January 12th, 2025 - Baptism of the Lord

Today we celebrate the most important day of all, at least for Catholic Christians: the day of our baptism.  Jesus himself was baptized. Though Jesus was sinless, he wanted to associate himself with sinners and their predicament. Jesus’ baptism clearly is a turning point in his life. Up until this day, Jesus was living a quiet, private life as a carpenter’s son in Nazareth. But when he comes out of the water, the Father reveals Jesus as his own beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit anoints him as servant of God for the mission of establishing God’s Kingdom on earth and redeeming people from their sins. And so, shortly after his baptism, Jesus begins his public ministry of preaching the nearness of God, teaching the mysteries of the kingdom of God, and healing the sick in mind, body, and spirit. My friends, our deepest identity comes from the water of baptism. We are disciples of the Lord Jesus and that means we are servants of Christ and of his gospel.