A reading from the holy Gospel according to Lk 3:15-16, 21-22
The people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
After all the people had been baptized
and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,
heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him
in bodily form like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven,
“You are my beloved Son;
with you I am well pleased.”
REFLECTION
After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Why would Jesus, who is divine, seek the Baptism of repentance?
Interesting question as I prayed the first decade of the Luminous Mysteries this morning. The Light of Christ overcoming darkness!
We know through faith that Jesus is God. He assumed a human nature to bring us back to His Father. So if He was sinless, was baptism necessary? Did He need repentance and cleansing?
Everything Jesus does, and I mean everything, has a purpose. We are about to witness the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation.
Jesus sanctifies the water exactly where all the sinners are. The Spirit descends upon Jesus and we hear “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased”.
The Holy Trinity is present during all the Sacraments. Holy Baptism and Confirmation were instituted today. Most of us do not remember our Baptism as our parents took us when we were infants and spoke on our behalf. But they set us forward in our journey with God and our final destination. Most of us remember Confirmation, but some are not well catechized and do not understand its importance. Pray that our youth understand their faith, and continue to grow in God's graces.
Christ has now revealed Himself to repentant sinners. He has now started His public ministry. May we follow in confidence.
God bless you.
l
