THE BAPTISM OF JESUS AND OUR BAPTISM

Today we keep the great feast of the Baptism of Jesus. It marks the end of our season of Christmas in the church calendar and the beginning, once again, of Ordinary Time. In the Gospel, we hear how Jesus asks to be baptized by Saint John the Baptist and after this, he begins His three years of public ministry that we will hear about in our Gospel readings each Sunday. Perhaps, like John, we might be puzzled by Jesus? request. After all, Jesus is the Son of God and is ?one like us in all things but sin.? Surely Jesus does not need to be baptized? This is certainly true, but as Father Robert Barron puts it: ?Jesus stood shoulder to shoulder with sinners in the muddy waters of the Jordan, not because he was a sinner in need of salvation, but because he wanted to bring the divine love even to the darkest and most painful corners of human experience.? In other words, Jesus left us an example and a model.

Today?s feast is also rather like an annual reminder of the great sacrament of baptism that we have received and so, at Mass this weekend, we will renew our baptismal promises and we will be sprinkled with holy water. (We use holy water to put us in mind of the waters of our own baptism.) Most of us do not remember our own baptism or the promises made for us when we were baptized because, of course, we were just a little baby when it happened; although perhaps we have had the joy of being present at a baptism recently. It is good to remember all the wonderful gifts that the sacrament of baptism brings to those who receive it: new life and a washing clean of all sin, adoption as sons or daughters of God through Jesus Christ, the light of Christ to guide us, entrance into the community of the Church to name but a few. (If you have time, why not read up about baptism, for example, in the section in the Catechism of the Church on the sacrament.)

Going back our Gospel reading for today, there is one other important gift that we receive in the sacrament of baptism and it very much ties in with our parish and school focus on evangelization: that is of living as true disciples of Jesus Christ and sharing our faith with others. In the Gospel, a voice is heard from heaven and God designates Jesus as His ?beloved Son?. In a way, Jesus hears a call from God and a mission, and after this event at the Jordan River Jesus begins his ministry.

So too with us when we were baptized. The very first thing that happens in the Rite of Baptism is that the parents are asked: ?what name do you give your child?? This is a very significant and symbolic moment. Giving a name gives an identity to a person and also a purpose. When the person being baptized is ?named? it means that God will know them by that name and call them by that name for the rest of their lives. We received that naming and purpose when we were baptized?let us live up to that name by which God knows us and calls us!

One final thought. We have the custom of blessing ourselves with holy water as we enter or leave the church: we do this almost instinctively or automatically. On this feast day of the Baptism of the Lord, it is good to remember why we do this. It is actually a ritual reminder of our baptism and of the promises of that sacrament that we try to follow and to live, not just when we gather in the church, but when we leave to go about our lives. So, as we bless ourselves with holy water, why not also say a short prayer or make a promise, that we will live up to our name and our calling that we received when we were baptized.