DEACON TOM ANTHONY

Saturday, January 10, 2015







The Baptism of the Lord can serve as a time of renewal and rebirth for all of us. It can become a time for us to recommit ourselves to our faith in preparation for the Season of Lent which will be beginning a very short time from now. Sacred Scripture tells us that John the Baptist was sent ahead of Jesus proclaiming a Baptism of Repentance of Sins. Through this event we are encouraged to do the same. Repentance is two-fold. First there must be remorse for one's actions then there must be a commitment to change one's ways. This will inevitably prepare our hearts, minds, and souls to bring ourselves closer to Christ and affect the relationship in a positive way. Whatever we did in the past is guaranteed to stay there abandoned and forgotten while the future becomes a shining light with Christ.

The symbol of water is an effective tool to envision what happens to us as Christians when we confess our sins, repent, and repair our relationship with God. Our sins are washed away and we are reborn with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit repairs the wounds caused by sin and heals us completely. We come forward broken and beaten. We leave strengthened and new. This is how much God loves us. He offers us this gift continuously through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and it will never be refused. We just need to take that first step and respond to the call.

With the Baptism of the Lord, Jesus takes what John the Baptist Offered and brings it to perfection. The Holy Trinity is revealed to us in its entirety. We are reminded what our own baptism is and what it should mean to us. Through the Power of the Holy Spirit we receive the Sanctifying Grace which is necessary for salvation. This special grace is only received once in our entire existence and must be cherished as such. It also gives us the necessary strength and protection to combat the evils and temptations of this world. Our relationship with God, broken by Original Sin, is once again brought back to where it should be: a perfect state of perfect love which actually reflects the Holy Trinity Itself.

At the center of this is God’s Love. The Trinity and Jesus’ Baptism demonstrate this in a most splendid fashion. This moment marks a monumental event. Jesus’ Divinity is revealed and it reflects on everything else to come. What was revealed partially throughout Sacred Scripture has now burst forth in a brilliant fashion. It is a glimpse of the perfect love which we all are invited to participate in. Love is not only an emotion but is an action that when received can transform all of our lives. Us receiving that perfect love can affect us in so many different ways. We become keepers of this love and are challenged to accept it, cherish it, and allow it to influence all of our actions. This in itself is a great honor and responsibility. If we treat this unearned love with the realization that it is indeed the most precious thing we can experience and have then we will be opened have the capability to live our lives the way we supposed to: happy and content to be Children of God.

Jesus kneeling in the Jordan to be baptized by John displayed the greatest humility and love. He gives us an example to live our lives by. Our God, creator of everything, kneels down to receive what he didn’t need to receive. John was undeserving to perform this as much as Jesus didn’t deserve the baptism because he didn’t need it. Yet, he did it for us as a model to go by. We need to be cleansed continuously through the Love of the Holy Spirit and we need to insure that our relationship with God remains fruitful and abounding.

Everything is offered to us. We only need to accept it.

Deacon Tom





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