baptism Of the Lord: end of Christmas Season
Baptism of the Lord
With this feast, we end the Church’s Christmas season. Because we are baptized we are all like Jesus, beloved sons and daughters of God. On the day we were baptized we were changed forever. Imagine, you became a son or daughter of God on the day you were baptized, enjoying a new relationship with our Father.
What does baptism mean? The meaning of baptism can be found in the four letters of the word RICE. R stands for Rebirth. In baptism we are born again by water and the Holy Spirit. We are cleansed from original sin and become sons and daughters of God in a special way. I stands for Initiation. At baptism we are initiated or admitted into full membership in the church, the community of the children of God in the world. C is for Consecration. In baptism we consecrate and dedicate ourselves to seek and to spread the kingdom of God. We commit ourselves to be servants of God, to do God’s will and serve God with our whole lives. And E is for Empowerment. At baptism the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and empowers us, equips us, gives us the moral strength to say no to evil and to live as God’s children that we have become.
These four effects of baptism can be divided into two categories, the passive effects (what we receive from God and the people of God), namely, rebirth, initiation, and empowerment; and the active effect (what we give to God and the people of God), namely, our commitment and dedication to a cause, to spread the kingdom of God.
Baptism of the Lord signifies the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus, which will end in the Paschal Mystery. It reveals to Jesus Himself His special relationship of love with the Father and how the Holy Spirit is with Him in His mission. It also manifests the meaning of Jesus' mission, which is the same as the meaning of His Name, to save from sin and unite all mankind in His love. Here is the link with Christmas: "His name shall be called Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Here is also the link with the Epiphany: Jesus is made manifest by the Father to the Baptist, just as the Star made Him manifest to the Magi. Here is also the link with the Paschal Mystery: the true baptism of Jesus is not in water and is not for the cleansing of any sin of His; no the true baptism is His death to destroy our sin and His Resurrection to restore our life.
What difference does baptism make to us? When Jesus was baptized the Father spoke and said, “You are my Son, the beloved; my favor rests on you.” When we are baptized the Father says over each of us, “You are my son/daughter, my beloved; my favor rests on you.” In the early centuries of the Church all those who had been baptized were described as ‘another Christ’ and called to live as another Christ. Because of baptism, everyone is called to live like another Jesus. Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit when he was baptized in the Jordan and we are anointed with the oil of chrism during our baptism and like Jesus we receive the Holy Spirit also.
St Paul said “there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; you are all one in Christ.” (Gal 3:28)
So what is your vocation since baptism? Your vocation is to be another Jesus in the world. Let us also earnestly ask him for the grace to keep us faithful to our baptismal promises to say no to Satan and all his false promises and to say yes to God even unto death.
With this feast, we end the Church’s Christmas season. Because we are baptized we are all like Jesus, beloved sons and daughters of God. On the day we were baptized we were changed forever. Imagine, you became a son or daughter of God on the day you were baptized, enjoying a new relationship with our Father.
What does baptism mean? The meaning of baptism can be found in the four letters of the word RICE. R stands for Rebirth. In baptism we are born again by water and the Holy Spirit. We are cleansed from original sin and become sons and daughters of God in a special way. I stands for Initiation. At baptism we are initiated or admitted into full membership in the church, the community of the children of God in the world. C is for Consecration. In baptism we consecrate and dedicate ourselves to seek and to spread the kingdom of God. We commit ourselves to be servants of God, to do God’s will and serve God with our whole lives. And E is for Empowerment. At baptism the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and empowers us, equips us, gives us the moral strength to say no to evil and to live as God’s children that we have become.
These four effects of baptism can be divided into two categories, the passive effects (what we receive from God and the people of God), namely, rebirth, initiation, and empowerment; and the active effect (what we give to God and the people of God), namely, our commitment and dedication to a cause, to spread the kingdom of God.
Baptism of the Lord signifies the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus, which will end in the Paschal Mystery. It reveals to Jesus Himself His special relationship of love with the Father and how the Holy Spirit is with Him in His mission. It also manifests the meaning of Jesus' mission, which is the same as the meaning of His Name, to save from sin and unite all mankind in His love. Here is the link with Christmas: "His name shall be called Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Here is also the link with the Epiphany: Jesus is made manifest by the Father to the Baptist, just as the Star made Him manifest to the Magi. Here is also the link with the Paschal Mystery: the true baptism of Jesus is not in water and is not for the cleansing of any sin of His; no the true baptism is His death to destroy our sin and His Resurrection to restore our life.
What difference does baptism make to us? When Jesus was baptized the Father spoke and said, “You are my Son, the beloved; my favor rests on you.” When we are baptized the Father says over each of us, “You are my son/daughter, my beloved; my favor rests on you.” In the early centuries of the Church all those who had been baptized were described as ‘another Christ’ and called to live as another Christ. Because of baptism, everyone is called to live like another Jesus. Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit when he was baptized in the Jordan and we are anointed with the oil of chrism during our baptism and like Jesus we receive the Holy Spirit also.
St Paul said “there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; you are all one in Christ.” (Gal 3:28)
So what is your vocation since baptism? Your vocation is to be another Jesus in the world. Let us also earnestly ask him for the grace to keep us faithful to our baptismal promises to say no to Satan and all his false promises and to say yes to God even unto death.
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