Every January, Catholics celebrate the feast day of Jesus' Baptism.
The sacrament of baptism welcomes us into our faith and cleanses us from sin. Of course, Christ was sinless, so you may be asking yourself, “Why was Jesus baptized?”
Well, just like many other moments of His life, Jesus’ baptism serves as reminder of His love for us.
When Jesus approached the Jordan River, John the Baptist didn’t understand why He was coming to him. In fact, John even noted that Jesus should be the one baptizing him.
As He was baptized, Jesus was submerged into the Jordan River. That's when the Holy Spirit came down from heaven in the form of a dove and the voice of God rang through the air, declaring, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt. 3:17).
Christ's baptism teaches us a few things:
First, this moment is a firm proclamation of Jesus as the Son of God. And the presence of the Holy Spirit reveals something about God’s trinitarian nature. The relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a mystery of faith that we’ll never fully comprehend, but the Lord’s baptism is a point of contact for us to see the Trinity reaching out to join our humanity in gratuitous love.
Second, although He had no sin, Jesus took upon himself our sins — His baptism was a sign of the depth to which He joins our humanity. It was a richly symbolic way to begin His mission to redeem us, and the presence of the Trinity shows us how this mission is essential part of God's love for the world.
Our own baptism connects us to Christ’s baptism. By being plunged into the water, we're adopted as God's sons and daughters — it's a sacrament that initiates us into lives of love and service and reflects the love that saves us. Reflect on the gift of your baptism and how Jesus humbled Himself to establish this bond with all baptized people through our playlist inspired by this biblical event.
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