So, why does Christmas season continue through this day? Remember Christmas is really all about the revelation of Jesus, the Messiah, to the world. Today is the second manifestation of this to the world (the third being the Presentation of the Lord and some still continue the season on to February).
Looking at the event in the Bible, we go to the Gospel of Luke (other gospels give the account as well). Jesus comes to John, who is baptizing people in the Jordan, and asks to be baptized. After the baptism, "heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.'" (3:15-22) Imagine being in the presence of the Holy Trinity...Father, Son, and Holy Spirit...revealed to you in such a way! It must have been an amazing and life-changing experience!Jesus did not need to be washed of his sins...he had none!...but he brought a sacredness to this symbolic action...repent and be washed of your sins...you are a new creation! It sounds much like the sacrament of baptism today...continued down throughout the generations of Christians since.
We are staying with my mother while we wait for the arrival of Michael tonight. We went to Mass as her church. The priest is a young man who has such a love for the Lord and gives such wonderful messages that make you want to go out and tell the world. Even my fidgety boys sit and listen to his understanding of the Word. Today, he spoke about how different John's prophetic actions were compared to the other prophets. No other prophet had used water to cleanse the people of their sins. However, the symbol of water was used in the Old Testament for this purpose...the flood cleansed the entire world of the evil deeds of man...and the saving waters that were parted at the Red Sea. Was John thinking of this when he covered the people with water...immersing them as the world was covered by the flood and then brought out as a new creation when brought to the surface? Was John thinking of this when he walked the people into the water just as the Israelites walked between the parted waters and then were made the Chosen People? Whether John understood the significance to their history, he was doing what he was asked to bring meaning to the action of repentance, and we can bring this meaning to our own lives through baptism.
It was so beautiful to have several ready for baptism at Mass...a wonderful way for all of us to be reminded of our own special day when we were created anew and became adopted children of God.
Speaking of children, we continue to remember those lost at Newtown with six-year-old Benjamin. His strong mother told all to "remember with a smile her happy and curious boy who loved swimming, soccer, his big brother Nate and the 7 train (New York subway)."
When we read about Benjamin, our thoughts continued to go to his adventures outside. So, we designed his quilt like a window in which the panes were each the activities he loved the most...as if he was looking out in hopes to go out for the day to enjoy them again.
I end with a message from Benjamin's family. I thought it went along with the feast of the day...just as baptism brings us new hope for our lives...Benjamin's family find hope to move forward in their lives through the same source:"What do we want? For you to hug each other and your children, deeply and often. To pause, take a breath, allow the warmth of the season into your homes and hearts, and know that it will be all right. We’ll all be all right. We have felt loved in the past, but that previous measure was a thimble as to this boundless sea. You are at once our ocean, our vessel, and the wind that fills our sails. And there, always on the horizon, there for all of us, is our lighthouse." (To read the full message from the family...go to this link.)
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