This feast of Christ’s baptism is a good opportunity to reflect on our own baptism. Do we sometimes behave as though we have remained with Jesus in the manger, allowing our faith to remain childish? Or have we let it grow into an adult, which is ready to make a deeper commitment as Jesus did at His baptism?
Many people today prefer to remain unattached. Yes, they say, I do believe in Jesus, but I don’t want to get too involved with the church institutions; let me stay independent and free. It is a very modern attitude, which is willing to believe but not to belong. Maybe our baptism took place when we were babies. And maybe our faith has remained at that infant stage, without the time and the nourishment it needs to grow. One of the best times to deepen our faith is when we have to think about the baptism of our own children or we asked to be godparents. We are faced with new responsibilities, which can help to make our faith more mature. We can take time to study and understand it, as we would with any other serious commitment. This feast of the Baptism of the Lord is an invitation to take the plunge anew into the baptismal waters with Jesus. It is an invitation to grow in our faith and discover the depth and riches of the life of God. We are invited to share in that community of love which is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.