TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, January 6, 2021
The Official Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
U.S.P.S. 240-420
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
SEARCH OLD COPIES OF THE HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES ON-LINE:
http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/
Published weekly by Sykes Publishing and entered as periodical matter at the Post
Office at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Periodical postage paid
at Heppner, Oregon. Office at 188 W. Willow Street. Telephone (541) 676-9228. Fax
(541) 676-9211. E-mail: editor@rapidserve.net or david@rapidserve.net. Web site:
www.heppner.net. Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times,
P.O. Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $31 in Morrow County; $25
senior rate (in Morrow County only; 65 years or older); $37 elsewhere; $31 student
subscriptions.
David Sykes ..............................................................................................Publisher
Bobbi Gordon................................................................................................ Editor
Giselle Moses.........................................................................................Advertising
All News and Advertising Deadline is Monday at 5 p.m.
For Advertising: advertising deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Cost for a display ad is $5.25 per
column inch. Cost for classified ad is 50¢ per word. Cost for Card of Thanks is $10 up to
100 words. Cost for a classified display ad is $6.05 per column inch.
For Public/Legal Notices: public/legal notices deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Dates for publi-
cation must be specified. Affidavits must be requested at the time of submission. Affidavits
require three weeks to process after last date of publication (a sooner return date must be
specified if required).
For Obituaries: Obituaries are published in the Heppner GT at no charge and are edited to
meet news guidelines. Families wishing to include information not included in the guidelines
or who wish to have the obituary written in a certain way must purchase advertising space
for the obituary.
For Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor MUST be signed by the author. The Heppner
GT will not publish unsigned letters. All letters MUST include the author’s address and phone
number for use by the GT office. The GT reserves the right to edit letters. The GT is not
responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks will
be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10.
Spiritually Speaking
You are my beloved son
By Fr. Thankachan Joseph SDB, St. Patrick Church
At some time or other, all of us need to affirm our
identity and in turn be affirmed by others. We prefer
to identify ourselves with those who are well known,
influential and powerful. Jesus, however, preferred to
be identified with the poor, the weak, the marginalized
and outcasts of society. While we long to be affirmed by
others, do we long to be affirmed by God himself? May
His Word confront, as well as affirm, us.
This passage from Isaiah, 42: 1-4, 6-7, written about
five hundred years before the birth of Christ narrates the
prophecy of God’s beloved servant, His chosen one, en-
dowed with His spirit. The prophet is primarily referring
to Israel as the chosen one of God. Israel is reminded of its
universal mission to be the servant for all nations. In spite
of their desperate situation, they will be an instrument
of salvation for all peoples. They will not dominate but
will fulfill their mission by humble service. This mission
looks impossible, humanly speaking, but will be realized
in Jesus Christ the new Israel, the Chosen One of God.
The Acts of the Apostles 10: 34-36 narrates the scene
of Peter declaring to the Roman official Cornelius that
before Jesus’s public ministry, God anointed Him with the
Holy Spirit and with power to overcome sin and human
illnesses. The context of Peter’s address is the uncertainty
in the early church about the following of the Law of
Moses, the dietary laws and their observance and the
Health Department hires new director
stipulations of the law with
regard to contacts and rela-
tionship with the gentiles.
Peter himself was hesitant
to give up Jewish eating
practices and was unsure
about how he should relate
to gentiles until he had a
vision in which he was led
to the house of Cornelius.
There he openly proclaims
that God has no favorites Fr. Thankachan Joseph
but that anybody of any
nationality who believes in God is acceptable to Him.
He also reminds his listeners that Jesus was the anointed
servant of God who went about doing good, curing all who
had fallen under the power of the evil one. The surprise
of Peter was even greater when he discovered that as he
preached to the pagan household of Cornelius, the Holy
Spirit descended on them.
The most important events in the life of Jesus as nar-
rated by all four Gospels are the baptism of Jesus in River
Jordan, the first public revelation of all Three Persons in
the Holy Trinity, and the official revelation to the world
of Jesus as the Son of God, which also marks the begin-
ning of Jesus’s public ministry. All four Gospels record
that Jesus’s being baptized by John posed a difficulty for
the early church, given the fact that Jesus was sinless.
John himself was hesitant to baptize Jesus. However,
the fact that His baptism is reported in all four Gospel
accounts testifies to its authenticity. Jesus did not need
to be baptized by John, but in choosing to be baptized,
He symbolized His readiness to be one with humanity,
in solidarity with the human race. It was as though Jesus
was proclaiming: “I am one with you! I am on your side!”
The Gospel narration from Mark (1:7-11) tells us
that at the moment of Christ’s submission to God’s will,
the moment He accepted to be one with humanity with
its weakness and sinfulness, Jesus was accepting all
the consequences: becoming the lamb of God ready to
be sacrificed for the sins of the world. This moment of
acceptance also became the moment when the Father
acknowledged His son. He gave His sign of recognition
and approval. “No sooner had he come up out of the
water than he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit
like a dove descending on him. And a voice came from
the heavens ‘You are my son, the beloved; my favor rests
on you.’” The baptism of Jesus thus becomes a moment
of oneness of Jesus with the human race, with God also
proclaiming His oneness with His own Son. “You are my
beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” This affirmation
was accompanied with signs: the heavens parting, God
revealing himself through the descent of the Spirit and
through His own words spoken to all who cared to listen
and believe. The Servant of God is also the well-beloved
Son of the Father. In life, all of us need to be affirmed
and the most meaningful affirmation comes from those
who love us.
As the Spirit descended on Jesus at His baptism, it
confirmed Him not only for that moment but remained
with Him, anointing and strengthening Him all through
His life. The same Spirit, which is given to us at baptism,
remains with us to strengthen us right through life. For
Jesus, His baptism signaled the end of His hidden life
and the beginning of His public ministry. It had taken
thirty years of hidden life to prepare Him for it. For us,
baptism must not be a one-time experience of infancy,
but a growing realization as we advance in years of who
we are called to be by our Christian vocation: servants of
God and beloved sons and daughters of the Father. The
Gospel narration of the day ends with this phrase “You are
my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased,” beautiful
words of the heavenly Father. If I want to be addressed in
the same way, what things of this world do I need to get
rid of in order to be a favorite one in the sight of God?
May we believe the Father affirming us: “You are my
beloved…. My favor rests on you!”
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
Nazario Rivera, 29, of Hermiston is the new director of the Morrow County Health Depart-
ment (public health). He was formerly employed at Good Shepherd Hospital in Hermiston.
NEW YEAR 2021 SALE!
OF EQUAL OR LESSER VALUE
ANY REGULAR PRICED
FRAME AND LENSES
(Includes $99 Complete Pair Package
& Children’s $49.50 Complete Pair)
Prepare for
power outages
with a Generac
home standby
generator
REQUEST A FREE QUOTE!
INCLUDES:
ANTI-REFLECTIVE • TRANSITIONS • POLARIZED
MEN’S • WOMEN’S • CHILDREN’S • SUNGLASSES
844-942-3614
*2nd pair exclusions: Oakley frames, special order lenses, glass and safety eyewear.
NO EXCLUSIONS FOR 1ST PAIR FRAME OR LENSES.
Like and Shar e our Facebook post and you’ll be enter ed into a drawing for
a frame of your choice, up to $150 value! Drawing January 30, 2021.
AFFORDABLE
FAMILY EYEWEAR
If you are using insurance, please ask for details!
Most insurances accepted: MODA, Ameritas, Regence and Many More!
Se Habla Español • Same Day Service on Most Prescriptions • Dr. Anderson: Saturday Appointments Available
541-567-3790 • 298 E Gladys Ave, Hermiston, OR • www.affordablefamilyeyewear.com
FREE
7-Year Extended Warranty*
A $695 Value!
Off er valid December 15, 2020 - March 1, 2021
Special Financing Available
Subject to Credit Approval
*To qualify, consumers must request a quote, purchase, install and activate the
generator with a participating dealer. Call for a full list of terms and conditions.