Isaiah 40:1-5.9-11
Psalm 103
Titus 2:11-14;3:4-7
Luke 3:15-16.21-22
YOU ARE MY SON
We celebrate today the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. This event is narrated in today's gospel. John was baptizing people in preparation for the coming of the expected Messiah. Though he was without sin, Jesus too came to be baptized by John. While he was praying after his baptism, three phenomena happened: the heavens were opened, the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and a voice was heard saying "You are my Son, in you I am well pleased".
The opening of the heavens reminds us of the shutting up of the gate of heaven as a result of the fall of Adam and Eve. Mankind was sent away from the presence of God. We were exiled. But now in Jesus Christ, God is reconciling us to himself. He has forgiven us and is opening once again the treasures of his gracious love for us. He is restoring that friendship and communion with himself. Our exile has come to an end. This is the glad tiding that is proclaimed in the first reading.
Moreover, the descent of the Holy Spirit reminds us of the Spirit of God that was moving above the waters at the time of creation as narrated in the Book of Genesis, while the dove reminds us of the end of the flood in the days of Noah. All this tells us that Jesus Christ had come to inaugurate a new era, the era of grace and mercy that makes us new creatures in the Holy Spirit. This is the Holy Spirit that we received at our baptism making us sons and daughters of God. We are therefore renewed and our nature transformed. We can now lead new lives for God and in God, as St Paul tells us in the second reading.
To celebrate the Baptism of the Lord reminds us, therefore, of our own rebirth or regeneration through baptism. As we celebrate this feast today, let us thank God for the gift of the Sacrament of Baptism and ask him to renew his grace in us so that we may be faithful to our baptismal promises. Amen
Happy Feast to you all
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