TOPIC: THE
BAPTISM OF THE LORD
C, SUNDAY HOMILY,
LUKE 3:15-16, 21-22, JANUARY 12, 2025
1. STORY
Mary, a
non-Christian, attended a Catholic school. Although she liked to discuss religion with
the priests and sisters, she had no desire to be baptized. One day, when she was in form five, she went
to one of the priests and asked to be baptized. Surprised by this change in her attitude, he
asked what changed her mind about baptism. She said that it was the good example of the
priests and sisters. By their words and
actions, they showed the love of God. She
was eventually baptized and considered the date of her baptism more important
than her birthday. God had changed her
life.
2. GOSPEL, LUKE
3:15-16, 21-22
A. THE HOLY
SPIRIT DESCENDED UPON HIM
When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the river Jordan, Jesus received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was given the power to carry out his mission of preaching the gospel and saving the people.
B. YOU ARE MY
BELOVED SON. WITH YOU I AM WELL PLEASED.
Jesus came to us
to do the will of his father thus making him pleasing to his father. Obedience to the father’s will was extremely
important to Jesus. He did not come to
do his own will.
3. APPLICATION TO
LIFE
A. THE GIFTS WE
RECEIVE AT BAPTISM
At baptism we
receive the following four gifts.
i) We become
adopted children of God the Father. We
can call him, “Our Father.”
ii) Jesus becomes
our brother who cares for us and has come to save us.
iii) The Holy
Spirit becomes our guide. We become
temples of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
iv) We become members of the family of God, the Catholic Church. We have the right to receive the sacraments from the Church.
B. WE STRIVE TO
BECOME PLEASING TO GOD. We become
pleasing to God by obeying his will.
i) We love God by
trusting him, praying to him, and obeying his commandments.
ii) We love our
neighbor by being kind, helpful, and forgiving towards them. We avoid hurting them by what we say and do.
iii) We love
ourselves by caring for our spiritual and physical health. We try to eat properly, get enough rest, do
some exercise, and do not overwork. We
pray daily, attend Sunday Mass, receive Holy Communion, and make a good
confession several times each year.
4. CONCLUSION
Mary, because of
the good example of the priests and nuns in her school, was moved by God to be
baptized. This event changed her life. When Jesus was baptized, he received the gift
and power of the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel and to save us. By his life of obedience, he was pleasing to
his Father. At our baptism we became
adopted children of the Father, Jesus became our brother, the Holy Spirit
became our guide, and we became members of the family of God, the Catholic
Church. By doing God’s will, we, like
Jesus, become pleasing to our Father. We
thank God for the gift of baptism. We
pray for the strength to be obedient to God.
