On a cold, snowy night a few days before Christmas, a 19-year-old boy closes the sandwich shop where he is an assistant manager. Gathering up bags of leftover bread rolls, he and a couple of friends deliver them to a soup kitchen on Chicago's South Side. No one asked him to do this; he simply felt it was right. Later that evening, he wakes his dad to tell him what he had been up to. "That's my boy," whispers the dad, more proud than he had ever been.

Try to imagine the powerful scene in the River Jordan. John, who had been preaching of the coming of the Savior, was now face to face with Jesus. With the knowledge of the mission of Christ, John could scarcely look at him, let alone serve as the one who would baptize him with the waters of salvation and new life. With a calming voice, Jesus said to John, "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Most powerful in this statement is the word "us."

In our Baptism, we are sealed with eternal life. Within our baptismal promises, we not only die to sin but also promise to remain faithful to God our entire lives, which includes professing our faith to any and all other persons with whom we come in contact (CCC 1270). This could be as simple as a hand held during prayer, or a bag of bread delivered to a shelter. It is up to us.

Just as Jesus appeared in the crowd of sinners waiting for the saving waters, he is with us today. In this seemingly simple act, he accepted his fate of death on the cross in exchange for the remission of our sins. As you bless yourselves today with holy water, linger a bit on the feel of the water and remember the beloved Son, in whom God is well pleased.

After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and

was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in

bodily form like a dove. - Luke 3:21-22