From our Pastor’s Desk

Dear Family:

One of the greatest challenges of modern-day Christianity is making Christians understand the mystery of Baptism. Pope Saint John Paul II, trying to rise up to this challenge, added five more mysteries to the full rosary, the Luminous Mysteries. The first Luminous Mystery unveils the Baptism of our Lord as a baptism of the Holy Spirit, different in quality from the baptism of repentance performed by St. John the Baptist.

In today’s gospel reading, John wonders why Jesus, being the perfect Messiah, would submit himself for baptism. But Jesus insists that Christians must do all that righteousness demands. This is why baptism is a very important Sacrament in the Church – the Sacrament of initiation into membership of the Christian fold. In Luke’s account, John made it clear that the baptism of Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit, supersedes his in quality: “I baptize you with water, but one mightier than I is coming…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Lk 3:16). The baptism of the Holy Spirit is therefore a baptism of fire – transformation - since fire is the symbol of change, of transformation.

The Baptism of the Lord marks a pivotal moment in the life of Jesus, where He, the sinless one, chooses to be baptized by John in the Jordan River. This act was not for His own purification but rather to identify with humanity and to fulfill all righteousness. By entering the waters, Jesus sanctified them, making them a source of grace for all who are baptized thereafter.

Baptism does not work mechanically. Baptism saves us not by mere washing of bodily dirt, but “because of consciousness of God” (1 Pet 2:19). When we are baptized, even as infants, we must press duty upon ourselves and upon the child and direct ourselves and the child to the transforming grace of Christ. The law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Jesus, in His baptism, demonstrates profound humility. He stands in the line with sinners, showing that He is not ashamed to be associated with us. This act of solidarity emphasizes His mission to save humanity from sin. As John the Baptist questions why Jesus would come to him for baptism, it highlights the mystery of Christ’s mission: to take upon Himself the burdens of our sins and to lead us into new life. His baptism is a foreshadowing of His death and resurrection. As he descends into the waters, it symbolizes His willingness to bear the weight of human sin and to ultimately conquer death through His resurrection. The voice from heaven declaring, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased,” affirms Jesus’ divine identity and mission, which is to bring salvation to all.

John was an affectionate, practical, evangelical, popular and copious preacher, not a cosmetic preacher. He did not mince words in directing people towards repentance. He was a preacher of repentance not a preacher of prosperity. A fervent prayer life must therefore accompany the sacrament of baptism for it to be efficacious. What was promised even to Christ, was obtained through prayer. When he prayed, the heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a dove.

The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. And there is a demonstration of the Trinity at the beginning of Christ’s baptism. First, the voice of the father was heard; second, the physical presence of Jesus, the Son; and third, the impartation of the Holy Spirit in form of a dove. The secret power behind Jesus’ ministry on earth is the power of the Holy Spirit that descended upon him after baptism and His continued fellowship in prayer with the Holy Spirit. I would say that the reason why the Church and so many people in it have become so defeated is that we have ignored the most powerful person in the universe – the Holy Spirit. We have seen the actions of the Holy Spirit throughout Scriptures in both the Old and the New Testament. When the Holy Spirit came to Moses, plagues came upon Egypt in the Book of Exodus. When it came over Elijah, fire came down from heaven in the 1st Book of Kings. When it came over Joshua, the whole city of Jericho fell into his hands in the Book of Joshua.

When it came over Jesus at His baptism, he began teaching and healing; He suffered on the Cross, died and rose again by the action of the Holy Spirit. After the Pentecost, the same Holy Spirit came upon His faithful followers. It is the same Holy Spirit in operation in Martyrs like St. Stephen, in missionaries like St. Damian of Molokai, in married couples who persevere in fidelity and love like SS. Louis and Zélie Martin, monks in the desert like St. Anthony The Great. It is the same Holy Spirit in the sacraments of the Church, Baptism, the Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Reconciliation, Holy Orders and Anointing of the Sick. It is the same Spirit that consoles us in moments of loss and disasters as it is said in the Letter of Paul to the Romans and also operates in our parochial ministries.

As God’s voice confirmed that Jesus was His beloved Son, God will confirm us as His sons and daughters this year by manifesting His power more clearly in our lives. We only need to learn to obey Jesus through an avid study of the scriptures and listening to the Church and exercising our faith more practically.

Unless our baptism becomes a baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire, unless our baptism becomes a baptism of transformation, Christianity in this part of the world remains not different from a mere social club. Let us, therefore, remember our identity as children of God and our call to live in accordance with that identity. Living our Christian identity will make us, One Body, One Spirit, One Family!

Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Katharine Drexel, Saint Michael the Archangel, St. José Gregorio Hernández, Pope Saint Pius X, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Charbel, pray for us.

Yours in Christ!
Fr. Omar