Dear friends,
Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord. It is also the end of the Christmas season. With the Baptism of the Lord we enter in the first part of Ordinary Time, the time we are invited to live the spirit of discipleship sustained by hope and faith in the Lord who calls each and all of us to partake in the mission of transforming the world.
As he goes down to the Jourdan riverbank to be baptized by John the Baptist, the Lord teaches us humility. He reminds us that we cannot transform this world without humbly accepting the message which transforms us inside ward. Humility means first of all that we acknowledge and recognize that we depend upon God who created us with and for a purpose. Jesus showed us that He cam to fulfill the purpose for which the Father sent Him: to redeem the world. This, He did it with humility and self-sacrifice. We, likewise, are invited to reflect on the meaning the sacrament of baptism we have received. Undoubtedly, baptism has made us benefit the forgiveness of our sins and made us children of God is a special way. Still, there is something we overlook, namely that by our baptism we have become witnesses of the kind of love and mercy that nobody can give. As witnesses, we are meant to spread the message of humility and love that makes us sharers in the divinity of the Son of God.
The feast of the Baptism of the Lord bears a special meaning this year, as we embark of the synodal journey. It is a call for us to listen to one another and to build a more loving and embracing church and world. To live the spirituality of the synod is to stretch out our hands to embrace and welcome each other; it is also to open our ears to listen to one another and to be determined to journey together as one family. All this requires humility and self-sacrifice, death to ourself in order to make it possible for another brother or sister to have the opportunity to share his/her faith and life journey.
As we renew our baptism promises today, let us resolve to contribute to building of the church as family of God and work towards a more loving, embracing and unified world. Let us make the church, this great family of God, a safe haven for all who hunger for love, understanding and support. And let us continue to pray for one another, and for our parish family.
May God bless us all and help us to engage in the process of interior transformation that will bear fruits in our daily life.
Fr. Emery