A Religious Education teacher was
once asked: If Jesus was sinless, why did He need to be Baptized? A good question!
Baptism is about:
-
forgiving sins, both personal sins
and Original sin
-
uniting us with God
-
making one a member of the Church
-
and about the promise and hope of
eternal life
Now - Jesus had no sins, He was
already one with His Father, there was no church to be a member of as yet, and
He has already existed from all eternity. So why be Baptized?
The simplest answer is – to show us
the Way! As always, He leads by example!
1)
The Way to fight sin: from 2009-2014,
Dutchess County has seen a huge increase in babies born addicted to drugs. This
is not the fault of the child. Yet the child suffers due to the sin of another.
Sounds like the state we are born into – Original Sin. We are surrounded by Sin
and our sins affect others. Baptism gives us grace to fight
against sin and temptation.
2)
The Way to be united with God. What
is our goal in life? Millenials answered: 80% wealth & 50% fame. How about
a better goal? How about happiness and health?
And how can we achieve that? Studies show that Relationships are the key.
At Christmas, we met Jesus human family: Mary & Joseph. At the Baptism, we
meet His Divine Family. The Father says “You are my beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased. In Baptism, we hear: “You are my beloved Son. You are my beloved
daughter.” Jesus makes us part of His
family. Relationship with God is a key to happiness & health.
3)
The Way to live as members of the
church. We walk together on this journey of faith, assisted by:
Eucharist – food – some are starving
themselves.
Confession – to break the power of
sin and restore us to Baptismal state
Confirmation – confirm presence of HS
and 7 gifts
Marriage & Holy Orders : strength to live in life long relationships
Anointing – you are not alone in
suffering Also parish eg Ministry of CARE
4)
The Way to Eternal Salvation – all about
hope! Even in death, there is the possibility of eternal life.
What was the most important day in
our lives? Probably could give many answers, but today’s
Mass suggests one day – day of Baptism.
