this is backwards. His baptism is a baptism of repentance, and Jesus has nothing to repent. But Jesus insists: “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” This means that Jesus is entering into the complete human condition- not its sinfulness, but its brokenness, its need, its longing for redemption.
As Isaiah prophesied in our first reading, “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased.” The servant comes not to stand above the people but among them, not to condemn the bruised reed but to bind it up.
What happens next: “The heavens were opened.” Since the fall, heaven and earth had been separated. But now the separation is torn open, and the Spirit descends like a dove. At creation, the Spirit hovered over the waters of chaos and brought forth life. Now, at this new creation, the Spirit hovers these waters and brings forth new life. Every baptism since has an echo of this moment- the Spirit hovering, heaven opening and identity bestowed. And then the voice: “This is my beloved Son.” Not just loved but beloved, cherished, the object of the Father’s infinite delight. And this is spoken before Jesus does anything. It is a gift, not wage. Identity, not
achievement.
This means that our identity is not built on what we accomplish, but on whose we are. We are God’s beloved. Not when we are holier, not when we have conquered that sin, not when we have finally gotten our life together. Now in our brokenness and beauty, in our doubt and desire, we are claimed by the father who spoke over those waters at our baptism.
God bless you all. Fr. Henry
IN THE NEWS...
Pope Leo: Failure to welcome abuse victims is a scandal
Although it was not a specific topic of the Extraordinary Consistory held on January 7–8, Pope Leo XIV took the opportunity to speak to the roughly 170 cardinals—both electors and non-electors—about a problem that “remains a real wound in the life of the Church in many places”: the sexual abuse crisis.
This is a topic Pope Leo, like his predecessors, has repeatedly highlighted in recent months. Even in the Consistory—focused on the themes of synodality and mission, chosen by majority vote of the cardinals—he did not fail to mention this issue.
He addressed it in his concluding speech after the two day meeting, the full text of which was published on January 10.
Protests continue across Iran
Protests flared again across Iran on Friday night despite a sweeping security crackdown and a nationwide internet blackout.
This is now the 13th night of protests.
Verified videos published by AFP showed large crowds gathering in Tehran, including in the Sadatabad district, where demonstrators banged pots and chanted slogans against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Pope to young people: We are made for truth, not virtual connections
Pope to young people: We are made for truth, not virtual connections
Upon arriving in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, Pope Leo XIV was enthusiastically welcomed by the young people of the Diocese of Rome, who greeted him warmly and offered him a moving embrace.
The meeting, held this Saturday, January 10, just days after the conclusion of the Jubilee Year, brought together thousands of young people—accompanied by priests, religious, and educators—both inside and outside the Paul VI Hall.
Pope Leo said that shortly before the meeting he had received a message from his niece, asking how he manages to face so many of the world’s problems and whether he ever feels alone. The answer, the Pope said, was found in the large crowd of young people in front of him.
ABOUT SAINT BEDE...
St Bede 673-735AD
Bede was born in 673 AD in the northeast of England. From the age of seven, he received a Benedictine education at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Wearmouth, today part of Sunderland. Bede spent his whole life within the twin monasteries of St Peter at Wearmouth and St Paul in Jarrow, where he became a Benedictine monk and continued his studies using the fine libraries established by the monastery's founder, St Benedict Biscop, Bede's first teacher, and under the guidance of Abbot Ceolfrith (Ceolwulf).
Bede wrote on many topics. His most famous work, Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum (the Ecclesiastical History of the English People), earned Bede the title "The Father of English History". His works revealed not only Bede's qualities as a scholar and historian but also the qualities of modesty and humility which make his works so memorable. However, Bede's work shows that he had at his command all the learning of his time. Bede's writings included papers and articles on scientific, historical, theological, and mathematical matters, as well as poetry and literature. St Bede is widely regarded as the greatest of all the Anglo-Saxon scholars. His sainthood was generally recognized around fifty years after his death on 25th May 735 AD. His bones were later elevated from St Paul's in Jarrow to Durham, where they lie in the Galilee Chapel at Durham Cathedral. Bede's scholarship and importance to Catholicism were recognized on 13th November 1899 when Pope Leo XIII decreed the title of Doctor Ecclesiae to St Bede the Venerable, making him the only English Doctor of the Church.
Useful Sites
