The Baptism of the Lord
Reflection
The feast of the baptism of Jesus Christ marks the joyful conclusion of the Christmas season, transitioning us from adoring the newborn Christ to following his public ministry, and revealing our own identity as the beloved children of God, adopted through our own baptism called to serve the people of God.
As if to affirm the ministry of John Baptist, Jesus insisted on being baptized, not for his own sins — he was sinless — but to “fulfill all righteousness,” that is, to show his obedience to the Father’s will by carrying out his prophetic work.
Moreover, in baptism, the Holy Spirit anointed Jesus, signaling the beginning of his ministry as the Son of God.
And lastly, by wading waist-deep into the muddy waters of the River Jordan, Jesus identified himself with us repentant sinners, taking on our sins, and foreshadowing his ultimate sacrifice on Calvary.
The Catholic Catechism calls baptism:
the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons and daughters of God.
CCC 1213
On this day, we, too, are being reborn into the Ordinary time of our lives. This is such a fitting way in which to conclude the Advent and Christmas seasons. In quiet prayer and repentance, as John the Baptist called us to do, we patiently awaited the coming of Messiah.
With the birth of Jesus, we celebrated the incarnation of the second person of the Blessed Trinity.
Matthew’s beautiful gospel, in which he describes Jesus’ baptism, also reveals for us the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity: the Spirit, who anoints Jesus, and God the Father, who declares of Jesus: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
And now, in Jesus’ baptism, and our own, we are prepared to enter into Ordinary time, “fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness,” by faithfully doing the will of the Father,l and carrying out our own ministry by loving and serving the people of God.
