The Baptism of the Lord
Praise to be Jesus Christ
How was your week?
May God’s blessings be with all of you.
Today is the Baptism of the Lord. We celebrate the baptism of Jesus Christ. Last Sunday was the Epiphany of the Lord and celebrated the official revelation of Jesus Christ our savior to the world. The baptism is also another epiphany. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came down and the voice from the sky said: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well please.” (Mark 1;11) We are reminded that Jesus is the Son of God.
Last Monday and Tuesday, I had visited Fairbanks Korean Catholic Community. It was about 363 miles one-way, and took 6 hours and 14 minutes to drive up. Typically during winter it may take 7 hours if you take a few breaks on the road. Many parishioners recommended that we fly instead of driving and even suggested that we postpone our trip to spring since it is very cold in winter. It was indeed cold and temperature was around negative 13 degrees Fahrenheit.
As we drove, I also thought about the three wise men (Magi’s). As they followed the star, what were they thinking? The wise men are typically known as the Babylon and Persian astrologers’ descendants. The estimated distance they travelled would be about 750 miles or 1200 km from Babylon and 2000 miles or 3200 km from Persia. They travelled a long way using only camel and had strong belief. They had to overcome physical difficulties, and dangers from robbers and so forth. Nevertheless, they only focused on the star that led them to the King of Jews. At the end of the their journey, they must have experienced extreme fulfillment and elation. As they worshiped the Lord in excitement, they presented their offerings.
Just as the wise men did, we also visited the Fairbanks Korean Catholic Community. They greeted us with elation and we shared the joy of meeting them. They even expressed that there are many Korean spouses in the military bases but it is difficult to congregate without a mass. After confession, we celebrated the mass. We also shared food afterwards. They had prepared so much food.
Today is the baptism of the Lord. We were also baptized and became God’s children. Our baptism is another epiphany. God is revealed through our actions and lives. We need keep our conviction strong. A life of faith is not easy; we need to overcome our laziness and discomfort. As we overcome small obstacles in our lives, we will also be satisfied and joyful.
We begin the Ordinary Time starting tomorrow. We celebrate Jesus’ official life and teachings. We also need to strive to overcome our idleness through faith and celebrate Ordinary Time with joy.
Let us meditate.