Friday, October 14, 2022

Baptizatus | Heaven was opened

"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened..." —Mat 3:16 (NIV)


Photo by Diego PH on Unsplash


The reading for Friday 14 of October is mostly on the importance of a baptism. Here, we truly see the baptism of Jesus Christ, and how the Sacrament of Baptism is truly important.

But the one thing that is more interesting upon reading this chapter, is how Jesus Christ came to John the Baptist, and asked to be baptized by him, and John tried to deter him, saying "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

It is intriguing, due to the fact that even someone such as the Son of God, came to him, and even after trying to dissuade him, he still insisted upon going through with it. Why? Jesus in the chapter replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness."

Jesus makes it so important, that it doesn't matter if by baptizing Jesus, John the Baptist might be perceived as holier than him (although John tried to dissuade him earlier) - just see it as a duty. It does not matter if the one who baptizes seems holier than the one being baptized at the moment, but what matters that it is done with respect and awe to God. Of course, John the Baptist obeys as a true servant of God. And while in the previous chapters he baptized others for Repentance, the baptism that John was asking from Jesus was more powerful - it was the one made out of Holy Spirit and Fire.

Meanwhile, once Jesus was baptized, heaven was opened. Similar that once we initiate in our Faith through baptism, heaven is opened for us, as we keep progressing with the sacraments.

 


Reflection on Matthew 3:9-17 by Cristobal Alvarez
(Listen to the Podcast here)

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