For one last time, Merry Christmas! Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord which brings to conclusion our celebration of the Christmas season.
Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins and being incorporated into the life of Christ and His Church. Some will say that an infant cannot sin and therefore baptism does them no good. This is not true for those who say this forget that Adam and Eve ushered what is known as original sin into the world. Baptism washes away not only sin, but also original sin of which we have all inherited including an infant.
Baptism is so serious that we are told in the Code of Canon Law: “Parents are obliged to take care that infants are baptized in the first few weeks; as soon as possible after the birth or even before it, they are to go to the pastor to request the sacrament for their child and to be prepared properly for it.” Yet how sad is it to see in this day and age the sacrament of baptism being pushed off more and more. The few weeks turns into the first few months turns into the first few years turns into if baptized at all.
The Sacrament of Baptism is so important that even Christ went forth before us into the waters of the Jordan and there He came to be baptized by Saint John the Baptist. Let us not be led into error here and think that Christ was a sinner who needed baptism. Christ did not have sin to be washed away, but He does humble Himself in our humanity and shows us the importance which will be found in these life giving waters. As Christ had just said before our Gospel picks up: “Truly, truly, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
Last week we celebrated the Epiphany which means to manifest. Thus traditionally it is a celebration of three realities where Christ is made known to the world: (1) the visit of the magi, (2) Christ’s baptism, and (3) the miracle of the turning of water into wine. I point this out because we are instructed that “heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him
in bodily form like a dove.”
Before His baptism we for the most part know nothing about Christ. It was only after His baptism and the descent of the Holy Spirit that He began His public ministry. From here He would head into the desert to pray and then He would work His first miracle of the changing of water into wine. This is important for us to reflect upon for from our own baptism we too have obligations to the Lord which must be met.
