The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Today's Mass Readings

On this the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus, we ask two questions. Firstly, what was the need for Jesus to be baptized? And secondly, what did it achieve for him? I wish to answer these questions in three points. The answer to the first question is this. In principle, Jesus did not need baptism. But he stood there on the banks of the Jordan, revealing God’s acceptance of us. The baptism that John was preaching, was the baptism of repentance. Jesus plunged into the waters, there by expressing to the Father the repentance of the entire human kind. He completed that task on the cross. So it was not his need, but our need for which Jesus was baptized.

Secondly, John in today’s gospel reading says, I baptize you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Once Jesus is baptized, all the waters of baptism is now made holy. Every one who is now baptized in the name of Jesus, will just like Jesus, receive not just water, but the Holy Spirit. Jesus has to sanctify the waters of Baptism. And so when we are baptized we too receive the Holy Sprit.

That beings us to the second question and the third point. What did the baptism achieve for Jesus? Nothing new! What he did achieve in baptism he achieved for our sake. The Holy Sprit came upon him and a voce was heard, “This is my beloved Son…” Since then every time the water of baptism that Jesus sanctified is poured on any person, these words resound all over again, “this is my beloved daughter! This is my beloved Son! It was not for Jesus’ own sake that he was baptized. He knew his identity as the Son of God. But by his baptism we get a new identity—each of us call ourselves the son or the daughter of God!

Today we thank God for our own baptism by which we personalize the effect of the baptism of Jesus. Let us be aware of the implications of being the sons and daughters of God. Let us live the new life of Christ that comes to us in baptism and live it to the fullest possible degree. Let us make our lives like Jesus the baptized Son of God.

Fr. Satish Joseph