REFLECTION:
The gospel speaks of two baptisms. The first is the event this feast celebrates: the baptism Jesus received at the hands of John. The second is the baptism we receive “with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Jesus’ baptism revealed him as “beloved Son”; our own baptism reveals us as ones who are saved, renewed, justified, and heirs of eternal life (see second reading). This feast, then, is an epiphany not only of who Jesus is but also of who we are.
- Jesus heard who he was (“beloved Son”) when he prayed; I realize and remember who I am in faith when I . . .
- Having been baptized “with the Holy Spirit and fire” means to me . . .
- My daily living manifests what I believe about my baptism whenever I . . .
Connecting the Gospel
to the first and second readings: One effect of our baptism is that our “guilt is expiated” (first reading) and we are “saved . . . through the bath of rebirth” (second reading). Another effect is that God “gathers the lambs” (first reading) into a new and most intimate relationship with Godself – that of being heirs of divine life (see second reading).
to our religious experience: Baptism is more than a ritual moment on a specific day; it is a gift of divine life that God continuously sustains with yet more gifts to which we must respond daily.