14:21-31). It’s also an annual occasion for many to ask, “Why was Jesus baptized?”. Rather, Pope Benedict XVI (writing as Joseph Ratzinger), in his, First, in antiquity water conjured up two distinct images, Looking at the events (of Christ’s baptism) in light of the Cross and Resurrection, the Christian people realized what happened: Jesus loaded the burden of all mankind’s guilt upon his shoulders; he bore it down into the depths of the Jordan. All rights reserved. In the gospel of Matthew, the public ministry of Jesus opens and ends with baptism. Baptism is equated with dying with Christ ( Romans 6:8 ), and so the symbolism of being buried is a public declaration of our dying with Christ as well as our identification with him. Monday’s Feast of the Baptism of the Lord marked the official end of the Christmas season. The word “saint” derives from the Greek term hagios, which means “the holy ones.” Being a holy person just means being, with God’s considerable help, the person you were created to be. 1:12) . Christian baptism is of course greater than John’s baptism, even as Jesus himself is far greater than John (Matt. Baptism is conferred upon infants to free them from original sin, to initiate them into the Church as Christians, and to give them the supernatural grace of God that will allow them to be formed in sanctity. . The baptism of the Lord also reminds us, of course, of our own baptism. It turns the baptized into a newly adopted son or daughter of God and a member of the Church. . It would thus not be fitting to hold a baptism for a baby since they are incapable of making this choice which is the reason for baptism in their understanding. The Church teaches that baptism not only lets us participate in Jesus’ victory over sin and death, but calls us to our own personal holiness and apostolate (sharing our faith). Now baptism is the door to all the sacraments, so without baptism, one cannot receive the other sacraments. 10:2), which frees us from the rule of sin and death. This also explains why, in his own discourses, Jesus uses the word, Jesus’ baptism not only is deeply intertwined. Therefore, when someone is publicly baptized, he is proclaiming his allegiance to … In the Catholic Church, infants are baptized to welcome them into the Catholic faith and to free them from the original sin they were born with. Rather, he sanctified the waters by his descent into them. Why did Christ, then, place such great importance on His own baptism even though there was no sin to wash away? The baptism of Jesus is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his mission as God's suffering Servant. Jesus and Baptism. What My Aborted Uncle or Aunt Has Taught Me, Living Your Baptismal Mission as Priest, Prophet, and King, How to Make the Most of the Christmas Octave (& Season! Looking at the events (of Christ’s baptism) in light of the Cross and Resurrection, the Christian people realized what happened: Jesus loaded the burden of all mankind’s guilt upon his shoulders; he bore it down into the depths of the Jordan. He inaugurated his public activity by stepping into the place of sinners. This has always been the practice of the Orthodox churches and of many Protestant denominations as well. Why we celebrate Christ's baptism close to the Epiphany. . Baptism is thus the necessary precursor to all other sacraments. What is the purpose of baptism and who can celebrate the sacrament of Baptism? First, it is helpful to understand the unique nature of the Catholic understanding of the sacrament of baptism as opposed to the understanding of baptism by other Christian denominations. Baptism is thus the necessary precursor to all other sacraments. The Eastern traditions of iconography pick up on many of these themes, as the current pope emeritus elucidates: The icon of Jesus’ baptism depicts the water as a liquid tomb having the form of a dark cavern, which is in turn the iconographic sign of Hades, the underworld, or hell. Jesus had no need to be cleansed by the waters of baptism, for he had no sins to be washed away. The ancient mind perceived the ocean as a permanent threat to the cosmos, to the earth; it was the primeval flood that might submerge all life . Let us mindfully renew those baptismal promises so that we may love God and our neighbor, be a faithful witness to Christ and prepare ourselves to share in the glory of His resurrection. Before the Christian usage, a “trinity” (triadin Greek) was simply any grou… ), St. John of the Cross—Reflection on His Sayings of Light and Love. Do the godparents of our child need to be married to each other? 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