Baptism of the Lord

The Baptism of the Lord was celebrated yesterday. It is an important feast because it reveals so much. It marks the end of the Christmas season and the beginning and return of Ordinary time. The longer stretch this year in Ordinary time is due to a later start to Lent as well as Easter. The Baptism of the Lord also highlights the beauty, the sacrament and the importance of baptism.

While at Mass yesterday, we happened to be sitting close by to an image of  Jesus being baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist. It was so relevant as Baptism is symbolic, meaningful and relevant to various things in the Church. I hadn't noticed before the Holy Spirit in the image of a dove lowered right above Jesus' head as water was being poured on to it. Somehow the image of the dove was hidden to my eyes, it looked camouflaged. But the Holy Spirit has an important role, in all of the Sacraments. In the sacrament of Confirmation, we receive the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit as the oil is put on our foreheads.

Yesterday's feast reminded me of the upcoming baptism for my new niece as well as my nephew in Spring. I do not remember my own baptism since I was only 3 months old, but I can read about it in my baby book. I know the Church where I was baptized, where the gathering was, who my God parents are and the day I was baptized which happens to be St. Vincent de Paul's feast day, September 27th. But I think a baptism can also relate to other things as well. Baptism is the first sacrament where a child, a baby or an adult is entered into the church. It's a cleansing of our sin and being welcomed into God's family, as His sons and his daughters.

However, our spiritual cleansing can also happen in the sacrament of reconciliation where our sins are forgiven and longer tied to our souls. We are cleansed. Perhaps in Mass or in adoration, we feel cleansed and purified. We are made anew, fresh to begin again. In the Magnificat reflection by Pope Benedict XVI he states, "...That event began the public ministry of Jesus on the roads of Palestine. The Baptism of Jesus at the Jordan is the anticipation of his baptism of blood on the cross, and it is the symbol of the entire sacramental activity by which the Redeemer will bring about the salvation of humanity."

This week as I look forward to my niece's baptism and my 10th anniversary of Confirmation, I pray the Holy Spirit will continue to guide and enlighten me while walking through this journey of faith. As Pope Benedict XVI states further in the reflection, "In this way everyone can tend to holiness, a goal that, as the Second Vatican Council recalled, constitutes the vocation of all the baptized."