Baptism of Christ by Greg Olsen

For many people, whenever they hear that Jesus was baptized, one of the first questions that come to their minds is: why? Why did Jesus have to be baptized? If Baptism is the sacrament that cleanses us from sin and re-establishes us in relationship with God, why did Jesus, who was born without sin and was always in relationship with God, need to be Baptized?

Now obviously the answer is that Jesus did not have to be baptized for the same reasons that we need to be baptized. Jesus did not need to be baptized in order to have His sins forgiven. He did not need to be baptized to be re-established in relationship with God. The reason that Jesus was baptized was entirely different from the reasons we are baptized. Jesus was baptized in order that He could teach us by His example. He came into the world to be the way, the truth and the life for all believers. His baptism allows Him to teach us how we are to be reconciled with the Father and the manner in which we are to share in the Divine life that He came to share with us. As the Holy Spirit comes down upon Him at His baptism, it announces to us that we will be given this gift of the Holy Spirit when we are baptized. As the Father proclaims that Jesus is His beloved Son when He is baptized, we learn that through our own baptisms we become God’s beloved children and are to call upon Him as our Father through the graces of this great Sacrament. Jesus takes up His mission after His baptism so that we might understand that through our own baptisms we too have received a mission and are called to be Disciples of Christ through the celebration of this great sacrament. Continue reading →

A few weeks ago, I was walking between the Centre and the Church when someone stopped me on Bathurst Street and rolled down their window and demanded that I give them a blessing as they were driving by on the street. My first inclination was to try and have a conversation with them to find out what they thought that a blessing signified. However, as the traffic was heavy and they were in a hurry, they got a little angry with me and demanded that I stop my small talk and quickly give them a blessing before they drove off. This experience got me to thinking that many people may not even know what a blessing signifies or be aware of what is required for a blessing to really be of any value. Continue reading →