Cycle C - Year II:

10 January 2016: Feast of the Lord's Baptism
(Liturgical color: White)

Gospel: Read  Luke 3:15-16, 21-22


The Lord's Baptism: His work begins....

This Sunday is the Feast of the Lord's Baptism. We reflect on this event in the First Luminous Mystery of the Holy Rosary. It is said that the Lord's Baptism officially closes the Christmas season.

Recall that in the first Sunday of January we celebrated the Solemnity of the Lord's Epiphany. We shared that "epiphany" means the manifestation or appearance of Jesus as our Lord and King.

Well, the Baptism of our Lord is also like a second "epiphany", because in His baptism our Lord's true identity as the Son of God is made known through the voice of God the Fathe Himself, as He confirmed by the appearance of the Holy Spirit in bodily form of a dove.

In the Gospel narrative, John baptized the people and Jesus was also baptized by him. Then "heaven

was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'" (Lk 3:21-22)

But wait..... we know of course that even in his humanity Jesus Christ was perfect and so he had no need to be cleansed and regenerated in the waters of baptism. So therefore, we ask,  "Why did the Lord choose to be baptized by John the Baptist?"

We found the answer to this question in the writings of St. Maximus of Turin, who lived in the late fourth century. St. Maximus tells us that "Christ was baptized not to be made holy by the waters of baptism but rather to make holy the water of baptism and to purify these waters with His Body, so that all who would be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit would be cleansed of original sin, and be made adopted sons and daughters of the most high God. In doing so, Christ has elevated baptism to the dignity of a sacrament."

The significance of the Lord's baptism is the start of his public ministry and his mission as the Messiah that would change the world forever. This event has important and practical implications for us as well in our own time.

Let us know and reflect on the significant effects of baptism in all baptized Christians:

Baptism is the first and most necessary sacrament for our salvation. In baptism we are washed free of original sin inherited by all human beings due to the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve, as recorded in the Book of Genesis.

In baptism, the soul is infused with sanctifying grace that makes us adopted children of the Father, and allows for the indwelling of the Trinity in our soul.

In baptism, the soul experiences an infusion of the "theological virtues" of faith, hope, and charity. They are so-called because these are the virtues most oriented toward God. In layman's language, these are the virtues that lead us to know and love God.

In baptism, we receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, namely wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord.  The Church teaches that "these gifts are given in potential state, waiting to be actualized." That is why parents and godparents undertake an immense responsibility when the child is baptized. Because parents and godparents are charged with drawing out, or "actualizing" these gifts and theological virtues that God has infused into the child's soul at baptism through their own guidance and good examples.

There is another very important revelation made during the event of the Lord's Baptism. From the very beginning of Jesus' public ministry God wants the world to know that his saving work is a united effort on the part of the Holy Trinity. Because God is one, the three Persons always work in unison as well. That is to say that the Father sends us the Son to do His saving work in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In sum, the Feast of the Lord's Baptism reminds us that by our own baptism we commit ourselves to take active part in the mission of the Church to preach the Good News of God's kingdom in words and deeds. In other words, we witness our baptism when we live as true Christians in every situation of our practical life.... at home, in the work place, and in fact wherever we are in every part of our life's journey.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.


Ad Jesum per Mariam!