Gift wrappings and presentation boxes make gifts more attractive. But at times, they may distract us a little from the gift itself. The Gospel account for Christ’s baptism is full of drama as our own baptism is full of attractive rituals.
It would be a pity if these baptismal wrappings distract us from what they are meant to highlight. They highlight the fact that at his baptism, Christ was commissioned to carry out his mission of bringing justice to all by establishing the reign of God’s kingdom. Likewise, when we are christened at our baptism, the Christ-King appoints us to our Christian vocation, setting us aside for the apostolic life which Christ initiated.
That is why the day a person is baptised is the most important of the person’s life, for it is the day of a new birth. When the Roman youth reach manhood, he puts on the Toga Virilis, the robe of manhood. When the Hindu youth of a certain caste reached manhood, they put on the yagnopavitan or sacred cord.
So at baptism a believer puts on Christ, a new of righteousness to display to the world and a new cord of justice to establish in the world. Thus our baptism is dynamic; it points back to the work of God in us and forward to the life of faith. We are inclined to speak of our baptism in the past tense, ‘I was baptised’ implying perhaps that our baptism is a static event now over and done with. It would be better to say, “I am baptised”, meaning that baptism is an on-going thing to be lived out daily.
Therefore, the question we must ask ourselves is whether as members of the new messianic people we are available to God as his instrument to bring justice to all, he was commissioned to bring justice particularly to sinners, to the poor and the little ones of the society. This is the reason he allowed himself to be baptised. The baptism of St. John the Baptist was a baptism of repentance. It was a sign that the people repented of their sins. But Jesus was sinless, always God’s beloved Son. In spite of it, if he still chose to be baptised, it was to show solidarity with us sinners, needing forgiveness; it was to identify himself with the poor, the distressed, the oppressed, needing justice.
If we are convinced that God has chosen us as his servants upon whom he put his Spirit when we were baptised, the question we must ask is: To what extent are we prepared to identify ourselves with our mission of Christ, the mission of peace and justice; of sanctity and righteousness?
How deeply are we involved in the plight of people, in order to bring light where there is darkness and ignorance, sight where there is blindness and racism, freedom where there is oppression and ill treatment?
As adult Christians, are we prepared to take a public stand for the marginalised in the society, a call we received at baptism as babies?
In our present world, such public witness can be a daunting prospect as it could mean becoming unpopular and isolated, finding ourselves battling in a wilderness.
At such moments of lonely suffering in the cause of truth and justice, we need to allow ourselves to hear that word from God: You are my son/daughter, the beloved; my favour rests on you (Mk1:11).
When we experience God’s favour resting on us and his spirit overshadowing us, we can go forth and do battle as Jesus did. And we continue to find favour with God. Amen.
I have been thinking a great deal about my experience at Reconciliation this past Saturday. I felt an intense and unexplainable urge to go and confess my sins when I woke up that morning. I try to go every six weeks or so, but this was no routine visit to the priest for me. I needed to unburden myself of the numerous venial sins I had committed since I last participated in this Sacrament.
Purest Gold: God's Refining Fire in our Lives »
After salvation, many young Christians wonder if there's anything more to their newfound faith than just the security blanket of "being a Christian." Time and time again, God shows himself as a "refiner," and our lives are as gold. God started leading me in this study to understand what He was doing in my life, as well as in the lives of others.
Picking up my pen to write this column, I couldn’t imagine how time flies. Since the last publication of this column I have gone through a lot, especially the loss of my dear mother to whom I dedicate this article. Not only her, but seems I lost a whole generation of my close family.
How to Achieve Business Excellence »
“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before Kings; He will not stand before unknown men.” Proverbs 22:29
Spiritual Development for our Youth »
Most of us youth in today's fast moving world are easily thrown off by difficulties and worries.
The theme of conversion is a thread that runs all through Lent, but conversion takes on different aspects throughout the phases of Lent. The first two and a half weeks focused on the interior turning of hearts; the liturgy urges the faithful to reflect and examine consciences thoroughly.
Saint Josephine Bakhita »
Feast Day: February 8
Patron Saint Of: Sudan
Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita was born around 1869 in the village of Olgossa in the Darfur region of Sudan. She was a member of the Daju people and her uncle was a tribal chief. Due to her family lineage, she grew up happy and relatively prosperous, saying that as a child, she did not know suffering.
Catholics Must Fast More Intensely This Lent»
The Norbertine Canons of St. Michael's Abbey have created this digital Lenten retreat so that you can journey through this holy season alongside them. If you want to have one of your best Lenten seasons yet, join us in our Lenten Program "The Great Fast" - https://theabbotscircle.com/the-great-fast-join
When Your Faith Is Put to the Test - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon»
Friends, we come now to the Second Sunday of Lent, and we’re on both dangerous and very holy ground with the first reading from the twenty-second chapter of Genesis. The ancient Israelites referred to it as the “Akedah,” which means the “binding”: Abraham binds and is ready to sacrifice Isaac at God’s command.
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