St Ambrose reminded the newly baptised of the water, the wood and the dove in the story of Noah. The water of Baptism saves us through the merits of Christ’s death on the wood of the Cross. The Holy Spirit breathed life into that water so that we might have fullness of life.
FIRST READING
A reading from the book of Genesis 9:8-15
Here is the sign of the Covenant I make between myself and Noah.
God spoke to Noah and his sons, ‘See, I establish my Covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; also with every living creature to be found with you, birds, cattle and every wild beast with you: everything that came out of the ark, everything that lives on the earth. I establish my Covenant with you: no thing of flesh shall be swept away again by the waters of the flood. There shall be no flood to destroy the earth again.’
God said, ‘Here is the sign of the Covenant I make between myself and you and every living creature with you for all generations: I set my bow in the clouds and it shall be a sign of the Covenant between me and the earth. When I gather the clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the Covenant between myself and you and every living creature of every kind. And so the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all things of flesh.’
The Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 24
Response Your ways, Lord, are faithfulness and love for those who keep your covenant.
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Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:
for you are God my saviour. Response -
Remember your mercy, Lord,
and the love you have shown from of old.
In your love remember me,
because of your goodness, O Lord. Response -
The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray,
he guides the humble in the right path;
he teaches his way to the poor. Response
SECOND READING
A reading from the first letter of St Peter 3:18.22
That water is a type of the baptism which saves you now.
Christ himself, innocent though he was, died once for sins, died for the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life, and, in the spirit, he went to preach to the spirits in prison. Now it was long ago, when Noah was still building that ark which saved only a small group of eight people ‘by water’, and when God was still waiting patiently, that these spirits refused to believe.
That water is a type of the baptism which saves you now, and which is not the washing off of physical dirt but a pledge made to God from a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has entered heaven and is at God’s right hand, now that he has made the angels of the Dominations and Powers his subjects.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel acclamation Mt 4:4
Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory!
Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory!
GOSPEL
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 1:12-15
Jesus was tempted by Satan and the angels looked after him.
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness and he remained there for forty days,
and was tempted by Satan. He was with the wild beasts, and the angels looked after him.
After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee.
There he proclaimed the Good News from God.
‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand.
Repent, and believe the Good News.’
The Gospel of the Lord.