BAPTISM; THE CLEANSING WAY TO INCREASING YOUR GRACE

BAPTISM; THE CLEANSING WAY TO INCREASING YOUR GRACE

It was certainly an unusual occasion for John the Baptist to be preaching repentance to the people on the banks of the river Jordan, and urging them to prepare a way for the Lord, when Jesus approached him and asked to be baptized. Jesus had no need of baptism as he himself sinless and full of the Holy Spirit from the time he was born. By immersing himself in the waters of Jordan he chose purposely to put himself\f in the side of sinners and to assume the burden of our sins. He came to share our way of life and die that we might live. This first act of public ministry was one of humility and it launched his mission of loving service to the despised, the poor and the spiritually crippled. God put the seal of approval the father upon the work, which he was undertaking because as he came out of the water the heavens echoed with the exclamation, ‘You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.’ This was the outward sin that he was appointed the savoir of the world. He was now ready for a ministry, which would generate divine life in others.
The baptism of our lord generally makes us think of our own baptism. Christ’s baptism was not just an isolated event in his life; it was the beginning of a new era in God’s relationship with mankind and has implications for us all as it affects each of us at the deepest and most personal level. At baptism the spirit of God takes possession of us in a very special way, to direct and guide us in the footsteps of Christ. Baptism unites us with Jesus in the most intimate manner, bringing us to the family of God with the right to call God our father.
Even though, we were baptized when we were a few years old, our baptism is not merely an event of the past; it is an ever-present reality, a constant sharing in the divine life of the Risen Christ. It is a daily invitation to come closer to God and to be helpers in the work of saving the world. We are called to be servant of God in our own sphere of living and to make the world a better place. In our everyday life we may not have the ability to do great things but we have the power to do good things. We are told that Jesus went about doing well. What a beautiful way for us to make a public statement about our faith. Through good works each of us, in our own way, completes the mission, which Christ began after his Baptism. It is a day to ask ourselves if we are being true to the direction in which our lives were pointed at our baptism