Matthew 3:13-17
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
"Baptized into Christ, you have clothed yourself with Christ" —Galatians 3:27
This Sunday's Gospel invites us to concentrate on the grace of Baptism, both Jesus’ Baptism and our own Baptism.
We believe that Baptism purifies us from original sin and restores in us the image and resemblance of God, becoming daughters and sons of God. Following this belief, Jesus had no need to be baptized, but He was baptized for us.
Jesus’ Baptism revealed God's Trinitarian Nature, The Son being baptized, "the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him, and the Father's voice saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’" Matthew 3:16-17.
“No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Matthew 11:27
"No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father's side, has made Him known." John 1:18
Through Jesus' Baptism, we know the One Trinitarian God, and through our own Baptism, we become God's temple and a member of His Body, which is the Church.
Today, we are invited to renew our baptismal vows to keep the covenant, confessing that Jesus is Lord and Savior, and, thanks to His Baptism, we are reborn from above.
Renewing our baptismal vows means:
A personal proclamation of faith in Jesus as my Lord and my Savior,
A confession of my belonging to the body of Christ as an active member,
A commitment of attachment to good and refusal of evil,
A promise to be a witness for Jesus wherever I am,
Being aware that the Lord expects me to be salt and light—Salt preserving Christian values, giving flavor around me, healing wounds and injuries of any kind as much as I can, Light leading gently to the truth, dispelling darkness and being a peacemaker,
An official declaration of witness to Christ‘s Presence in my daily life.
May we take a few moments to think, meditate and pray with this Sunday's message to become ourselves an Epiphany (Revelation) of God in our world!