Our Gospel readings for this liturgical year are taken from Luke. It is important to understand that Luke is talking to Gentiles (non-Jews) who don’t have the same religious background as the Jewish people. Luke tries to make his writings relate to the experience of the Gentiles. This particular Gospel depicts the baptism of the Lord by John the Baptist. Luke writes “The people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Luke is telling us that through baptism, our sins will be washed away through Jesus’ death and resurrection. It shows God’s love for us and that, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are given the promise of eternal life. On Pentecost we received the gift of the Holy Spirit. What a special gift it is knowing that Jesus will walk with us on our journey of life through the good and bad times.
As I was reading Luke’s Gospel, I wondered why Jesus needed to be baptized because He is without sin. We are baptized to free us from the original sin we are born with. This allows us to have a new beginning in life. While reflecting on this, I realized that Jesus was baptized to show us His humanity at the beginning of His ministry. Baptism is a new beginning: we are freed of the original sin that resulted from Adam and Eve disobeying God. The Sacrament of Baptism starts our life out with God being a central part of our life and gives us the opportunity to live the life God wants for us. The Baptism of Jesus is God’s way of allowing His son to start his ministry on earth. Through a dove, the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus which signifies God’s approval for Jesus and what He will do for us. Remember that God had to send His son to earth because the people were not listening to Him and doing his will.
Jesus’ ministry asks us to emphasize repentance, renewal, and the calling to live a life dedicated to God's will. Jesus is on earth to help people to see and learn of God’s love and to turn away from sin. When I taught confirmation, we asked the kids “Why did God make you?” The answer then and now is: to know Him, love Him and to serve Him and Jesus’ ministry on earth helps us to understand this.
As we conclude the Christmas season, let’s remember that “Jesus is the reason for the season”, as many times we attribute too much importance to the materialism of the season and tend to forget that. We should all take some time to reflect and ask ourselves, have we done our best to be God’s voice on earth? We are all human and make mistakes, but we need to strive to follow God’s call each and every day. It is empowering to know that God is with us and will walk with us each and every day. Use the gifts that God has given you to be a force for good. Use Luke’s Gospel on the Baptism of the Lord to reflect on the meaning of your Baptism.
God Bless you, and may you make 2025 a year in which your relationship with God gets stronger.