To access and download the 2025 Family Year Planner and its backup information go to https://marfam.org.za/2025-family-year-planner/

 12 January.  BAPTISM OF THE LORD C.  Paulette wrote to her friend, “I know that the Sacrament of Baptism is an initiation into the Christian family, as the Church also describes itself.  All our children were baptised as babies and confirmed later on.   When Michael chose to join the liberation army because as he said, he really believed in freedom and dignity for all I supported him but also feared for his life.  Soon after joining he wrote to us trying to explain his experience, ‘it was like a baptism of fire for me; I felt a sense of belonging and of sacrificing for a cause I believed in.’  We still worried about his safety but repeating the words of the gospel made us proud and gave us some of God’s strength.” 

Reflect, share.  Scripture He saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased.” Luke 3:21-22. Pope Francis. In contemplating the pierced heart of the Lord, who “took our infirmities and bore our diseases” ( Mt 8:17), we too are inspired to be more attentive to the sufferings and needs of others, and confirmed in our efforts to share in his work of liberation as instruments for the spread of his love. DN169.  JUBILEE The Second Vatican Council says of hope that, “when people are deprived of this divine support, and lack hope in eternal life, their dignity is deeply impaired, as may so often be seen today. The problems of life and death, of guilt and suffering, remain unsolved, so that people are frequently thrown into despair”. [14] We, however, by virtue of the hope in which we were saved, can view the passage of time with the certainty that the history of humanity and our own individual history are not doomed to a dead end or a dark abyss, but directed to an encounter with the Lord of glory. Pray:  for an understanding of “the demands of baptism. Choose appropriate action. .