BAPTISM OF THE LORD

BAPTISM OF THE LORDTo end the cycle of the Nativity of the Lord, today the Church celebrates, commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the JordanAt that time John preached, saying, 'After me comes he who is mightier than I, and I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize with the Holy Spirit. "And it came to pass in those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in Jordan. In out of the water he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from heaven: "Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Mark 1.7 to 11)
Many times in our logic and our experience of faith seem to have great contradictions because sometimes we do not understand what God means when he speaks or acts. And not because God does not really have an incomprehensible language or alien, but simply because we are often not in tune with him. We do not connect. Our "web" of relationships with God suffers interference because we often want to be connected with Him and with other relationships or conversations in which we can not focus and concentrate all our attention and wonder of our meeting and dialogue with God.Today they happily celebrate the "Baptism of the Lord" While we can ask: Jesus, He also had perhaps need to be baptized like me? This is one of the apparent contradictions to which I referred in the first lines of this reflection. The blunt answer is: Of course not! Jesus had no need to be baptized. Wanted to be baptized to show love that had become "one" like us in all. But mostly I wanted to end the baptism "of water." John the Baptist says this: "I baptize you with water, but He will baptize with the Holy Spirit." (Mark 1.8) ἐγὼ ἐβάπτισα ὑμᾶς ὕδατι, αὐτὸς δὲ βαπτίσει ὑμᾶς πνεύματι ἁγίῳ. Jesus wanted from this moment to inaugurate the baptism "of the Spirit." In the Jordan River was not the purified water that Jesus, but it was Jesus who purified the water. It was the water that Jesus sanctified, but the water was sanctified by Jesus, not only the water of Jordan, but the water of all the baptistery of the world and all time. Jesus through baptism and wanted to devote himself to do so throughout the "Will of God." It is a sign of faithfulness to God and the full commitment and belonging to HimAnd we how we live our own baptism? Where is our own baptism? My own baptism What does it mean for me? Celebrating the day I was born to God? Do I know the exact date? How do I live my own baptism? Celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is an excellent opportunity to reflect on our own baptism.Like all the sacraments, baptism consists of two parts, or is composed of two things: gestures and words. Worth visiting very briefly the components of the rite of baptism. 1 °. The imposition of the name: after the minister asked what name you want to give the child / a, pronounced for the first time in public, which is the name for eternity. This is important: is the name for eternity: But now thus saith the Lord your Creator, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you I have called you by name, my you. (Is 43.1). The name is intended to accompany the child throughout life, so it is important to know how to choose properly the name of the child.2 °. Renounce Satan and profession of faith. This means being very aware of how alive and how I'm willing to live since I've been a child or sponsor a child to be baptized. Banish evil from our lives, selfishness, everything that separates us, not divide and makes us unworthy of the name of Christian. While it is true that we speak on behalf of the child, also renew our baptismal commitment each time we partake of the liturgy of baptism. The profession of faith must believe, accept and embrace God as the only important, indispensable and essential in my life.Let us now turn to the true and proper time of baptism. At the center of the other signs and elements, the water becomes fully apparent. Is the element that Jesus wanted to use the water of Jordan, the water that flowed from Christ's side. Because water baptism a child becomes dear to the early Christians who called her "our water". St. Francis of Assisi called: "Sister humble water is precious and chaste." Water is therefore a sign of life, regeneration, cleaning and destruction. Also this last feature is important. Water destroys death and leads to true life.The celebrant asks the parents and godparents who comes to the baptismal font, and pouring it would be better by dipping three times a child in the water, solemnly pronounces the words taught by the Master, Jesus Christ our Lord. "John, I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." Spilled or immersed in water three times a child, means that for three days Jesus was buried under the earth and the third day rose again.The words "in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." They submit to the Holy Trinity. This means that in baptism we profess the two greatest mysteries of our faith, with the gestures we remember the incarnation, death and resurrection of Christ. With the words, we recognize and remember the unity and Trinity of God.God is wonderfully unique, the acting is always vastly superior to the means employed and the results obtained. The medium is extremely simple: a little water and the word. The results, great: once baptized person becomes a child of God and the temple of the Trinity. The baptized person is a new creature has been reborn of water and the Spirit, has become a child of God, a member of the body of Christ, which is the Church and living temple of the Holy Spirit. Heavenly Father decides on each child or adult, emerging from the baptismal font, the words that first told about Jesus after he was baptized by John in and out of Jordan, "Thou art my beloved Son, my beloved: in you I am well pleased. This is only God's work.The white garment: A sign of innocence, purity, beauty that parents and godparents should help to keep for a lifetime.The rite of light: the priest lights the paschal candle and gives it to Dad, is a symbol of faith, that parents and godparents are to convey to the child.He is obviously pre-baptismal anointing and post-baptismal anointing sign of belonging to God in the full sense of the word.I wish that all who read these simple words help us to appreciate and understand more of our own baptism.January 9, 2012Baptism of the Lord.Capuchin Missionary Paul Fray.