Thought for the week
12th January 2025 - Are you with him?The Lord was Baptised, not to be cleansed Himself, but to cleanse the waters, so that those waters, cleansed by the flesh of Christ which knew no sin, might have the power of Baptism.
— St. Ambrose of Milan
I was preparing somebody for baptism when he asked, “since Jesus was God, why did he need to be baptised”. It’s a reasonable and fairly common question. After all, why would Jesus need to submit to an act of ritual purification? Of course, Jesus didn’t need to be baptised since he’s not a sinner in need of purification, like you and me. Yet St. Ambrose put it very succinctly in the quote above.
Jesus’ baptism invites us to realise that our salvation is available where we stand. Through salvation given to us through Jesus, we are loved by God in our moments of discouragement and loneliness, as well as in our moments of happiness and peace. Jesus is there to save us, each and every one of us. Christian baptism is not only a cleansing from sin; it is also a spiritual birth. According to Saint Paul, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Rom 6:4).
He is Emmanuel, as we acclaimed at Christmas. He is with us through our baptism, which we celebrate today. He is with us, but are you with Him?
I will let you ponder on that. Come and have a chat if you want to find out more.
Every blessing
Father Paul