Reflecting on our Baptism

Reflections on the Readings

January 10, 2015 - Year C

The Epiphany of the Lord

Dennis S. Hankins

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Reflecting on our Baptism

                     From the alternate 2nd Reading Titus 2

Beloved: When the kindness and generous love of God appeared, …but because of his mercy he saved us through

 the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

A good and probing question to contemplate is "Am I living up to my baptism?"

Upon entering a catholic church we dip our finger into the holy water font and make the sign of the cross,  renewing ourselves in the kindness and generous love of God, recalling the bath of our rebirth! The words of Jesus to Nicodemus come to mind here: Unless one is born anew of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of of heaven ( John 3) So we enter and exit the Church with a celebratory reflection on the kindness and generous love and mercy of God. Truly we are a new creation through the bath of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus humbled himself—He who knew no sin, submitting himself to John's baptism showing us the way to Him is truly through the bath of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit.

Then let us daily celebrate and live up to and in the grace of our baptism by which we encountered the kindness and generous mercy and love of God.  Amen!  

                       

      

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.  Prior to uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. E-mail Dennis at: dennishankins@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter: @dshankins or visit him at: www.dennishankins.com