Water, Blood and Spirit

WORD 2day: Saturday before Epiphany 

January 6, 2024 - 1 John 5: 5-13; Mark 1: 6-11

The Liturgy today prepares us towards two beautiful events we are moving towards...the epiphany and specially, the Baptism of the Lord. The reflection begins with the sanctifying elements of Baptism. First, the waters of baptism that cleanse, as Jesus cleanses the person with leprosy in the Gospel. Secondly, the Blood of Jesus shed on the Cross once and for all, which saves us from eternal damnation and promises us eternal life. Thirdly, the Spirit of the Lord that is given to us, poured into our hearts as a seal of God's love for us, that which makes us children of God! 

We have these three veins of faith that connect us to the Father through Jesus - the waters of baptism that gives us new life in Christ, the Blood of Christ that bring eternal life in Christ and the Spirit who makes it possible for us to receive these gifts from the Lord - these are the guarantees of our relationship with Christ. 

Water stands for purity, blood stands for vitality and the Spirit stands for our relatedness in the Father through the Son. Water makes us children of God, Blood makes us witnesses of Christ and the Spirit makes us heirs to the Father.

The manifestation of Jesus at Epiphany, gets completed in the event of baptism we shall be celebrating the following day, reminding us of the baptism that we share in! We have the Son, always for us and with us, and so we have the eternal life that God promises in and through the Son. The Lord has made us His own, at baptism, in the cleansing water, in the saving blood and in the sanctifying Spirit and we joyfully belong to the Lord! Let us prepare ourselves joyfully towards these great celebrations of our faith.