January 9, 2021

“And a voice came from the heavens, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’” – Mark 1:11

This weekend, the church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. These words which God speaks as Jesus comes out of the Jordan river are the words God speaks about us, too. Yes, it is true—we are God’s beloved sons and daughters by virtue of our baptism!

Baptism is not just the elimination of original sin. While it is that, it is so much more. Bishop Robert Barron and others state that baptism also means we are grafted onto Christ! To be grafted means to join, to become one with. So, we join Christ and become one with His very being…we share His own life! That is a wow and it is also an okay, now what?

The sacrament of baptism is all about grace. The unmerited, undeserved love that God has shown to us by drawing us into His life. What that means is we don’t earn it; it’s nothing we can do more of or be better at.  It’s a gift from our good God. He loves us that much, and He gives us the grace, through baptism, to share in His divine life; to live and to love as a Christian; to be courageous in living out our call to be other Christ’s in the world! (Baptism reference here from Word on Fire)

Let us thank God for the gift and the grace of baptism. Let us remember today and every day that we are the beloved daughters and sons of God, filled with the graces and gifts to make this world a better place; to build up the Kingdom of God on earth.

Jesus, I trust in you.



©Mary V. Pribbenow