Monday, December 4, 2017

Analisi di Un Formulario Liturgico Festivo (Battesimo del Signore)

AN ANALYSIS OF THE COLLECT OF A FEAST
IN BAPTISMATE DOMINI
(Battesimo del Signore)
Anno B

THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD
The Baptism of Our Lord is a feast day that commemorates Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. In this feast, the Church invites his people to meet again with John the Baptist, whom we have heard his voice in the Liturgy of the Advent. In the epiphany, as a baby, He was introduced to the wise men. Now as an adult, about thirty years old, He was introduced by John the Baptist to the world in His inauguration by God the Father, anointed by the Holy Spirit, ready to begin His work.
A Brief History of The Feast
In the historical survey, the baptism of Jesus and the wedding at Cana were originally part of the feast of Epiphany.[1] The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord was celebrated on January 13, the octave day of the Feast of the Epiphany. In the Roman liturgy, this emerges more clearly in the Liturgy of the Hours than in the festal Mass. Also, until the most recent reorganization of the liturgical year, the commemoration of the baptism of Jesus was associated primarily with the octave day of Epiphany. The General Norms once again bring the commemoration a bit closer to Epiphany, since the "feast of the Baptism of the Lord" is now celebrated on the Sunday after Epiphany (cf. no. 38). The baptism is the subject of the gospel pericope for the second Sunday after Epiphany in Year A, while the passage on the wedding feast at Cana is used in Year C.
In the current liturgical calendar, used in the Novus Ordo (the Ordinary Form of the Mass), the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the Sunday after January 6. However, in countries (such as the United States) where the celebration of Epiphany is transferred to Sunday (see When Is Epiphany? for more details), sometimes the two feasts will fall on the same day. In those years, the Baptism of the Lord is transferred to the following day (Monday). In practice, then, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord has celebrated anywhere from January 7 (in countries where the Epiphany is celebrated on January 6) or January 8 (in countries where the Feast of the Epiphany is transferred to Sunday) to January 13.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE COLLECT
The collect, called the “opening prayer” in our present English Missal, is the first proper
Mass prayer. The Latin text is always just a single sentence. Because of its brevity, it is easy to
discount the collect’s importance. However, the collect is the true proper prayer of the day and, as
such, it is uniquely expressive of the liturgical day. On Sundays and days with the rank of feast
or higher the collect is also prayed at all the Hours of the Liturgy of the Hours save Compline so
that a person who goes to Mass and prays the Hours on a given Sunday or solemnity prays the
same collect six times. The collects for Sunday and Holy Days that is the days of obligation
were particularly important for they are the only collects which the majority of the faithful hear year
after year.

FIRST PART

Presentation the text of the collect of The Baptism of The Lord
The first section of this paper will begin with a comparison of the collect of the Baptism of The Lord Feast of the Year B according to the Roman Missal (1975) and Third Typical Edition (2002), whose text is as follows:
Roman Missal 1975[2]
Third Typical Edition (2002)[3]

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus,
qui Christum, in Iordane flumine baptizatum,
Spiritu Sancto super eum descendente,
dilectum Filium tuum sollemniter declarasti,
concede filiis adoptionis tuae,
ex aqua et Spiritu Sancto renatis,
ut in beneplacito tuo iugiter perseverent.


Omnipotens sempiterne Deus,
qui Christum, in Iordane flumine baptizatum,
Spiritu Sancto super eum descendente,
dilectum Filium tuum sollemniter declarasti,
concede filiis adoptionis tuae,
ex aqua et Spiritu Sancto renatis,
ut in beneplacito tuo iugiter perseverent.
Translation in English
from Roman Missal 2008 (Amended Latin Third Typical Edition)

Almighty ever-living God,
who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan
and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him,
solemnly declared him your beloved Son,
grant that your children by adaptation,
reborn of water and the Holy Spirit,
may always be well pleasing to you.


From the comparison above, it can be concluded that there is no difference in the collect text of the Roman Missal 1975 and the Third Typical Edition. From the research, it can be concluded also that this text did not exist in the Trent Missal in 1570[4]. This fact corresponds with what Bradshaw[5] and Adam[6] said in their book the baptism of Jesus was given its own feast in Roman calendar since 1960 and moved to the Sunday after Epiphany in 1969. That is why, obviously, we cannot find it in the Trent Missal (1570).

Selecting a term in the collect to be research
In this paper, the author has chosen the term “adoptionis[7]” to be analyzed. The reason why this term was chosen because this term “adoptionis” (adoption) has a great relationship with the theme “Baptism” that became the main focus in this feast.

Philology Analysis[8]
1. The Association
The method of associations consists in analyzing which verbs, nouns, or with which adjectives a word is used, and in our case the word "adoptio". The table below will show all the text in Roman Missal when the adoptio term appears in the collects[9]:
1
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui Christum, in Iordane flumine baptizatum, Spiritu Sancto super eum descendente, dilectum Filium tuum sollemniter declarasti, concede filiis ADOPTIONIS tuae, ex aqua et Spiritu Sancto renatis, ut in beneplacito tuo iugiter perseverent
2
Deus, qui hanc sacratissimam noctem gloria dominicae resurrectionis illustras, excita in Ecclesia tua ADOPTIONIS spiritum, ut, corpore et mente renovati, puram tibi exhibeamus servitutem
3
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, adesto magnae pietatis tuae sacramentis, et ad recreandos novos populos, quos tibi fons baptismatis parturit, spiritum ADOPTIONIS emitte, ut, quod nostrae humilitatis gerendum est ministerio, virtutis tuae impleatur effectu
4
Semper exsultet populus tuus, Deus, renovata animae iuventute, ut, qui nunc laetatur in ADOPTIONIS se gloriam restitutum, resurrectionis diem spe certae gratulationis exspectet
5
Deus, per quem nobis et redemptio venit et praestatur ADOPTIO, filios dilectionis tuae benignus intende, ut in Christo credentibus et vera tribuatur libertas et hereditas aeterna
6
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, quem paterno nomine invocare praesumimus, perfice in cordibus nostris spiritum ADOPTIONIS filiorum, ut promissam hereditatem ingredi mereamur
7
Semper exsultet populus tuus, Deus, renovata animae iuventute, ut, qui nunc laetatur in ADOPTIONIS se gloriam restitutum, resurrectionis diem spe certae gratulationis exspectet
8
Exaudi, Domine, preces nostras, ut, quod tui Verbi sanctificatione promissum est, evangelico ubique compleatur effectu, et plenitudo ADOPTIONIS obtineat quod praedixit testificatio veritatis
9
Deus, per quem nobis et redemptio venit et praestatur ADOPTIO, filios dilectionis tuae benignus intende, ut in Christo credentibus et vera tribuatur libertas et hereditas aeterna
10
Deus, qui, per ADOPTIONEM gratiae, lucis nos esse filios voluisti, praesta, quaesumus, ut errorum non involvamur tenebris, sed in splendore veritatis semper maneamus conspicui
11
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, quem paterno nomine invocare praesumimus, perfice in cordibus nostris spiritum ADOPTIONIS filiorum, ut promissam hereditatem ingredi mereamur
12
Deus, per quem nobis et redemptio venit et praestatur ADOPTIO, filios dilectionis tuae benignus intende, ut in Christo credentibus et vera tribuatur libertas, et hereditas aeterna
13
Deus, Pater misericordiarum, qui beatum Hieronymum adiutorem et patrem orphanis providisti, eius nobis intercessione concede, ut spiritum ADOPTIONIS, quo filii tui nominamur et sumus, fideliter custodiamus
14
Deus, qui fidei sacramenta in Unigeniti tui gloriosa Transfiguratione patrum testimonio roborasti, et ADOPTIONEM filiorum perfectam mirabiliter praesignasti, concede nobis famulis tuis, ut, ipsius dilecti Filii tui vocem audientes, eiusdem coheredes effici mereamur
15
Deus, qui nos facis passionis et resurrectionis Filii tui participare mysterium, praesta, quaesumus, ut, ADOPTIONIS filiorum Spiritu roborati, in novitate vitae iugiter ambulemus
16
Ascendant ad te, Domine, preces nostrae, et famulum tuum N. gaudia aeterna suscipiant, ut, quem ad imaginem tuam creare dignatus es et ADOPTIONIS participem fecisti, iubeas hereditatis tuae esse consortem
17
Clementissime Deus, qui sapientiae tuae consiliis hunc parvulum, in ipso vitae limine, ad te vocasti, preces nostras benignus exaudi, et praesta, ut cum ipso, quem baptismatis gratia ADOPTIONIS tibi filium effecisti, et in regno tuo iam credimus commorari, nos etiam aeternae vitae tribuas esse aliquando consortes
1.1.      Verbal Association
Now the author starts the analysis from the verbal associations that will allow both to establish within which structures of significance or semantic areas lies the word under consideration and to capture the meaning.
·        concede filiis                                     ADOPTIONIS tuae
·        excita in Ecclesia tua                        ADOPTIONIS spiritum
·        emitte spiritum                                 ADOPTIONIS
·        laetatur in                                          ADOPTIONIS
·        perfice in cordibus nostris spiritum ADOPTIONIS filiorum
·        praestatur                                          ADOPTIO

There is some verb that usually appear together with term adoptio, which are: concede (concedere), excita (excitare), emitte (emmitere), laetatur (laetare), perfice (perficire), prestatur (praestare).

1.2.      Nominative Association
With nominal association, we begin to narrow the scope of our research.
·        filiis                             ADOPTIONIS
·        ADOPTIONIS        spiritum
·        spiritum                      ADOPTIONIS
·        spiritum                      ADOPTIONIS filiorum
·        ADOPTIONEM     gratiae
Some nouns usually appear together with term adoptio, which are: filius, spiritus, and gratia.

2. The Commutation
The commutation system is to find syntaxes that have the same paradigm but instead of using our word instead of another. Here too, we narrow the scope of analysis by considering the verbs as they appear in the verbal associations.
a. Concedo
·        Concede, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, ut, qui sub peccati iugo ex vetusta servitute deprimimur, exspectata Unigeniti tui nova nativitate liberemur
·        Concede, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus, ut nos Unigeniti tui nova per carnem nativitas liberet, quos sub peccati iugo vetusta servitus tenet
·        Concede nobis, omnipotens Deus, ut salutare tuum, quod ad redemptionem mundi luce nova caelorum processit, nostris semper innovandis cordibus oriatur
From three collects above we can conclude that term adoption cannot be substitute with another term. However, we can conclude that all the phrase that begin with the term “concede” are asking the grace of God, that is why we can also conclude that the term adoptio is something related with the grace of God also.
b. Excita in ecclesia tua
·        excita in Ecclesia tua institutores
·        excita in Ecclesia tua Spiritum quo repletus beatus Iosaphat
·        excita in Ecclesia tua viros secundum cor tuum
From three collects above we can conclude that the term adoption cannot be substitute for another term, but we can conclude that all the phrase that begin with the term “excita in ecclesia tua” are asking something important for the Church that belongs to God.
c. Perfice
·        nosque perfice populum in vera fide et recta confessione concordem
From the collect above we can conclude that the term adoption cannot be substitute with another term.

Literary Critics[10]
1. Primary Sources[11]
In this section, the author wants to search how often the terms of the collect appear in biblical texts. Here is the recurrence in the Vulgate of the terms of the collect we are researching.
- omnipoten*             : 85                  - adopt*          : 5
- Iordane*                   : 4                    - aqua*            : 664
- Baptizat*                  : 58                  - renat*           : 2
- descendent*             : 43                  - beneplacit*   : 17
- decla*                       : 9                    - persever*      : 43
2. Secondary Sources
Eight of the Sunday and Holy Day collects in the 1970 missal are new compositions. These were crafted in three different ways. Three of the new collects are the product of a method called “centonization” that is; they were woven together from phrases taken from two or three existing orations. Four of the new collects are composed of phrases adapted from texts of another genre either scripture or patristic sermons. Lastly, one new collect was composed from scratch by the modern editors. The collect of the Baptism of the Lord is one of the new compositions. It draws heavily on Scripture.
Usually, to help the liturgist doing some research about collects, there is a scientific book that contributes to identify the sources of the Bible of a collect. That book called CORPUS ORATIONUM. However, in our case, this book is not useful because the collect of the Baptism of the Lord feast is a new composition.
3. The history of the text in the tradition
The author cannot find the source of this topic because this collect is a new composition.
4. The Structure of the collect
Here we report the structure of the collect:
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus,                                        Invocation
qui Christum, in Iordane flumine baptizatum,                  
Spiritu Sancto super eum descendente,                              Amplification
dilectum Filium tuum sollemniter declarasti,
concede filiis adoptionis tuae,                                          Petition
ex aqua et Spiritu Sancto renatis,                                   Ration
ut in beneplacito tuo iugiter perseverant.                           Scope
5. Liturgical Context
We report below a summary table of the term "adoptionis" appears in the eucologia of collecta (= C), super oblate (= SO), post Communio (= PC), prefatio (PR), Oratio Universalis (OU), Oratio Post Lectionem (OPL) all the times, So that, we can see the literary genres-texts in which this word was used:

C
SO
PC
PR
OU
OPL
B
Nativitas
99 C






Quadragesima



211 PR



Settimana Santa
312 C
315 C



285 OU4
304 OPL25
307 OPL27
314 B
Pascha
344 C
350 C
370 C
377 C
393 C
396 C






Pentecostes



365 PR



Per annum Domni Sollemnitas
480 C
498 C
510 C
789 C
505 SO





Sancti
644 C

775 PC




Missae Rituales
1173 C

1185 PC
1195 PR



Pro Variis Necessita

1309 SO

1310 PR



Missae Votivae



1451 PR



Missae Pro Defuntis
1565 C
1592 C







From the table above, it can be concluded that the word "adoptio" appears 30 times in the Roman Missal. This term most often appears in the Passover period and its preparations (Quadragesima, Settimana Santa and Pascha), but it also appears in many other occasions in liturgy. This frequency underlines the importance of this word. We can also see the variety of its uses in the liturgy, most of them appear in The Collects (17 times).

Analysis of the meaning of the term[12]
The term “adoptionis” is quite an important term in the liturgy. We can say this because this term was repeated 30 times in the eucologia of our liturgy. From the philology analysis, we can know that this term related closely with the grace of God. It associated with the grace of the holy spirit also in the divine sonship of a human. Adoption (Lat. adoptare, to choose.) Adoption is the gratuitous taking of a stranger as one's own child and heir. According as the adopter is a man or God, the adoption is styled human or divine, natural or supernatural.
It is in the New Testament, "Son of God" is an expression of no infrequent use in the Synoptic Gospels, and as therein employed, the words apply both to Jesus and to ourselves. However, whether, in the case of Jesus, this phrase points to Messiahship only, or would also include the idea of real divine filiation, is a matter of little consequence in our particular case. Surely in our case, it cannot of itself afford us a sufficiently stable foundation on which to establish a valid claim to adopted sonship. As a matter of fact, when St. Matthew (v, 9, 45) speaks of the "children of God", he means the peacemakers, and when he speaks of "children of your Father who is in Heaven", he says those who repay hatred with love, thereby implying throughout nothing more than a broad resemblance to, and moral union with God. The charter of our adoption is properly recorded by St. Paul (Rom., viii; Eph., i; Gal., iv); St. John (prologue and I Epist., i, iii); St. Peter (I Epist., i); and St. James (I Epist., i). According to these several passages, we are begotten, born of God. He is our Father, but in such wise that we may call ourselves, and truly are, His children, the members of His family, brothers of Jesus Christ with whom we partake of the Divine Nature and claim a share in the heavenly heritage. This divine filiation, together with the right of coheritage, finds its source in God's own will and graceful condescension.
To understanding the term adoption, we must interpret the word in a merely analogical sense. In general, the correct interpretation of the Scriptural concept of our adoption must follow the golden mean and locate itself midway between the Divine Sonship of Jesus on the one hand, and human adoption on the other—immeasurably below the former and above the latter. Human adoption may modify the social standing but adds nothing to the intrinsic worth of an adopted child. Divine adoption, on the contrary, works inward, penetrating to the very core of our life, renovating, enriching, transforming it into the likeness of Jesus, "the first-born among many brethren." Of course, it cannot be more than a likeness, an image of the Divine Original mirrored in our imperfect selves. There will ever be between our adoption and the filiation of Jesus the infinite distance which separates created grace from the hypostatical union. Moreover, yet, that intimate and mysterious communion with Christ, and through Him with God, is the glory of our adopted sonship: "And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given to them—I in them and thou in me" (John, xvii, 22, 23).
Our adoption is an immediate and necessary property of sanctifying grace. The primal concept of sanctifying grace is a new God-given and God-like life superadded to our natural life. By that very life we are born to God even as the child to its parent, and thus we acquire a new filiation. This filiation is called adoption for two reasons: first, to distinguish it from the one natural filiation which belongs to Jesus; second, to emphasize the fact that we have it only through the free choice and merciful condescension of God. Again, as from our natural filiation, many social relations crop up between us and the rest of the world, so our divine life and adoption establish manifold relations between the regenerate and adopted soul on the one hand, and the Triune God on the other. It was not without reason that Scripture and the Eastern Church singled out the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity as the special term of these higher relations. Adoption is the work of love. "What is adoption," says the Council of Frankfort, "if not a union of love?" It is, therefore, meet that it should be traced to, and terminate in, the intimate presence of the Spirit of Love.

Comparison with the other language text[13]
Now the author wants to compare the Latin text of the chosen collect with their respective French, Spanish, and English translations so that we can see how it was processed in the various national languages.

LATIN
ENGLISH
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus,
qui Christum, in Iordane flumine baptizatum,
Spiritu Sancto super eum descendente,
dilectum Filium tuum sollemniter declarasti,
concede filiis adoptionis tuae,
ex aqua et Spiritu Sancto renatis,
ut in beneplacito tuo iugiter perseverant.


Almighty ever-living God,
who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan
and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him,
solemnly declared him your beloved Son,
grant that your children by adaptation,
reborn of water and the Holy Spirit,
may always be well pleasing to you.
FRANCE
SPAIN
Dieu éternel et tout-puissant, quand le Christ fut baptisé dans le Jourdain, et que l’Esprit Saint reposa sur lui, tu l’as désigné comme ton Fils bien-aimé; accorde à tes fils adoptifs, nés de l’eau et de l’Esprit, de se garder toujours dans ta sainte volonté.
Dios todopoderoso y eterno, que proclamaste solemnemente que Christo era tu Hijo amado cuando fue bautizado en el Jordàn y descendiò el Espiritu Santo sobre èl, concede a tus hijos adoptivos, renacidos del agua y del Espiritu, perseverar siempre fieles en el cumplimiento de tu voluntad.
INDONESIAN
ITALIAN[14]
Allah Bapa yang mahakuasa dan kekal, ketika Kristus dibaptis di Sungai Yordan dan Roh Kudus turun atas-Nya, Engkau dengan resmi memaklumkan Dia sebagai Putra-Mu yang terkasih. Kami mohon, semoga kami, anak-anak angkat-Mu, yang sudah dilahirkan dari air dan Roh Kudus, diperkenankan tetap tinggal sebagai anak-anak kesayangan-Mu.
Padre onnipotente ed eterno, che dopo il battesimo nel fiume Giordano proclamasti il Cristo tuo diletto Figlio, mentre discendeva su di lui lo Spirito Santo concedi ai tuoi figli, rinati dall'acqua e dallo Spirito, di vivere sempre nel tuo amore.

From the comparison above we can conclude some points:
·        First of all, all of the other prayer considered translates from Latin.
·        Examining the individual versions we can note the following. That French, Spanish, Italian and English translates all oration they have translated very close to the original. Finally, the one in Indonesian, as you can see, is the longest, in fact, it is the one that most differs from the other. It edits and changes the "scopus."


THE SECOND PART

Holy Mass Text of The Feast of Baptism of The Lord (Year B)[15]
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON (Mt 3: 16-17)
Baptizato Domino, aperti sunt caeli, et sicut columba super eum Spiritus mansit, et vox Patris intonuit: Hic est Filius meus dilectus, in quo mihi bene complacui.
After the Lord was baptized, the heavens were opened, and the Spirit descended upon him like a dove, and the voice of the Father thundered: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.

COLLECT
Almighty ever-living God, who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him, solemnly declared him your beloved Son, grant that your children by adoption, reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, may always be well pleasing to you.

FIRST READING (Isaiah 55:1-11)
All you who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; Come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread; your wages for what fails to satisfy? Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David. As I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of nations, So shall you summon a nation you knew not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you, Because of the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you.  Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near.  Let the scoundrel forsake his way,  and the wicked man his thoughts; Let him turn to the LORD for mercy;  to our God, who is generous in forgiving.  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.  As high as the heavens are above the earth,  so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.  For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6)
R. (3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid.My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. R.
You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation. Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. R.
You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation. Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth. Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel! R.

SECOND READING (I John 5:1-9)
Beloved: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the Father loves also the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith. Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one who testifies, and the Spirit is truth. So there are three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are of one accord. If we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is surely greater. Now the testimony of God is this, that he has testified on behalf of his Son.

ALLELUIA (Jn 1:29)
Vidit Ioannes Iesum venientem ad se, at ait: Ecce Agnes Dei, qui tollit peccatum mundi.
John saw Jesus approaching him, and said:
Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

GOSPEL (Mark 1:7-11)
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.”

PREFACE FOR THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God. 

For in the waters of the Jordan you revealed with signs and wonders a new Baptism, so that through the voice that came down from heaven we might come to believe in your Word dwelling among us, and by the Spirit’s descending in the likeness of a dove we might know that Christ your Servant has been anointed with the oil of gladness and sent to bring the good news to the poor.

And so, with the Powers of heaven, we worship you constantly on earth, and before your majesty without end we acclaim: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts . .





The physiognomy of the pericope[16]
The Gospel from the Holy Bible
NIV Version
(Mark 1, 7-11)
The Gospel from the Lectionary
Year B (Mark 1, 7-11)
7 And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
11 And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
7 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.
8 I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9 It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John.
10On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.

11 And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

From the comparison above we can conclude that:
·        The lectionary uses the opening word from the Holy Bible (the liturgy did not change it). The lectionary just changes the word “his” become “John the Baptist” to avoid misinterpretation and clarify the subject of the saying
·        The part of the reading is perfectly the same
·        The lectionary did not subtract the verses from the Holy Bible.

A study of the new context[17]
1. Biblical Context
Mrk 1, 1-6
Mrk 1, 7-11
Mrk 1, 12-13
The Description about John the Baptist and his main message (the conversion).

Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist
Jesus was tempted in the desert
Biblical Context
The periscope Mrk 1, 7-11 is the story when Jesus about begin his ministry. Before he start his ministry, Jesus was baptized and after that he was tempted in the desert. We can say that the biblical context of this periscope is the preparation of Jesus’s ministry.

2. Liturgical Context
In the history, the baptism of Jesus and the wedding at Cana were originally part of the feast of Epiphany. In the Roman liturgy, this emerges more clearly in the Liturgy of the Hours than in the festal Mass. Also, until the most recent reorganization of the liturgical year, the commemoration of the baptism of Jesus was associated primarily with the octave day of Epiphany. The General Norms once again bring the commemoration a bit closer to Epiphany, since the "feast of the Baptism of the Lord" is now celebrated on the Sunday after Epiphany (cf. no. 38). The baptism is the subject of the gospel pericope for the second Sunday after Epiphany in Year A, while the passage on the wedding feast at Cana is used in Year C. The Feast of the Baptism of Jesus ends the Christmas Season which celebrated the Hidden Life of Jesus. Now there will be eight weeks of Ordinary Time until we begin the Easter Season which will celebrate the Active Life of Jesus. That is why the faithful are also invited to renew their will to follow Jesus and prepare themselves to imitate Jesus deeper.
At the center of the Proper of the feast is the gospel of the baptism of Jesus, with the three synoptic accounts being read in the three years of the cycle. The Fathers of the Church assigned a very important place to this event in their theology of salvation. Its significance is to be seen, first, in the revelation of the divine sonship of Jesus that is given by the "voice from heaven": "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Mt 3.17). The event is significant, also, because of the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, descends on Jesus. In their theology, the Fathers saw this descent as the real anointing and appointment of Jesus to his messianic office before his public life begins. At the same time (according to the Fathers), by receiving the baptism of John, Jesus professes his solidarity with the guilty human race and gives water the power to forgive sins.
The New Testament reading expressly refers to the messianic anointing and mission of Jesus; here Peter says: "You know…the word which was proclaimed throughout all Judea . . . after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all " The Old Testament reading is taken from the first Servant Song (Is 42.1-4, 6-7) and, as traditionally interpreted, likewise refers to the anointing and mission of the Messiah: "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights. I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations…I have given you as a covenant to the people, light to the nations/"The preface very aptly sums up the content of the festal event as seen from the viewpoint of the theology of salvation: "You celebrated your new gift of baptism by signs and wonders at the Jordan. Your voice was heard from heaven to awaken faith in the presence among us of the Word made the man. Your Spirit was seen as a dove, revealing Jesus as your servant, and anointing him with joy as the Christ, sent to bring to the poor the good news of salvation." The feast of the Lord's baptism brings the Christmas cycle to a dose. The period is known as Ordinary Time now begins; in fact the week following this Sunday of the Lord's baptism is already the first of the 33/34 weeks of Ordinary Time.
Understanding the Gospel[18]
It is narrated in the Gospel of Mark 1: 7-11 that Jesus received baptism. This event is also told by Matthew (Matt 3: 13-17) and Luke (Luke 3: 21-22) with different emphases. Indirectly also the Gospel of John (John 1: 32-34) refers to the event. Like the crowds, Jesus came to follow John the Baptist's call to be baptized as a sign of repentance, as a sign of self-determination to avoid the things that might hinder the presence of the Divine. In the baptism, there was something peculiar to Jesus. This is what the Gospel preaches. Particularly for this year's celebration, let the Gospel of Mark be read from the background of the two preceding passages, Isa. 55: 1-11 and at the end of this writing also with the second reading (1Jn 5: 1-9). 
As Mark noted, the figure John proclaimed. Strangely, he was not what John had just said, baptizing people with the Holy Spirit, but instead asking John to be baptized! Moreover, as soon as he was baptized, Jesus was said to see the heavens split, the Holy Spirit down, and a voice is saying to him that he was the beloved Son who received favor from above. When read in the context of the baptism of the crowd by John, this baptism of Jesus shows the coming of divine powers along with the beloved Son to accompany the journey of the people who have expressed a willingness to change that course. Jesus is such a person so close to his own divine presence that according to Mark's words, "He sees" the heavens are opened, and the Spirit of God descends upon him like a dove, that is, the mighty power of heaven is now appearing in a gentle form. In recounting the same event, Luke adds that Jesus "is praying ...." Both Mark and Luke both emphasize the inner experience of Jesus being addressed as a beloved child by Him who is now no longer in the sky. It is also emphasized that the experience is made possible by the Holy Spirit called down upon Jesus. This inner experience then becomes his strength.
The event of the sky is divided, and the statement of the heavens can also be understood as God who receives both offerings, gifts, gifts from humans. Later the same phrase will also be heard when Jesus reveals his glory on the mountain. There God tells Himself to be pleasing to Jesus. Then at the last moment on the cross when Jesus voiced "already done" (John 19:30, Matthew 15:37 // Matthew 27:50 // Luk 23,46) and laid down his life, the Lord again broke into the human world (The Temple curtain parted Mark 15:38 // Matthew 27: 51 // Luke 23:45) and picked it up as a gift that pleased him. This parcel refers to humanity that is as bad as any with the great God.

The understanding of the first reading and the responsorial psalm about the gospel[19]
From the first reading (Isaiah 55: 1-11) we hear about God who is watching His thirsty people in the middle of the road. Water, a living buffer, is provided free of charge, for free, as a blessing so they can return from exile. This simple gift is just the beginning. The other good is promised: food, shelter, necessities of life, and then after that matters of spiritual life: religious life ("Covenant"), repentance, the ability to hear the divine word.
The water used in baptism in Jordan reminds how close the Lord is to the people who want to come back to Him. John's baptism became the expression of humans coming back to Him. However, it is also realized how the life of people easily dries up. Religious laws can reduce freedom and become a burden. The inner life may wilt. Water will not be enough to revive the already dry mind. It takes strength from on its own. Need a Spirit that moves on water as in creation. We remember that is when God said to speak life. That is what John the Baptist realized.
John the Baptist is not like any other character. In people's memory, he is a dazzling saint. People came to him for advice, seeking inner clarity where he lived, in the arid desert. There he pours out the water of repentance in life that begins to dry up. They came to him to be baptized (verses 4-5) to be ready for the forgiveness of sins. In the description of the person, John is a prophet (v. 6) and the messenger of God who came "before" and "prepared the way" for him (v. 2b; the alloy of Exod. 23:20 and Mal 3: 1). He is the one who cries out in the wilderness, the barren place, asking to be prepared for the way of the Lord to his people.
However, this enormous figure confesses that he is only the heir of the coming of the more powerful (v. 7). People must be wondering who he is. John added instead that stooping to untie the sandals of the man he was proclaiming was just not worth it. Who is he? Bending off the shoelaces not only means respect for the person faced. There is also a juridical meaning. In Ruth 4: 7 it is described the custom in the past, "... in Israel in the matter of redeeming and exchanging: every time a man shall strengthen a case, one shall strip off his sandal, and give it unto the other, as the manner in which a man verifies the matter in that land. " (The legalized transaction is the transfer of the right to purchase the land belonging to the Naomi family from the nearest about Boas, who then takes care of the two women.) With the background of the habit, John's Baptist is not just a lip service but a recognition that he is not worthy to take over the right of Jesus, that is to bring the baptism in the Holy Spirit and to bring back the divinity to man in full. John says (Mk 1: 8) that what he did was baptize with water. It was done to make people aware. However, to be able to bring that up there to man? It is the right of the more powerful who will come, who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.

Understanding the second reading in relation to the other readings[20]
Emphasized in the second reading of "defeating the world" by believing that Jesus is the "Son of God." These ideas are obvious to the recipient of the letter, but not necessarily for us. The author of the letter is from the same circle of the community that gave birth to the Gospel of John and often uses the ideas in the Gospel. Such is the "world" aired as being far from the Divine, even hostile to it. Rides like this are described as dark places. There life does not develop. The area was the area of ​​death. The man was born into that "world". So his life is essentially away from the divinity. There is no possibility of approaching the divine light because human beings are born confined and drifted into the dark. That is how it is. New circumstances change when the light itself comes to the "world" like that. Moreover, the light has indeed come. He is from God, his own Light. Because it can be said he was "born" from God, and thus he is "the Son of God". This is the frame of thought and terminology that underlies the second reading. In the early generations of followers of Jesus, such ideas became increasingly established and used in various forms of the proclamation which were eventually written in the form of the Gospels. Thus Jesus is believed to be a man who is so close to divinity that he can bring his light into a world dominated by darkness. He came as the Son of God in a sense described above. The people who approach him will begin to be free from the darkness of the world. Moreover, this happens by believing in it and daring to follow it. 
There is one more thing. The readers of that time still felt the need for Jesus to be so close to the divinity and to bring his light and indeed be recognized as the Son of God. The trustworthy statement is required. Man can witness it with various explanations and theology. However, the testimony of the Divine is stronger. This is what is asserted in 1 John 5: 9. To experience the truth of the statement people are invited to believe that the Divine is willing to come and be there. It just needs to be heard, looked at, felt-and this is the life of faith taught in a special community that precedes the Gospel and the letters of John. By learning to hear, to watch, to feel the divine presence, man can step by step from the dark world and away from the divinity while recognizing his light. People will gain inner sensitivity.

The biblical-liturgical theme of the Lectionary and its connection with L'eucologia[21]
The first three lines of this prayer following the address recall the three essential elements of Christ’s baptism: water, the Holy Spirit, and the declaration that he is the “beloved Son”. The next three lines petitions that this mystery of Christ passes into each of us. The good news is our share in Christ’s life through the gift of the Spirit. Since this prayer is primarily about sonship, we should consider what it means about sonship; we should consider that it means to be beloved sons and daughters of the Father. First, it means we are loved – “you are my beloved Son.” Second, it means we are to be receptive of the Father’s gifts – above all, the Holy Spirit, but also suffering. Third, we are to be nurtured by the Father, who feeds us with the body and blood of Christ. Fourth, we belong to the Father: even when others may abandon us, he will never abandon us – “I have carved you on the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:15-16). Fifth, it means we are to be free (Matthew 17:24; Luke 15:29-32). Lastly, it means we are heirs to the kingdom of the Father (Roman 8:17). All these qualities of sonship.

Understanding the form within the liturgical cycle[22]
The Baptism of Christ celebrates an epiphany, a manifestation. The emphasis is on the reality of Christ’s humanity: he “appeared in our very flesh.” The Latin is “in the substance of our flesh,” thus connecting the expression with the Creed’s “consubstantial” and the Eucharist “transubstantiation.” The one who has so appeared is called God’s only begotten Son.” In this feast the Father’s voice is heard declaring Christ to be his beloved Son.” “Son is an essential title for Jesus, demonstrating his identity and ours. “Only begotten Son” defines completely who Jesus is – the Son who has received everything from his Father. It delineates his relationship with the Father, who has many “sons” by creation and by adoption, but one who is only-begotten. The heart of prayer is the petition for inward transformation. The Son took our nature to refashion it in his image. Humanity is spiritually disfigured, and Christ takes on our nature to bring us into his transformed nature.

Conclusion (The Theological Meaning of the Feast and Collect)
If Jesus is God, why was He baptized? This question is plausible because, if the notion that Christ is God and sinless, then he should not need to be baptized. But there is another purpose that God wants to declare about Baptism, and therefore Jesus volunteered to be baptized by John the Baptist. The Collect and the reading that being read in this feast offer the theology background of the Baptism of Our Lord. This section will describe in detail the theology of the Baptism of Christ that have been researched in this paper.
The Gospel of Matthew tells us that when Christ came to be baptized, St. John the Baptist "prevented him, saying:" I am the one who needs to be baptized by you, and you come to me? "And Jesus replied, saying to him," Let it be, For thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness of God. "And John obeyed Him" ​​(Matthew 3: 14-15).
The baptism of Jesus was an anticipation of the sacrifice of his cross. The baptism of Christ means the acceptance of His death for the sins of mankind, and the voice that calls "This is my beloved Son" is an anticipatory reference to the resurrection. This also explains why, in his own words, Jesus uses the word 'baptism' (meaning to be immersed / drowned) to refer to His death (cf. Mark 10:38; Luke 12:50).
St. Thomas Aquinas, in his book, Summa Theology, explains the four reasons why Christ was baptized by John the Baptist (see ST, III, q.38, a.1), namely:
1.      That Christ may sanctify baptism. With that Baptism, Christ sanctifies water as the material of baptism;
2.      Being the way of Christ to reveal Himself. The apostle John wrote the words of John the Baptist, "... but for this I came and baptized with water, that He may be revealed to Israel" (John 1:31).
3.      With this baptism, people will know that this is the way that Christ uses to sanctify God's people;
4.      To show that repentance as shown by John the Baptist is important before a person is worthy of Christ's baptism. Thus, by allowing himself to be baptized, Christ also points out:
5.      That 'baptism' is the image of His death on the cross (see Luke 12:50), and His resurrection. Jesus wanted to state that the 'cause' which brought the mercy of Baptism, was His death on the cross, which preceded His resurrection from the dead. Baptism is therefore the anticipation of the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Christ. Immersion into the water anticipates His death and burial. Through His sacrifice on the cross, Christ seemed to be drowned in His own blood, before He revealed His divine power, with His resurrection from the dead. His coming out of the water anticipates His resurrection from dying. And the voice of God the Father who says, "This is my beloved Son ..." anticipates the statement of God's God through His resurrection.
6.      In order for us to follow His steps, that is to give ourselves to be baptized - not according to the baptism of John the Baptist but the baptism of Christ - so that men may be saved (see Mark 16:16). For the baptism of John marked repentance, but the baptism of Christ that perfected it, marked not only repentance, but also a new life in Christ. This new life in Christ happens because we are united in the death of Christ and His resurrection from the dead, so we have a divine life. It is this divine life that makes us God's adopted children, because His Holy Spirit lives in us. It is through this Baptism that we receive the words of God the Father, as He said when Christ was baptized, "This is my beloved Son to whom I am well pleased" (Mt 3:17).

Thus, the significance of Baptism can not be fully revealed until it is seen in the light of Christ's cross and resurrection. For through Baptism our old man, together with our sins, has been buried / drowned with the sacrifice of the cross of Christ, so that we may become new people, who have a divine life in Christ, because of His resurrection (see Romans 6: 5 -11). Then the mercy of the sacrament of Baptism is obtained because of the merits of Christ, who was crucified, died, rose to heaven, in order to atone for our sins and open the gates of heaven for us, so that we may gain eternal life. So the Baptist Sacrament exists, because of the Post-Christ Mystery Mystery (His passion, death, resurrection and ascension to Heaven). The paschal mystery of Christ is the cause of our meritorious cause.
7.      By being baptized, Jesus also declared that his death can not be separated from his resurrection, and his resurrection is also inseparable from his preceding death. For our coming out of water is preceded by immersion into water; Our rise from the power of sin is preceded by our death to sin / repentance. Therefore, we who believe in Christ can not only emphasize Christ's resurrection without the sacrifice of his cross, or vice versa, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross without his resurrection.
8.      By being baptized, the Lord Jesus shows his solidarity with us humans. He shows His willingness to be like us in everything except in the matter of sin (see Phil. 2: 6-7; Heb. 4:15).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A. ADAM, The Liturgical Year : its history & its meaning after the reform of the liturgy, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, 1990.
L. PRISTAS, The Collects of Roman Missal of 1962 and 2002, Bloomsbury T & T Clark, New York, 2013.
M. SODI, Ordinamento generale del Lezionario Romano. Annunciare, celebrare e vivere la Parola di Dio,
Padova, Edizioni Messaggero, Padova, 2010
Missale Romanum ex Decreto Sacrosancti Œcumenici Concilii Vaticani II instauratum auctoritate Pauli Pp. VI promulgatum. Ordo cantus Missæ, editio typica altera, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Città del Vaticano 1987.
Missale Romanum ex Decreto Sacrosancti Œcumenici Concilii Vaticani II instauratum auctoritate Pauli Pp. VI promulgatum. Ordo lectionum Missæ, editio typica altera, Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1981.
Missale Romanum ex Decreto Sacrosancti Œcumenici Concilii Vaticani II instauratum auctoritate Pauli Pp. VI promulgatum Ioannis Pauli Pp. II cura recognitum, editio typica tertia, Typis Vaticanis, 2002, reimpressio emendata, 2008.
P. F. BRADSHAW, The Origin of Feast and Season in early Christiany, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, 2011.
RENATO DE ZAN, I Molteplici tesori dell’ unica Parola, Edizioni Messaggero, Padova, 2008.
APPENDIX


Dominica post diem 6 ianuarii occurrente

IN BAPTISMATE DOMINI
Festum Ubi sollemnitas Epiphaniæ ad dominicam transfertur, quæ die 7 vel 8 ianuarii occurrit, festum Baptismatis Domini celebratur feria secunda sequenti.

Ant. ad introitum Cf. Mt 3, 16-17
B
aptizáto Dómino, apérti sunt cæli, et sicut colúmba super eum Spíritus mansit, et vox Patris intónuit: Hic est Fílius meus diléctus, in quo mihi bene
complácui.

Dicitur Glória in excélsis.

Collecta
Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, qui Christum, in Iordáne flúmine baptizátum, Spíritu Sancto super eum descendénte, diléctum Fílium
tuum sollémniter declarásti, concéde fíliis adoptiónis tuæ, ex aqua et Spíritu Sancto renátis, ut in beneplácito tuo iúgiter persevérent. Per Dóminum.
Vel:
Deus, cuius Unigénitus in substántia nostræ carnis appáruit, præsta, quǽsumus, ut, per eum, quem símilem nobis foris agnóvimus, intus reformári mereámur. Qui tecum.

Dicitur Credo.

Super oblata
Súscipe múnera, Dómine, in dilécti Fílii tui revelatióne deláta, ut fidélium tuórum oblátio in eius sacrifícium tránseat, qui mundi vóluit peccáta miserátus ablúere. Qui vivit et regnat in sǽcula sæculórum.




Præfatio: De Baptismate Domini.

Tonus sollemnis
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus
Dóminus Deus Sábaoth...

Textus sine cantu:
V.
Dóminus vobíscum.
R. Et cum spíritu tuo.
V. Sursum corda.
R. Habémus ad Dóminum.
V. Grátias agámus Dómino Deo nostro.
R. Dignum et iustum est.

Vere dignum et iustum est, æquum et salutáre, nos tibi semper et ubíque grátias ágere: Dómine, sancte Pater, omnípotens ætérne Deus: Qui miris signásti mystériis novum in Iordáne lavácrum, ut, per vocem de cælo delápsam, habitáre Verbum tuum inter hómines crederétur; et, per
Spíritum in colúmbæ specie descendéntem, Christus Servus tuus óleo perúngi lætítiæ ac mitti ad evangelizándum paupéribus noscerétur. Et ídeo cum cælórum virtútibus in terris te iúgiter celebrámus, maiestáti tuæ sine fine clamántes: Sanctus, Sanctus,
Sanctus Dóminus Deus Sábaoth...

Ant. ad communionem Io 1, 32.34
Ecce de quo dicébat Ioánnes: Ego vidi et testimónium perhíbui, quia
hic est Fílius Dei.

Post communionem
Sacro múnere satiáti, cleméntiam tuam, Dómine, supplíciter exorámus, ut, Unigénitum tuum fidéliter audiéntes, fílii tui vere nominémur et simus. Per
Christum.




[1] A. ADAM, The Liturgical Year, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, 1990, p. 148
[2] The first step of “9 Rundown of work at aula/Scaletta del lavoro in aula” (Riportare la colletta in lingua latina dal Messale editio typica secunda)
[3] The second step (Verificarne la presenza della colletta nel Messale editio typica tertia)
[4] The third step (Verificarne la presenza nel Messale del 1570)
[5] P. F. BRADSHAW, The Origin of Feast and Season in early Christiany, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, 2011, p. 155
[6] A. ADAM, Opt. Cit, p. 148
[7] The fourth step (Scelta del termine specifico da analizzare)
[8] The sixth step (Analisi filologica [associazioni, commutazioni])
[9] The author limits the scope and analyse only from the collects
[10] The fifth step (Critica letteraria [fonti bibliche, liturgiche, evoluzione storica del testo, struttura della colletta])
[11] I used an application called Bible Work version 8 from Pontificial Biblical Institute for doing this research.
[12] The seventh step (Analisi del significato del termine)
[13] The ninth step (Confrontarla con traduzioni in almeno altre tre lingue [es. inglese, spagnolo, francese] )
[14] The eighth step (Riportare la colletta in lingua italiana)
[15] In this section, I present the text in English, but the text in Latin also possible in the appendix
[16] The first step in RENATO DE ZAN, I Molteplici tesori dell’ unica Parola, Messagero di Sant’Antonio, Padova, 2008,  p. 104
[17] The second step of De Zan (Lo Studio del nuovo contesto)
[18] The Third step of De Zan (La comprensione del vangelo)
[19] The Fourth step of De Zan (La comprensione della prima lettura e del salmo responsoriale in rapporto con il vangelo)
[20] The Fifth step of De Zan (la comprensione della seconda lettura in rapporto con le altre letture)
[21] The Sixth Step of De Zan (La tematica biblico-liturgica del Lezionario e il suo legame con L’eucologia)
[22] The Seventh step (La comprensione del formulario dentro al ciclo liturgico)

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