The baptism of Jesus is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his mission as God's suffering Servant. He allows himself to be numbered among sinners; he is already "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn 1:29; cf. Isa 53:12). Already he is anticipating the "baptism" of his bloody death (Cf. Mk 10:38; Lk 12:50). Already he is coming to "fulfill all righteousness", that is, he is submitting himself entirely to his Father's will: out of love he consents to this baptism of death for the remission of our sins (Mt 3:15; cf. 26:39). The Father's voice responds to the Son's acceptance, proclaiming his entire delight in his Son (Cf. Lk 3:22; Isa 42:1). The Spirit whom Jesus possessed in fullness from his conception comes to "rest on him" (Jn 1:32-33; cf. Isa 11:2). Jesus will be the source of the Spirit for all mankind. At his baptism "the heavens were opened" (Mt 3:16) -- the heavens that Adam's sin had closed -- and the waters were sanctified by the descent of Jesus and the Spirit, a prelude to the new creation.
Let us be buried with Christ by Baptism to rise with him;
let us go down with him to be raised with him; and let us rise with him to be
glorified with him. (St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Oratio 40, 9: PG 36, 369)
Everything that happened to Christ lets us know that, after
the bath of water, the Holy Spirit swoops down upon us from high heaven and
that, adopted by the Father's voice, we become sons of God. (St. Hilary of Poitiers,
In Matth. 2, 5: PL 9, 927)
~Catechism of the Catholic Church, #536-537
Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life, swoop down upon us with Your lavish love and raise us up to the dignity and glory that is ours as sons and daughters adopted by the Father's voice. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment