Baptism of the Lord 2025 Year C
Notes
Transcript
Luke 3:15–16, 21–22 “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.”
The Vatican's Statistical Yearbook of the Church tells us the number of baptisms went from 18.1 million in 1991 to 13.7 million in 2021, a 24.31% decrease. What is Baptism? And why would someone want to be baptised?
Baptism is prefigured in the Old Testament and from that we can learn of the effects of baptism. It is prefigured in: the Waters of Creation, Noah’s flood, Israel escape from Egypt through the Red Sea and the Entrance into the Promised Land through the river Jordan. In the New Testament the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ reveals other properties of baptism.
Creation. In the book of Genesis we read that God created the earth. “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” And from this water follows the rest of creation. The waters of Baptism are the waters of the new creation which Our Lord speaks of: “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” (Jn 3:5)
Noah’s Flood. In Genesis we also read of Noah’s flood. God seeing the world so immersed in sin floods it. “the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.” (Gen 6:5). God washes man off the face of the earth, with the exception of Noah and his family. The flood prefigures God's washing of the soul from the Original Sin in the waters of Baptism.
The Escape from Egypt through the Red Sea. In the book of Exodus we read of Israel escaping from the slavery to the Egyptians. “But the Israelites had walked through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left. That day the LORD saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore.” (Ex 14:29-30) This prefigures the passing through the waters of Baptism how God free us from the slavery of the devil and sin.
The Entrance into the Promised Land. In the book of Joshua we read how Israel enters the promised land: “When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD— the Lord of all the earth— touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap.” So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of them. (Jos 3:13ss). The priests who carry the ark of the covenant, the laws of God, that open the way for Israel to enter the promised land, prefigures how Christ the True High priest, the new covenant in His Blood, opens the way to heaven. And so priests must faithful carrying the new covenant in Christ’s Blood
The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In today’s Gospel we read of Christ’s Baptism. God here reveals the sacrament of Baptism to, with Christ says, it is “to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” (Mt 3:15) 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.” (Lk 3:21ss) St Paul tells us: “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Gal 3:27) God makes us His adopted sons and daughters. As St Paul says we become: for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:28) We become, in Christ, heirs to His eternal Kingdom, participating in His divine life, the life of grace. The Holy Spirit descends on us, St Paul questions us: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1Cor 6:19)
The Baptismal water are the waters of Our Lord’s Redemptive Sacrifice, which flowed from his pierced heart as He hung on the Cross. Without that sacrifice there is no redemption, there is no forgiveness of sins, there is no baptism. And so we look to Christ and thank Him for His immense love, so great and wonderful.
Now there is unfortunately quite a bad habit among those who receive such a gift as the forgiveness of sins in baptism or confession and that is forgetfulness. Though the saying is forgive and forget, it is also true that the one who has been forgiven must never forget, and must be grateful for being forgiven. This is demonstrated by Noah who built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings of thanks; how the Israelites celebrate the Passover to this very day; and how Joshua tells the Israelite to remember the entrance into the promised land and to tell their children.
When we are forgiven our sins we must thank God and we must remember from what we have been freed and for what we have been freed. We have been freed from sin and from the slavery to the devil. We have been free for supernatural life, that we be free to love and glorify God.
John the Baptist preached repentance. “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Repentance is a necessary means to enter God’s Kingdom. We must be sorry for our sins and desire to make reparation for any damage we have done.