Fr. Alex Roman
Today’s Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is the beginning of commemorating Jesus’ adulthood. Here in the Baptism of the lord, the Holy Trinity is manifested for the first time. The Father speaks from heaven, the Son is present, and the Holy Spirit descends.
St Luke presents Great expectation have always been part of the human story. The people were wondering whether John the Baptist might be the Messiah. To the people’s constant questions, John was always honest in his answers here saying that one mightier than he is coming.
John said of Jesus that he would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. Throughout the Bible many extraordinary accomplishments reveal the presence of the Spirit (the life-power) of God, from creation to the appearance of the messianic king.
John’s image of fire reveals a deeper meaning. for example: In the Scriptures, great appearances of God often surround Him with fire; when an angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in fire flaming out of a bush; The Lord preceded the Israelites through the desert from Egypt as a column of cloud by day and a column of fire by night...
Like fire and the Spirit, Jesus’ baptized followers are to be dynamic and active “fired up” with the Holy Spirit to proclaim God’s Good News to all the world. In today’s Gospel, when all the people were baptized, John had fulfilled the mission confided by the angel to his father Zechariah before his birth to prepare a people fit for the Lord.
Now, at the beginning of the New Testament, with Jesus’ baptism heralding a new creation, we see the Spirit coming upon Jesus. At Jesus’ baptism, the skies opened imagery frequently implying a vision of heavenly secrets. Jesus’ baptism is a promise to be fulfilled at Pentecost, when the heavens will be open again and the Spirit will descend upon the community.
For the other hearers, the voice of the Father brought recognition that Jesus is the beloved of God who not only bears the sins of the world, but will also take them away. Jesus is the Servant of the Lord of whom Isaiah spoke in today’s First Reading. The opening of the eyes of the blind foretold in Isaiah represents an end to suffering that’s due to humankind’s creaturely status, whereas the setting free of captives marks an end to people’s suffering at the hands of other human beings. Because of his total union with all human weakness, the Servant Jesus must descend into human death, so as to infuse a new life into every area of humankind’s existence.
Our baptism is as splendid a phenomenon as was Jesus’. Through baptism, we’ve become branches of Jesus the vine. Through baptism, we’ve achieved death to sin and life in God. Through baptism, we became members of the body of Christ part of the People of God. Through baptism, we’re incorporated into the death and resurrection of Christ. Through baptism, we’re adopted as children of God, having the Spirit dwell within us. We must be open to the Spirit and remain faithful to our calling.
Fr. Alex.
Today’s Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is the beginning of commemorating Jesus’ adulthood. Here in the Baptism of the lord, the Holy Trinity is manifested for the first time. The Father speaks from heaven, the Son is present, and the Holy Spirit descends.
St Luke presents Great expectation have always been part of the human story. The people were wondering whether John the Baptist might be the Messiah. To the people’s constant questions, John was always honest in his answers here saying that one mightier than he is coming.
John said of Jesus that he would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. Throughout the Bible many extraordinary accomplishments reveal the presence of the Spirit (the life-power) of God, from creation to the appearance of the messianic king.
John’s image of fire reveals a deeper meaning. for example: In the Scriptures, great appearances of God often surround Him with fire; when an angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in fire flaming out of a bush; The Lord preceded the Israelites through the desert from Egypt as a column of cloud by day and a column of fire by night...
Like fire and the Spirit, Jesus’ baptized followers are to be dynamic and active “fired up” with the Holy Spirit to proclaim God’s Good News to all the world. In today’s Gospel, when all the people were baptized, John had fulfilled the mission confided by the angel to his father Zechariah before his birth to prepare a people fit for the Lord.
Now, at the beginning of the New Testament, with Jesus’ baptism heralding a new creation, we see the Spirit coming upon Jesus. At Jesus’ baptism, the skies opened imagery frequently implying a vision of heavenly secrets. Jesus’ baptism is a promise to be fulfilled at Pentecost, when the heavens will be open again and the Spirit will descend upon the community.
For the other hearers, the voice of the Father brought recognition that Jesus is the beloved of God who not only bears the sins of the world, but will also take them away. Jesus is the Servant of the Lord of whom Isaiah spoke in today’s First Reading. The opening of the eyes of the blind foretold in Isaiah represents an end to suffering that’s due to humankind’s creaturely status, whereas the setting free of captives marks an end to people’s suffering at the hands of other human beings. Because of his total union with all human weakness, the Servant Jesus must descend into human death, so as to infuse a new life into every area of humankind’s existence.
Our baptism is as splendid a phenomenon as was Jesus’. Through baptism, we’ve become branches of Jesus the vine. Through baptism, we’ve achieved death to sin and life in God. Through baptism, we became members of the body of Christ part of the People of God. Through baptism, we’re incorporated into the death and resurrection of Christ. Through baptism, we’re adopted as children of God, having the Spirit dwell within us. We must be open to the Spirit and remain faithful to our calling.
Fr. Alex.