SOLEMNITY OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD, YEAR B

Isaiah 55:1-11

1 John 5:1-9

Mark 1:7-11

THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD

After the Feast of the Epiphany, we celebrate today the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. As narrated in the gospel, John was baptizing the crowd in preparation for the coming of the expected Messiah. Jesus too came to be baptized by John; and as he was coming out of the water, three events happened: the heavens were opened, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and a voice was heard saying "You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased".

As we know, John’s baptism was a sign of repentance from sin. To be baptized by John was an acknowledgement of human frailty and a thirst for God's redeeming mercy. But why did Jesus receive John’s baptism since he is the Son of God, “God’s anointed” without sin?

In fact, Jesus’ baptism was an inaugural act, so to speak. It marked the beginning of his public life and ministry as he set out to do the Father's will and announce the arrival of God’s kingdom. As such Jesus’ baptism was an opportunity to reveal his identity and mission to the people. In the words of today’s second reading, the Spirit that descended upon Jesus is the one that testifies that Jesus is God’s beloved Son, “and the Spirit is truth.”

Moreover, Jesus’ baptism has much to tell us about our own baptism than his own. For on the day of our baptism, we received the Holy Spirit that made us sons and daughters of God, incorporated in the Church. Our sins were wiped away. We were renewed, regenerated and reborn of water and the Holy Spirit. On that day, we too, like Jesus, were given an assurance of God’s love and favour, and we too were empowered by the Holy Spirit for the journey that lay before us. We were introduced to the kingdom of God’s grace and mercy, a kingdom of abundance as the first reading indicates.

Thus, today’s celebration is an opportunity for us to reflect on our own baptism and its significance. It is an opportunity to evaluate how far we have gone with our baptismal promises and ask God to renew in us the baptismal grace. Therefore, let us ask him to empower us in the Holy Spirit so that we may be able to bear witness to him now and forever. Amen