THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD, YEAR A.
12th January 2020.
Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7; Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17.
The baptism of Jesus Christ in the river Jordan by John the Baptist is a manifestation of God and the inauguration of his earthly ministry. John’s baptism prefigures the Christian baptism we all received. John baptizes for repentance from sin, while Christian baptism washes away the original sin and inaugurates humanity into a new life in Christ. John baptizes with water, but Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire. By accepting John’s baptism, Jesus Christ unites himself with all sinners even though he is sinless.
Christian baptism attacks the root cause of sin which the rebellious tendency towards the dependency on God. The original sin, the sin of Adam and Eve, is the root of all sins. We have in us the tendency to deny our dependence on God. Jesus Christ, the God made man, is for us a perfect image of God. By dying on the cross, he destroyed the power of this rebellious tendency to self-destructive. The fool says in his heart that there is no God. His death merited for us a new life devoid of the rebellious tendency to self-destruction. As such, Christian baptism is a participation in the merits of Christ’s death on the cross.
This Sunday marks a transition from the Christmas season to Ordinary Time. It is fresh opportunity to reclaim what we lost to sin. Through baptism we are shielded by the Holy Spirit and fire of God’s love burn in our hearts. God’s love for humanity makes it possible to reclaim the grace of baptism anytime we become conscious of our shortcomings. Baptism is humanity’s weapon against a common enemy, the original sin.
Anthony Ekpunobi, CM.