January 8 2018 - The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord – Matthew 3:13-17

    It has been two and a half weeks since we celebrated Christmas day, commemorating the birth of our Savior.  Today, our Christmas season officially comes to an end with the celebration of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the waters of the Jordan River. Our Christmas season has included different celebrations that has made Christ manifest in different ways in the world.  We celebrated the Holy Family the first Sunday after Christmas, as we saw Joseph lead Mary and Baby Jesus to safety as King Herod sought to kill the Christ child. Then, we celebrated Mary, the Mother of God, as the Blessed Virgin pointed us to her Son and helped us understand his identity as fully human and fully divine.  Last week, we celebrated the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus, as Gentiles from the East recognized the salvation that the light of Christ was bringing to all.

      Today, as we focus on the Baptism of Jesus, as he begins his public ministry and his proclamation of God’s kingdom. We might wonder:  Why would Jesus have to be baptized anyway if he was the Son of God, already free from sin?  What insights can we learn from Jesus' baptism?  And what does our own baptism really mean for us in our daily lives?

      The crowds came to John the Baptist for baptism in repentance for their sins, yet Jesus had no sins from which he needed to repent.  John baptized them as they turned away from sin, but this also pointed to something greater, to Jesus, who would take on humanity's sins and would pay for them by making God’s forgiveness available to all who seek it.  Jesus was baptized publicly not only in recognition of his role in our redemption and in taking away our sins, but also to reveal his identity as God's Son.  After his baptism, the Holy Spirit descends on him, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

      Jesus' baptism is at the heart of his mission to heal us, in identifying with our sinfulness, our brokenness, and our human nature.  Jesus' baptism and his identification with our human condition help us recall our own baptism and the hope that comes with it.  Our Catholic faith is rich in symbols as powerful aides and reminders. Water is one of our most meaningful symbols, reminding us of the new life we receive from Christ in the water of baptism.  We have a water font as we come into church– many of us make the sign of the cross as they enter and exit the church.  I see parents showing their children how to make the sign of the cross with the holy water. Sometimes, when I go to visit the sick or shut-ins, I carry a container of holy water in order to bless them and to remind them of our baptismal promises, of how Christ the Good Shepherd leads us to streams of living water.  Water is a very earthy symbol for us as human beings, reminding us that our human existence is tied to the water that makes life on earth possible and that from a spiritual perspective, the baptismal water gives us new life in Christ.
       Through the new life in Christ that we gained in our baptism, through the baptism of Jesus that we celebrate today, may we all try to live that new life with passion and dedication in a way that is truly worthy of our calling as followers of Our Lord Jesus Christ.