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Gospel verse/reflection
It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:9–11 (Gospel from Year B)
Jesus’ astounding humility is seen in His baptism. Despite the fact that He is the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, He permits Himself to be associated with sinners. Through His participation in a baptism that was intended to emphasize repentance, Jesus conveys a powerful message.
He came to take on our sin, take on our death, and connect Himself with us sinners. As He descends into the river, He metaphorically descends into death—which is the outcome of our sin—and triumphantly rises, enabling us to ascend with Him to new life. For this reason, Jesus’ baptism served as a means of Him, so to speak, “baptizing” the waters, endowing them with His divine presence and allowing it to be transmitted to everyone who is baptized after Him. As a result, via baptism, sinful humanity can now encounter god.
Finally, we witness in Jesus’ baptism a revelation of who we become in Him as we partake in this new baptism via water that has now been purified by our almighty Lord. In the same way that the Father spoke and acknowledged Him as His Son and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, so too do we become the Father’s chosen child and receive the Holy Spirit via baptism. Therefore, the baptism of Jesus clarifies who we become in the baptism of Christians.
Thank You, Lord, for opening the Heavens to all sinners via your modest act of baptism. May I live more completely with You as a son or daughter of the Father, empowered by the Holy Spirit, by opening my heart to the unfathomable gift of my own baptism each and every day.
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Thanks!