It is important that we do not confuse the baptism of Jesus with Christian baptism. The former has Jesus identifying with Israel and the desire of people to prepare for the Messiah and the fulfilment of God's promises: "I (John) baptize with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me..." (Mtt 3: 11). The latter is a birth into the life of the risen Lord who frees us from sin and makes us participants in the saving mission of Christ Jesus: "For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you - not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of the God, with angels, and authorities, and powers made subject to him." (1 Pt 3: 18-22) We celebrate Jesus' baptism because it shows how completely, as the Incarnation, he identified with the people of Israel and their history of tragedy and triumph as God prepared them for the Messiah. It also is a reminder that we too need to repent of our sins and renew our baptismal commitment so that we can more worthily serve the Lord in 2022.
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