Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 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.”
Baptism
Baptism is the sacrament with which our faith is initiated, it brings us into the family of the Church because we become children of God.
1) Baptism is not a formality. It is not only a rite, many fall into a ‘social baptism,’ and some even baptize the child when they have money for the party and not when the child needs it. This becomes a social event, rather than a baptism in the Church. Do you know the date of your baptism? The risk of not knowing it is losing the memory of what the Lord has done with us.
2) Living with hope and learning to forgive. If we manage to follow Jesus and remain in the Church, even with our limits, with our frailties and our sins, we will always have the ability to live with hope. Thanks to baptism we can forgive, we can love and recognize our brother in need.
3) I cannot give baptism to myself. Someone gives me this sacrament, it is a chain of grace. When I receive baptism I am part of a family that welcomes and receives me. Remember that if you are baptized you have a family, a history, and a mission.
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And don’t forget Heaven is our goal.
