January 6, Friday of the Christmas Week
Daily readings: 11st John 5: 5-13; Mark 1: 7-11
I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. (Mark 1:8)
John the Baptist fulfills the role of the one who is the forerunner to “the Messiah, the Son of God," “the Lord,” and the one who “will baptize with the Holy Spirit.". He refers to two kinds of baptisms as described in today’s Gospel namely ‘Baptism with water’ and ‘Baptism with Holy Spirit’. Baptism with water refers to the immersion conducted by John at River Jordan as the external expression of the internal conversion he was demanding from people in preparation for the coming of Jesus. Baptism with Holy Spirit refers to the sacrament of baptism administered in the Church in which Jesus Himself is the baptizer.
Just as heaven announces Jesus as the beloved Son at the time of Jesus’ baptism we become sons and daughters of God through the sacrament of baptism. A Christian is ‘reborn’ in Spirit, ‘initiated’ in Christian Faith, ‘consecrated’ for Christ, and ‘empowered’ to realize God as Father through the sacrament of Baptism.
Every baptized person is given a status, which challenges them to grow in faith and grace as a child of God. Amen.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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