Dear friends in Christ
In today's feast we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus by John in the waters of the Jordan. Though He Himself had no stain to be washed away, He wished to submit Himself to this ritual as He submitted himself to the other requirements of the Jewish Law. As a human being He submitted himself to the laws that governed the lives of the people of Israel who had been chosen by God to prepare the way for the Redeemer. John the Baptist carried out his mission with great enthusiasm in order to preach repentance ahead of the coming of the Messiah. Saint Augustine says: The Lord desired to be baptised, so that He might freely proclaim through His humility what was for us to be a necessity. By His baptism Jesus left for us the Sacrament of Christian baptism whereby we are initiated and incorporated into Christ and his body the church. This feast is an opportunity for us to give thanks to God for the graces that we received, perhaps when we were only a baby, but which has given us the possibility of eternal life.
Baptism brings us into the very life of God, and there is nothing else that we receive in our lives that is comparable. Our prayer goes up to God on this feast asking that He may keep us within the protection of his love, and always within the family of the Church. At the same time, we pray for all those who will be baptised in our church in this coming year, be they infants or adults, that together we will all build up the kingdom of God on Earth.
God bless you in the week ahead!
Msgr Kevin Hale