Sunday the 12th of January 2025 - The Baptism of the Lord

Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11/ Ps 104(103)/ Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7/ Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

Baptism should not be a rite of passage, a cultural event, or an excuse for a party. It is a sacrament, more than that, it is the most important sacrament. Without Baptism none of the other sacraments can be conferred. Baptism, along with Confirmation and Holy Communion, lay the foundations of a Christian life. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Christ. We are incorporated into the Church, which is the Body of Christ, which calls us to share in his mission to baptise all nations in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. In Baptism we are immersed in the death of Christ so that we can rise with him through his resurrection. The importance of Baptism is such that the parents and God parents should take seriously the promises they make on behalf of their child in the presence of God.

Jesus showed us how important Baptism is by submitting to it himself. Through Jesus becoming human God gave us a brother who we can recognise as outwardly one of us. In Baptism the promises of the Old Testament prophets and the images of Christmas that we have just celebrated become real and present in our lives today. In the Baptism of Jesus, we see Jesus at prayer, the Holy Spirit descended on him appearing like a dove, and God’s voice heard from heaven. In this event the Trinitarian God, of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit became apparent to us and their action together a reality in human life. Jesus submitted himself to John’s Baptism, not because he needed sin taken away, but to show that he had emptied himself to become one of us. It also marked the beginning of his mission to bring people to God, the mission we all receive through Baptism.

John took up the prophesy of Isaiah in the first reading, the promise of God to lead his people through the desert into the promised land. John became the voice crying in the wilderness calling for the way of the Lord to be prepared, the desert road to be straightened, the valley lifted up and the mountains made low. John’s Baptism was one of water, but he tells us in the gospel today that the one who is mightier than him will baptise with the Holy Spirit and fire. This is the Baptism initiated by Jesus; the Holy Spirit was seen descending on him. The Holy Spirit is synonymous with fire which is the transforming agent for the apostles as was evident at Pentecost. The fire of the Holy Spirit is also the transforming agent for us.

We tend to have newborn babies baptised and that is entirely correct, however with an adult baptism the recipient of the sacrament is fully able to engage in the process and has come to an understanding of what it is they are receiving. Even if we were baptised as young children we should, as adults, have reached an understanding of what baptism means to us. Our baptism brings together the ancient promises made by God to his people and the redemption brought by Jesus and makes them realities in the life of the person accepting the gift of Christian faith. As the second reading points out, God saved us by the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a freely given gift from God, the door to our true life in the future, the means of our transition from death to life.

The Baptism of Jesus shows us how important this sacrament is. We have been redeemed at a great price. God became human like us, lived, suffered, and died as one of us so that he could lead us to everlasting life. In his baptism Jesus emptied himself completely so that we can identify with him as a fellow human being and not some remote entity. We see the Trinitarian God working together to achieve our redemption.

The celebration of the Lord’s Baptism is a fitting end to our Christmas season bringing the story of the birth of Jesus alive to us today and not just a nice story from history. Baptism is the most grace filled moment in our life, it is where our faith journey starts, where it comes to life. In the words of the Psalm let us pray; Send forth your spirit, and they are created, and you will renew the face of the earth.

God Bless Brendan.