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This feast of The Baptism of the Lord falls on the Sunday following the Epiphany; in it we recall the mystery of Christ's Person and mission.
It is also an opportunity for each of us to give thanks for the many gifts and graces we have received since our own baptism.
As the late Pope John Paul II reminded us 'I exhort the faithful to renew with deep faith those baptismal commitments we assumed through our parents and godparents, particularly our loyalty to the teaching of Christ and his church and our determination to struggle against temptation.'
Today we give God thanks for all the benefits each of us has received from the Sacrament of Baptism.
Let us renew our commitment to Christ and His Church by means of regular daily prayer and the reception of the Sacraments.
It is also an opportunity for each of us to give thanks for the many gifts and graces we have received since our own baptism.
As the late Pope John Paul II reminded us 'I exhort the faithful to renew with deep faith those baptismal commitments we assumed through our parents and godparents, particularly our loyalty to the teaching of Christ and his church and our determination to struggle against temptation.'
Today we give God thanks for all the benefits each of us has received from the Sacrament of Baptism.
Let us renew our commitment to Christ and His Church by means of regular daily prayer and the reception of the Sacraments.
6 comments:
It's really a further Epiphany: a revealing of the true identity of Jesus as Saviour of the world. It's placed at this time of year for that reason - the mega epiphanies being he Birth, the Magi, the Baptism and Cana. But you know that already ... It's only secondarily about our own baptism.
Also, its resonance with Christmas is obvious: in the crib the human and the divine are joined for ever - God comes as closely 'alongside' his people as it's possible to do (ie, by becoming us). Jesus does something similar in the baptism. Clearly, he's without sin so has no need of baptism (as it came to be understood, ie: cleansing from Original Sin) but he chooses to associate himself with the sinfulness of the human race in this way - again, getting alongside us as closely as it's possible to do ... So it's perfect for this time of year.
Ultimately, he will take that self-association (or, rather, divine association) with sin to the cross. The burden of sin he takes on himself at the baptism in the Jordan is the same burden of sin he 'lays down' on the wood of the cross. It's such beautiful beautiful stuff.
In that sense, the relationship with our own baptism is much less important.
But I don't want to tell you what you already know ..
Keep up the good work with the blog. I love it!
I have commented anonymously. But have you worked out who I am?
It's too easy to "Tel" who you are!
And you're so right about this lovely blog,
It's one of my top two...
Keep it up Fr M!
An interesting 'thread' developing in the comments here! Almost as interesting as the blog itself - I did say 'almost' Fr Míċeál - it's one of my daily reads. (But then you'd expect that!:))
Is it a black thread Cindy?
It could well be . . . or possibly green, considering the season?
"Curiouser and curiouser" . . .
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