TO FULFILL DIVINE JUSTICE, JESUS OPENED THE DOOR TO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN TO ALL THOSE WHO WOULD HEAR HIM.

The readings...

"The Lord God has given to the world the Light of the New Covenant to open the eyes of the blind." [Is. 42:1-4, 6-7]

"After His Baptism, Jesus, anointed by God, filled with the Holy Spirit and with power, began His ministry." [Acts 10:34-8]

"At the Baptism of Jesus, the Heavenly Father proclaimed, 'This is My Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.'" [Mt. 3:13-7]

The homily...

During the first four centuries of Christianity, the Catholic Church celebrated three primary Feasts. These were the Feasts of: the Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost. In the Eastern Church, Epiphany meant celebrating: the birth of Jesus, His Baptism and the Wedding at Cana.

Since 376 A.D., the Western Church separated the Feast of Christmas that is celebrated on December 25th as the day of the birth of Jesus from the Feast of the Epiphany that is the day that remembers the visit of the Magi. Epiphany was separated in order to emphasize that God revealed Himself to the Gentiles.

Today's Feast, following the tradition of the early Church, is the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord Jesus. This special feast teaches us that through Jesus, God opened the door to the Kingdom of Heaven to all those who would hear Him.

Jesus showed us the way to the Kingdom of God by His own example of being baptised. Just before beginning His ministry on earth, He went to His second cousin, John the Baptist, to be baptised at the Jordan River. [Mt. 3:13-7] John the Baptist was the son of Elizabeth who was the cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Jesus did not need the Sacrament of Baptism because He was sinless, being God in human form. He submitted Himself to the Sacrament of Baptism according to the Will of the Heavenly Father to teach us that we must also receive the Sacrament of Baptism.

John the Baptist tells us that the Sacrament of Baptism in the Catholic Church is a Baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. [Mt. 3:11] Those who are baptised, they are purified by the Holy Spirit in the same way as metal is refined through fire. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, all traces of the original sin and previously and committed sins are erased.

When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, He said that no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again from above. [Jn. 3:3] Nicodemus asked Jesus how a person can be born again when he has already grown old. [Jn. 3:4] Jesus said, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit." [Jn. 3:5]

Baptism by water is absolutely necessary if we want to be saved. We must be born again by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We may wonder what Baptism does that it makes this Sacrament so special? Through Baptism, the believer is spiritual born again to become a Christian, as another "Christ." Through this privilege, a free gift of God, he enters a new and Divine life - sharing in the life of God. He becomes a member of the spiritual Body of Christ, now having the mind of Christ in his thoughts, words and actions.

Baptism is a new birth. When we are baptised, our old nature and spirit die with Christ. They are buried with Christ. We receive a new nature, our new spirit resurrecting with Christ. At the moment of Baptism, God actually creates a new heart and a new spirit within us. [Jn. 3:3, 5, 7; 1 Jn. 4:7, 5:1, 4] We are no longer the same, part of our creation having been changed.

This new creation, the new spirit within us newly baptised Christian, bears the seed of God. [1 Jn. 3:9, 5:18] It is a holy spirit of the godly seed. This qualifies us as a newly baptised Christian to be admitted into the Holy Catholic Church as a member of the Body of Christ. That is why it is said that the Catholic Church is a reflection of the invisible mystical Body of Christ, the Kingdom of God on earth. That is why it is said that the Catholic Church is holy, because all its children are newly created spirits of a holy nature.

The Sacrament of Baptism also gives birth to the Christian's life of faith. Because of the importance of the Sacrament of Baptism, whenever possible, this Sacrament takes place on a Sunday in the presence of the faithful who are witnesses to this event. Usually, the Sacrament of Baptism is celebrated immediately after the celebration of the Holy Mass. By having the members of the Church participate at the ceremony of Baptism, this permits them to joyfully renew their profession of faith in appreciation of God's gift that leads towards eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

Having said all this, this is why today's First Reading tells us that the Lord God has given to the world the Light of the New Covenant to open the eyes of the blind. God gave us Jesus to show us the way to salvation and eternal life in His Kingdom.

No one has to remain blind to the truth. All these truths are found in the Bible. Everyone has access to the Bible and are without excuse for nothing getting baptised so they can inherit the Kingdom of God. All are obligated to be baptised in thanksgiving to God for their human life, in hope of the life to come.

By embracing the life of Christ through the Sacrament of Baptism, we become pleasing to the Heavenly Father. Then the Heavenly Father can say, "In you, My child, I am well pleased!" just as He said regarding Jesus, "This is My Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased. [Mt. 3:13-7]

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