Today we celebrate the Baptism of The Lord and hear from Matthew’s Gospel 3:13-17 and the telling of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist.  The question of why Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and not the other way around certainly has come to the minds of many who have heard this Scripture over the years.  One thing is for certain, God could have chosen to introduce baptism to us in many different ways but He chose it to be as it was here.  Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River.  There is far more going on here than we may realize.  By Jesus being baptized by John, he is fulfilling the prophecy of John being the one who will prepare the way of the Lord.  “A voice proclaims: In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD!” (IS 40:3)  John had also testified, “I did not know Him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, He is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit'” (JN 1:33)  Jesus’ baptism by John reveals that which Our Lord had told him when He sent him out to baptize.

   As we enter into Ordinary Time it is great to be reminded of the importance of our baptism.  Jesus was baptized prior to entering into His ministry.  Similarly, our baptism brings us into the Church and by virtue, our baptism is the beginning of our own ministry.  Of course in the case of baptised children, there is considerable time before they will actively participate in any particular ministry yet they possess the ability to be the example that Jesus asks of us.  We are all ministers whether or not we are actively engaged in a particular ministry and as such, our actions play a significant role in either bringing others closer to God or driving them away.  As we enter the Church each Sunday and dip our fingers in the font and bless ourselves with the Sign of the Cross, we are reminding ourselves of our baptismal promises.  Let us slow down when we do this in order that we may fully recall all that we believe and in doing so, may we be better equipped to reject satan and all his evil works.