BAPTISM OF OUR LORD

 

THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD

 

Today's feast of the BAPTISM OF OUR LORD reminds us, as does the first picture there, of something that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said in a homily on this feast:  "the cross of Jesus is in the shadows as the baptism takes place,"  just as the shadow of the cross was already present at Jesus' birth in the manger in Bethlehem.   

 

So, too, for us, at our baptism and throughout our Christian lives, the cross is an ever present reminder of the journey we are to make.   As we bring our Christmas season to a close this year,  our prayer for you is that the grace and strength will be there to embrace whatever crosses are in your path during this New Year of 2014.  And may you have the courage and wisdom to know how to live out your Baptismal commitment in ever new and faith-filled ways.   Let's pray for that for each other.

 

(The Baptism of Jesus image above is of the tapestry hanging behind the baptismal pool in the new cathedral of Los Angeles.)