20250112 The Baptism of the Lord 

Readings at USCCB.org

You Are a Gift to the World

Alleluia Alleluia, Jesus Christ is born! 

Today we celebrate the baptism of Jesus. Do you remember your baptism? Most of us only remember our baptism through the pictures and videos taken of that day. Held in the arms of our parents and our godparents and sometimes celebrated at mass in front of a church full of people.

Our baptism was a decision made by our parents who knew they wanted to baptise their child into the Catholic faith. To make sure that our faith was a part of our lives in hopes that their child will continue to make their Catholic faith an important part of who they are as a person. 

God sent his son Jesus to live among us. To live and experience life on earth with family and friends and living with a sense of purpose. Sometimes living quietly. For many of us, we live quietly in our faith, but our actions speak loud and clear.

When I say action, I mean in the way we carry ourselves, the way we treat people, what we do to help and serve others, being a friend, lifting up someone who may be having a bad day. This is what it means to be a faithful follower of Jesus. It’s not judging someone who agrees or disagrees with you. It’s the ability to share experiences and that we are individuals that are able to celebrate our differences. 

You also need to remember that you are a love child of God and that it’s not always about taking care of others. It’s also about taking care of ourselves. 

Remember that, you are a gift to the world and you can’t carry out your faith, if you can’t take care of yourself. There are days you can be down or you may be the one in need of uplifting. That’s why it’s so important that we establish relationships with others. It’s about building community and it all started when we were all little babies that were presented before God for baptism by our loving parents.

--JJ