Father Carroll's Homily for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord 2015

Homily for the Baptism of the Lord 2015

          The sacrament of baptism is a revelation.   First a foremost it is a sacrament and outward sign instituted by Christ to bestow grace.  Meaning God is at work, and with every baptism God is working to reveal something as He did at Christ’s baptism in the Jordon.

          Listen to those words again, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”  Each time the sacrament of baptism is ministered these very words are echoed over and over again.  Our Lord needed to be baptized, not in the sense to become a member of His family for Jesus is God, but it needed to be carried out in order for us to recognize its importance.  We are God’s beloved children and He is indeed pleased with us.  Yes despite our flaws He is pleased with us because we are created in His very image and likeness. 

          One of the crises in the sacrament of baptism is that it is often delayed too long.  A child should be baptized within the first few weeks of birth.  Some parents make the mistake of delaying the baptism of their child till they are older.  Baptism is not a stepping stone; it is not a hurdle to be jumped over but is an entrance into a relationship with the Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit).  We need to take baptism more seriously because it is necessary for salvation.   That is what we believe.  See God extends the open invitation for us to join His large extended family…who would want to pass that up, who would want to pass that up for their children.  God wants to be with us…as we heard in the prophet Isaiah, “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit.” As we leave here today let us find peace in those words that reigned down from heaven because they are also meant for us “here is my beloved Son, my beloved Daughter; with you I am well pleased.”