Baptism of the Lord – Parish News

Sunday, 11 January 2025

As we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, we are reminded that baptism is not simply an event of the past but a lifelong journey of faith, growth, and commitment. Like Jesus, who stepped forward after years of hidden preparation, we are invited to renew our calling and live our faith with clarity and purpose.

Following the Epiphany celebrations, the outdoor Christmas lights have now been switched off. The indoor decorations are being carefully looked after by Katherine, Susy, and their team. Parishioners who wish to help with the outdoor dismantling are warmly welcome after Mass, following tea and coffee.

Renewal of Vows – Sr Ursula

We warmly congratulate Sr Ursula, Leader of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross for England and Wales, on the renewal of her religious vows at St Ann’s this week. This sacred moment is a renewed “yes” to God’s call, lived through the vows of Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience, inspired by the spirituality of St Francis of Assisi. Her witness reminds us that vocation is a lifelong journey of faithfulness.

Sunday Catechism – Two Groups

Due to the growing number of children, Sunday Catechism now takes place in two groups:

• Youth Catechism (above 10 years) – Parish meeting room
• Children’s Catechism (10 years and below) – Parish hall

We are grateful to our catechists and parents for their dedication and joyful involvement.

RCIA – Journey of Faith

We are blessed to have eight RCIA candidates preparing to receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil. As a parish family, we kindly ask you to keep them in your prayers as they journey towards Easter.

Readers & Extraordinary Ministers’ Retreat

A Readers and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion Retreat will be held on
Friday, 31 January, from 10:00 am, followed by Holy Mass at 12 noon.
All readers and Eucharistic Ministers are warmly encouraged to attend.

Journeying in Faith – Scripture, Tradition, and Story

This year, the parish invites everyone into a deeper journey of faith through Bible study, spiritual evenings, shared dialogue, and prayer.

• Bible Study: 3rd Fridays of the month, 7:30–8:30 pm
  First session: Friday, 23 January 2026
• Spiritual Evenings: 2nd Tuesdays of the month at 7:30 pm (except April & August)

Family & Youth

• Family Mass: Sunday, 25 January at 10:30 am
• Youth Group Meeting: Saturday, 17 January at 4:30 pm

Tea & Coffee After Mass

Everyone is warmly invited to join us for tea and coffee after Sunday Mass in the parish hall. Children can enjoy the Kids’ Corner, a space to connect and make new friends.

We thank you for journeying together in faith, generosity, and joy.unity. Children are also welcome to enjoy the Kids’ Corner.

Homily – Baptism of the Lord

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,

Today the Mother Church invites us to celebrate the Baptism of the Lord. Notice how the Church does not pause after Epiphany. There is no gap, no delay. From the manifestation of Christ to the nations, we are immediately taken to His initiation, His baptism. This itself speaks loudly.

This is not a ritual moment.
This is not religion for identity’s sake.
This is not a label or a tradition done blindly.

This is deep. This is life. This is vocation.

Jesus comes to the Jordan at around thirty years of age. Out of His thirty-three years on earth, only three years are visible to the world — and yet those three years changed history. Empires rose and fell, philosophies passed away, but those three years still define humanity. That tells us something important: impact is not about length of time, but depth of purpose.

The Gospel says, “Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John” (Matthew 3:13).
John hesitates. Jesus insists. Why?
Because Jesus chooses to identify — not with power, not with privilege, but with sinners, with ordinary people, with broken humanity.

Straight after this moment, the Spirit drives Him into the desert — “for forty days and forty nights” (Matthew 4:2). Silence. Struggle. Solitude. Preparation.

And here is the question many quietly ask:
Where was Jesus before this? From twelve to thirty — nearly eighteen years — where was He?

The Gospel is silent. And that silence is sacred.

Do not misunderstand this. It is not about exotic theories or dramatic journeys. It is about journey itself. Jesus lived. He observed. He worked. He listened. He suffered. He learned human life from the inside. “Though he was the Son, he learnt obedience through suffering” (Hebrews 5:8).

If salvation were simply about power, Jesus did not need childhood.
If redemption were about miracles alone, He did not need hidden years.
But salvation is about understanding the human heart.

That long, unseen journey shaped Him. Experience refined Him. Life defined Him.
And only then does He step forward and say, “Now is the time.”

At the Jordan, heaven opens.
The Spirit descends.
The Father speaks: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11).

This is His initiation.
This is His clarity.
This is His direction.

I often compare this moment to a rocket launch. At the beginning, enormous force is required. Gravity resists. Pressure is intense. Layer after layer falls away. And then comes the moment when the rocket breaks free — no longer pulled down, but moving forward in freedom.

Dear brothers and sisters, baptism calls us to the same movement.

To pull away from what chains us.
To loosen what binds us.
To let go of what limits us.

As St Paul says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2).

Each day teaches us something.
Each struggle refines us.
Each experience shapes our calling.

There is a beautiful saying: even on an ordinary path, constant walking slowly wears down the stones. Small steps, taken faithfully, change the road itself.

Baptism asks us today:
Who are you becoming?
What is defining you?
What journey is shaping your heart?

As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
And Jesus Himself tells us, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25).

Dear brothers and sisters, let us journey.
Let us grow.
Let us be refined.

This is our initiation.
This is our calling.
This is our baptism.

Love Jesus.
Live Jesus. Amen.