Jan 12 Sun
Why was Jesus baptized?
At the River Jordan, St. John the Baptist was offering the Chosen People a symbolic washing. It was a way a Jew could say to God, ‘I want my sins to go away. I want to start over and be in the right relationship with you. I want to be ready for the coming of your Anointed One.’
John saw his symbolic baptism as inferior to the baptism the one coming after him would baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Christ received John’s baptism and then He was ‘anointed’, not with oil but by the Holy Spirit that made himself visible in the form of a dove, to show God’s favor.
Why did Jesus ask to be baptized by John when He was without sin? Jesus’ baptism in Jordan showed that He accepted his mission as a bearer of sins, who would die and be raised again. His baptism was also a revelation of the Blessed Trinity.
Though sinless, since He chose to take upon himself the entire burden of sin, it was fitting He allowed himself to be baptized with sinners.
This gesture of Christ was a “manifestation of his self-emptying”. The term “self-emptying” is kenosis in the original Greek text. It is his complete self-identification with sinful humanity to stand in for us, as the unblemished sacrificial Lamb of God, in atonement for our sins. Recall that the ordinary meaning of redemption is paying the price to free someone enslaved, imprisoned, or held hostage.
Christ’s ritual baptism also anticipated his Passion and Resurrection. Going under the water symbolizes death. Coming up out of the water is a sign of resurrection.
His baptism was also a revelation of the Trinity. A miraculous sign occurred as Christ emerged from the waters of the River Jordan. The Holy Spirit descended upon the Lord in the form of a dove, and a voice from Heaven spoke, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”. The Baptism of Christ is a manifestation of the Blessed Trinity because the Father speaks about the Son and the Holy Spirit descends upon the Son.
The main way Our Lord gives us the graces He has won for us through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection are the Sacraments, among these, the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation.
The Church recommends “frequent confession.”
You must confess mortal sins. You may confess venial sins and even imperfections you are aware of. How about a practical resolution to go to confession a certain day each month, unless we are aware of a mortal sin in which case we go as soon as possible?
All of us must attend Sunday Mass each week. If we have missed Sunday Mass without a serious reason or have caused others to do so, we need to fix that in the Sacrament of Confession, as soon as possible.
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