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Message from the desk of the Pastor:

THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD

Sunday, January 12, 2025

Gospel Reading 

Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
Jesus is baptized by John.

Background on the Gospel Reading

Today we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. In today's Gospel, as in      the other Gospel accounts of Jesus' baptism, we hear John the Baptist address the confusion of the people who thought that John might be the Messiah. In response, John contrasts the baptism that he performs with the Baptism that Jesus will inaugurate. John the Baptist says that he has baptized with water, but that someone will come and baptize with the Holy Spirit. The type of baptism that John performed was not yet a Christian Baptism; it was a preparation for Christian Baptism through which sins are forgiven and the gift of the Holy Spirit is received.

The baptism of Jesus is reported in each of the three Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Clearly, it was an event of great significance for Jesus and for the early Christian community. The Evangelists Mark and Luke report the story from Jesus' perspective; the voice from heaven is addressed to Jesus. Compare this          to Matthew's Gospel in which the voice from heaven speaks to everyone. In Luke, however, the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus during his time of prayer after his baptism. Through his Gospel, Luke will show Jesus to be a person of prayer who withdraws regularly from the crowds and his disciples to pray to his Father.

The baptism of Jesus is considered a manifestation of God in Jesus, another “epiphany.” On this, the last day of the Christmas season, our Gospel reveals to us Jesus' relation to God: the son of Mary and Joseph is also God's own Son. In Luke's Gospel, all three members of the Trinity are manifested here: God the Father in the voice, the Holy Spirit descending, and Jesus the Son. At the beginning of his Gospel, Luke is communicating to us important information about the identity of Jesus. In  the verses that follow, Luke lists the genealogy of Jesus, tracing Jesus' ancestry  back to the first person, Adam, who is also identified as the son of God. We, the children of Adam and Eve, are again made children of God through Baptism.

Family Connection

Every family has a unique identity that is defined by the behaviors, attitudes, and expectations that govern a family's daily life. This identity is influenced by the      family history of the parents, but each family's expression of this history is unique.    In today's Gospel, we learn that Jesus' behavior, attitudes, and expectations were governed by his identity as God's beloved Son. In our Baptism, we were made  children of this same heavenly Father. This identity as members of the family of    God, and as brothers and sisters of Jesus, also shapes our family's daily life.

As you gather as a family, identify some of the expectations and behaviors that govern your family life by answering the question, “What are some of the things      that make our family life unique?” Celebrate these things about your family life.    Read today's Gospel, Luke 3:15-16,21-22. Observe that Jesus' identity as the    Beloved Son of the Father governed his behaviors, attitudes, and expectations.    Recall that at our Baptism we were made children of this same heavenly Father.    How does this identity as a member of the family of God govern and shape our  family life? Conclude in prayer together that we will remain faithful to our baptismal identity as children of God and as brothers or sisters of Jesus. Conclude by praying together the Lord's Prayer.