The Baptism of the Lord – Year C
January 10, 2016
Gospel: Lk 3:15-16, 21-22
The people were filled with expectation, and all were
asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them
all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with
the Holy Spirit and fire.”
After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also
had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit
descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven,
“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
This week’s spotlight
Baptismal fonts
Baptismal fonts are the special containers which hold
water for baptism. In ancient churches, the fonts were like swimming pools.
They were sometimes in the shape of a cross. Catechumens (those preparing for
baptism) would go down the stairs into the font. The Priest then plunged them
into the water three times (once for each Person of the Trinity). They would
then come back up using different stairs on the other side of the font. This
showed that they were now children of God
and members of the Church.
The Lord’s baptism
When John baptizes in the Jordan, the Jews come to
wash themselves of their sins. Jesus gave another meaning to baptism. He made
baptism a sacrament through which we become children of God. During our baptism,
it is the Son of God himself who baptizes us in the Holy Spirit through the
Priest. Saint Maximus, Bishop of Turin, Italy, in the fifth century, explains
Jesus' baptism: “Since Christ was holy, why then did he want to be baptized?
Christ was not baptized so that he could become more holy with the water, but
so that he himself could make the water holy. It is his purity which purifies
the water.” At Mass, when the Priest
sprinkles us with holy water; we pray that God will purify us from our
sins so that we may be worthy to receive
Holy Communion. The rite of sprinkling renews within us the grace of baptism,
when Jesus washed away all our sins.
Reflection
Beloved Son
During Jesus’ time, many people came to
listen to the teachings of John the Baptist. Jesus also came among them and
John baptized him in the Jordan River. The heavens then opened up and the Holy
Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove. From the sky, a voice was
heard: “You are my beloved Son.” What extraordinary words! Jesus, a man who
appears to be like any other man, is the Son of God! On the day of our baptism,
it is Christ himself, through the actions of the Priest, who baptizes us in the
Holy Spirit and makes us children of God and members of the Church. Through
your baptism, you became a child of God the Father, and a brother or sister of
Jesus Christ. You are a member of God’s family! Be proud of this identity, and
share your faith with others.
Discussion questions
1. Who baptized Jesus?
2. What type of baptism that John performs?
3. What will the Messiah baptize with?
4. What did Jesus do after his baptism?
5. What happened at that time?
6. What did the voice from heaven name Jesus?
Praying after Communion
After
receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
Father, through Jesus, in
communion with the whole Church, I thank you for coming into my heart. May your
Holy Spirit help me to renew the baptism I received and to live as a child of
God. May my thoughts and actions show your love and goodness to everyone I meet.
Crossword Puzzle
