Dear Parishioners and Visitors,
Being sinless himself, it may seem strange that Jesus received baptism in the Jordan River by his cousin, St. John the Baptist. Although the baptism St. John offered to the people of Israel was not the same as the true, sacramental baptism that Jesus would bring, it was a symbolic forerunner of it. In submitting to baptism in the Jordan River, Jesus is identifying himself with sinners – though he was sinless – but would later take our sins upon himself and submerge himself in our place, into the waters of purification, and then rise up from the waters to show the new life that he will gain for us. In fact, Jesus refers to his passion, death, and resurrection as his “baptism,” just as he would rise from the tomb glorified and victorious over death on Easter morning. Because of Christ’s actions, the heavens are opened, and we—through our own baptism in living water and “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” – are cleansed from original sin and incorporated into the holy household of God.
Wishing you a blessed and healthy new year,
Fr. John Mahoney