Baptism of Jesus

Francesco Alban - Baptism of Christ

Today the church celebrates the feast of the Baptism of Jesus. He was of course 30 years old when he was baptized by John the Baptist, and had a good recollection of this important event in his life, which was the launching-pad of his 3 year mission. Many of us do not have any recollection of our Baptism, unlike our First Holy Communion, Confirmation and Marriage or Ordination. Most probably we all have photos of when we received these important sacraments, but unless it was done recently, the day we were received into the church will go down as something that happened in the dark ages. Maybe that is why we do not truly appreciate the solemnity and uniqueness of that event. But it was nonetheless a meaningful moment in our journey of faith. It is also unfortunate that, from my experience, many parents consider the baptism of their children as just a cosmetic event, an opportunity to show up in church and invite family and friends for a party. More emphasis should be given to the role of the godparents, and the follow-up of the choice parents have made for their new creations. If I were to ask 3 simple questions to a person, I doubt if he or she can answer at least one of them: 1. What date you were baptized, 2. In which church and 3. Who was the priest who baptized you? May this feast today remind us to appreciate our own baptism even more and treasure its memory in our hearts.