This weekend the Christmas season concludes with the Baptism of the Lord. By way of His Baptism in the Jordan river by John, Jesus paves the Way to eternal life. We who search for the ”Cool, Clear Water” do not have to search very far. After all, as the letter of St. Paul to Titus describes, “…..he saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:5-6)
It is through the sacraments that our souls are quenched and refreshed. In baptism, we become God’s adopted sons and daughters and are wiped clean of original sin. He promises us the Sprit as we are anointed with chrism oil at confirmation.
God continues to shower upon us his mercy in the sacrament of reconciliation and reveals himself to us most transparently in the Eucharist.
Through the sacraments of marriage and Holy Orders, men and women are called to service and recognize that the truest joy comes from loving deeds and acts of kindness we show towards others. The sacrament of the anointing of the sick gives us comfort and grace from our mental and physical infirmities.
It is when we wander away from the “crystal spring lake” that we fill our souls with “sand”. In our noisy, stimulating world, it is easy to drift away from the sacraments rather than let the power of these sacraments transform us.
How fitting it is that this feast of the Baptism of the Lord becomes the bridge between the Christmas season and the season of Ordinary Time. In the Christmas season, Jesus is made manifest to us. The refulgence of his glory is made known to us. We long for Him as we do for the “cool, clear water”.
As we walk on the bridge, we walk with Jesus. Like Jesus, we recognize that by drinking from the cup of cool water, we are also accepting whatever struggles, challenges and opportunities await us, in the ordinary events of our daily lives. These are the same struggles, challenges, and opportunities that Jesus faced as he began his public ministry and triumph of the cross. These events prepare us for eternal life with Jesus, as we are continually renewed when we drink of the “cool, clear, water”.