Baptism of the Lord!

We are bringing the Christmas Season to a close with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. It is amazing that two weeks ago we celebrated the great mystery of the Incarnation, God becoming man. Jesus, the Son of God, is born in a stable at Bethlehem. Now, we see Jesus coming to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. Jesus is 30 years old and ready to begin his public ministry. The age old question is, "Why did Jesus need to be baptized?" The Magnificat publication had a wonderful answer to this question and I will share that with you here: "Jesus joins the people going out to John the Baptist in the gesture of repentance, not because there is sin in him, but in order to model for us the only authentic way to approach the Father. He goes to the Baptist as a beggar because the Mystery is mercy. Through the mystery of the Baptism of the Lord, whenever we regard our sins we see something more: Jesus Christ who comes to be present to us, even identifying with us sinners. Whenever we look at our sins we see Someone looking at us with love. We can face our sins because of the gaze of that face. Thanks to the Baptism of the Lord, never again must we confront the horror of our sins alone" (128). Jesus is baptized as a model and example for us. Through our baptisms we are cleansed of original sin and welcomed into the family of God and the family of the Church. Let us thank God for the gift of our baptism and may we continue to fulfill the baptismal call that we received as we celebrate this feast with gratitude and joy. Have a blessed weekend!!!