8 January, Monday — What does your baptism mean to you?

9 Jan – Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, or Theophany, is the feast day commemorating the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Originally the baptism of Christ was celebrated on Epiphany, which commemorates the coming of the Magi, the baptism of Christ, and the wedding at Cana. Over time in the West, however, the celebration of the baptism of the Lord came to be commemorated as a distinct feast from Epiphany. It is celebrated in the Catholic Church as well as the Anglican and Lutheran Churches on the first Sunday following The Epiphany of Our Lord (January 6). Some Lutheran churches celebrate it on the Sunday before Lent, or Quinquagesima.

• Wikipedia

Is 55:1-11
Mk 1:7-11

I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.

To the baptised Catholics who are reading this — do you remember the date of your baptism? I am not sure whether it bears much significance for those of you who were baptised as infants, since you very likely had no memory of it happening. I can recall that mine was somewhere in mid-November, but besides knowing a vague date, I do not commemorate the event. As someone who got baptised at the age of 17, I still have some scattered memories of the day, most of which were concerned with the plainness of my attire in comparison with those of other girls present, how the water was going to flow down my hair/face, and dreading at having to stand facing the entire congregation after baptism. I think it was only years later that I began to truly understand and appreciate the meaning of this sacrament.

Today’s gospel passage is a well-known one, where Jesus wades into the river Jordan and gets baptised by John. I am always struck by the sheer gratuity of this act. Obviously, Jesus does not need baptism, but the sinless one went through this act of cleansing in an act of uniting Himself with his sinful flock, taking upon the burden of our sins. In this way, His immense love for us is already revealed at the official start of His ministry. For those of us who have received new life in Christ through baptism, how shall we respond?

It is apt that the feast of the baptism of our Lord is celebrated at the beginning of the year, as it is a time when people tend to feel motivated towards making some sort of change in their lives. During our baptism, we made certain promises committing ourselves to lead lives of faith in communion with the Church. These are not merely promises that we renew at Easter Vigil. They are meant to be lived out. At the start of 2024, let us review our commitment to a life of faith in the church. Putting aside the usual habits that we may intend to break or cultivate, we could perhaps probe more deeply within ourselves to determine the underlying reasons behind recurring sinful habits. For myself, I am coming to an awareness that my failure to trust in God and surrender my worries and anxieties to Him has led to a kind of growing resentment towards my responsibilities, which has in turn clouded my thinking, steering me towards a path of despair. In this new year, I pray for a renewed commitment to God and a more positive attitude of acceptance towards all things, good and bad, in my life.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Edith Koh)

Prayer: We pray that we will be granted the strength and faith to honour our baptismal promises.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the gift of divine life that pours forth through Christ’s body, the Church.