With the Baptism of the Lord, the Christmas season comes to an end, for Jesus is no longer the child of Bethlehem but begins His public ministry. As we reflect on Baptism, we are reminded that whenever we enter a church, we bless ourselves with holy water as a reminder of our Baptism. Since the early days of the Church, people have touched the water of the baptismal font to recall their baptismal commitment. The font is our spiritual Bethlehem, the place where we were born to new life in Christ. It is there that we received the grace and strength to live the Christian life.<\/p>\n
Very few of us return to look again at the font of our Baptism, because the baptismal font, like Bethlehem, is not a place where one remains, but a place from which one moves forward. The purpose of the sacrament of Baptism is not to keep us fixed at the font, but to send us forth into life, now filled with Christ, so that we may be a light to others.<\/p>\n
Through His Baptism, Jesus enters into the reality of sinners. He stands among those who came to John the Baptist to be baptized in the waters of the Jordan.<\/p>\n
Jesus is revealed as the Son of God\u2014this is Matthew\u2019s emphasis. John\u2019s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Mk 1:4). The fact that Jesus should submit to such a baptism was a source of embarrassment for the early Christians. Why, then, did He undergo it? He did so to give an example of humility, to raise John\u2019s baptism to a new level, to show solidarity with sinners, and to inaugurate His mission to sinners\u2014a mission beautifully described by Isaiah in the first reading. Matthew also wished to show what Baptism means for Christians.<\/p>\n
By identifying Himself with sinners, Jesus sanctifies them, and by entering the Jordan, He gives the water a new meaning. From that moment on, the water that once symbolized the washing away of impurity becomes a source of life. In Genesis 1:2, the Spirit of the Lord hovered over the waters; in His Baptism, Jesus reveals the Spirit, who will baptize us in the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n
Through His Baptism, Jesus does not sanctify Himself, but rather sanctifies the journey of faith embraced by every Christian. Baptism opens the door to God\u2019s family, and the baptized person is born again. As we strive to be light in the darkness, let us not look back to Bethlehem, but forward to Christ present in the Eucharist. In Ordinary Time, Jesus is with us not as an infant, but as our nourishment, strengthening us so that we may be a light to the world.<\/p>\n
Scripture Readings: With the Baptism of the Lord, the Christmas season comes to an end, for Jesus is no longer the child of Bethlehem but begins His public ministry. As we reflect on Baptism, we are reminded that whenever we enter a church, we bless ourselves with holy water as a reminder of our Baptism. Since the early days of the Church, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weekly-homilies"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n<\/strong>Is 42:1\u20134, 6\u20137 \u2022 Acts 10:34\u201338 \u2022 Mt 3:13\u201317<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"