Inspiration:
Christian Prayer, Daily Office, and
notes from the Divine office website.
Jesus did not need to
be baptized. So why was Jesus baptized?
Early theologian like
Saint Gregory of Nazianzus said that the Lord was baptized to bless the waters.
With His body, with His
divinity, in His Baptism, He blessed all the waters, so that water would have
the power to give baptism. And then, before ascending to Heaven, Jesus told us
to go into all the world to baptize.
St Gregory goes on to
say, when Jesus rises from the waters; the world rises with him.
So the answer to why
was Jesus baptized is simple, we needed His Baptism. In baptism, Jesus blessed
us and blessed the whole world.
We should bless the
Lord. The prophet Daniel understood.
Bless
the Lord, all you works of the Lord. Praise and exalt him above all forever....
All
you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord.... Every shower and dew, bless
the Lord..... Dew and rain, bless the Lord.... You springs, bless the Lord.... Seas
and rivers, bless the Lord....
You
sons and daughters of men, bless the Lord.... Praise and exalt him above all
forever.
Priests
of the Lord, bless the Lord. Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord. Spirits and
souls of the just, bless the Lord. Holy people of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Praise
and exalt him above all forever. Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. Let us praise and exalt him above all forever.
We bless the Lord by
following his words. Christ Jesus told us to go into all the world to baptize.
To bring that baptism of
Christ to the world is blessing the Lord and bringing his blessing to the
world. We baptize with the same waters blessed and made holy by our Lord and
savior when Jesus was baptized by John in the river Jordan.
Following Jesus’
command, we baptize to the present day. It is an unbroken chain. Parents
baptized their children, and their children baptized their children, and their
children baptized their children, and their children…
And that is the chain
of faith!
He saved us through the
bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
God shows no
partiality.
The grace of God has
appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires.
As believer, followers
of Christ, we have a duty to transmit this promise of faith, a duty to pass these
blessings of faith to our children.
It’s the most beautiful
of our heritage.
Although we are
unworthy, God looks down upon us, Christ says, with you I am well pleased.
Be good, be holy go out
into the world and pass on the Gospel, pass on your faith, by living your
baptism. Amen
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