BAPTISM OF JESUS – Sunday Homily, Matthew 3:13 -17, January 11, 2026
By Fr. Vincent Corbelli, MM
1) STORY
One day John
entered a newly built church and was very impressed by the beauty of the
church. What caught his attention the
most was a beautiful tabernacle hanging down from the ceiling of the church
which looked like it was made of glass. As
he walked closer wanting to see what was inside, he was amazed to see the
reflection of his face on the outside. When
he thought about the reflection of his face on the outside and the Eucharist in
the inside of the tabernacle, he realized that he was like a living tabernacle.
Jesus was living in his heart because he
had been baptized.
2) GOSPEL:
Matthew 3:13 – 17
- THE HOLY
SPIRIT: Jesus, at his baptism, received the Holy Spirit. We read, “He saw the Spirit of God descending
like a dove upon him.” The Holy Spirit
gave Jesus power to carry out the work of our salvation.
- MY BELOVED SON:
With the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was able to live as an obedient son of
the Father. “This is my beloved son,
with whom I am well pleased.”
3) APPLICATION TO
LIFE
- THE POWER OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT: At our baptism we become children of God our Father, Jesus
becomes our brother and we are given the power of the Holy Spirit. Just as electricity produces light in a bulb,
as wind moves a sailboat, and as a battery powers a cell phone, so too
does the Holy Spirit gives us the power to reject sin and live a holy life. The Holy Spirit continues to give us power by
our life of prayer, listening to the word of God and receiving Holy Communion.
- WE ARE
CHILDREN OF GOD: Children can be obedient or disobedient, respectful or
disrespectful, caring or not caring. We
follow the example of Jesus, the perfect son, by helping people by our kind
words and caring actions. We also share
with others the good news that there is a God who cares and loves us.
4)
CONCLUSION: We are like tabernacles with Jesus in our hearts thanks to
our baptism. We must live as loving sons
of our father in heaven as Christ did. We
are kind to others and share the good news that there is a loving father and we
invite others to know him.
