DEEPEST IDENTITY

The words of God remain forever and true. It can stand the test of time. The very words spoken by the prophet Isaiah from today's 1st reading can also be found in today's gospel. It tells us that God is consistent with His word and does not change. What He said a long time ago will always find a place throughout time and history. There is a time gap between when these 2 books of the bible were written yet their message applies for both times even to this present day. We can always hold on to the words of God and not be disappointed. God will always be true to His word and can always make things happen in accordance to His everlasting will and power. Amen. Hallelujah!

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7

1 Thus says the LORD: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; ...

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Lord’s Baptism. We recall in the 1st book of the bible in Genesis, the Spirit of creation but when Adam and Eve fell into sin the heaven was closed and they were cast out of it. In today’s gospel we read about the New Creation. John saw the heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending upon Jesus. Today is the day that we rejoice. We recall the day of our baptism, too when our sins were washed away and became sons and daughters of God. When we were baptized the Spirit descended upon us too. The Church knows no other means of salvation other than baptism which assures our entry to heaven. In the book of Acts 16:30-33, Paul and Silas were freed from jail and when the jailer was about to kill himself they stopped him. The jailer asked them, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved.” So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once. When we are baptized, we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and become members of the Lord’s Mystical Body. There are more than 30,000 Christian denominations but what unites is our common baptism. We are temples of the Holy Spirit and co-heirs of the heavenly kingdom. If there's one thing that the devil wants to take from us then it is our inheritance from God as His sons and daughters. It is our deepest identity that should direct and form us. Jesus right after his baptism in the Jordan was tempted. Satan wants to attack His identity as in Matthew 4:3, The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread." In the same way, we are also tempted by Satan not to live out this filial relationship with God. We can’t let him do that. We praise and thank God that we share with Him this relationship and must hold on to it. It is a free gift that has been given to us today. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 1:7-11

This is what John the Baptist proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals...Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. 10 On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. 11 And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”