Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 / Acts 10:34-38 / Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
There are certain things that can be said about our country.
We are called a “green city”, so yes, green and also quite clean.
We may be just a small little dot in the world map, but the cost of living can be quite high.
Whatever it might be, we have many things to be thankful for.
One of which is the weather; we only have hot days or rainy days.
The hot days are not that scorching, and the rainy days are not that freezing.
Over the last couple of days, we have seen quite a lot of rain and quite a lot of water too.
But in another country, there are raging fires that have caused much damage, and required mandatory evacuation.
When we think about water and fire, they are good servants but bad masters.
And in the religious sense, water and fire are also symbols of spiritual realities.
In the gospel, John the Baptist also talks about water and fire. He said that he baptizes with water, but someone is coming after him, someone who is more powerful than he is.
And that someone will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
The gospel gives an account of the baptism of Jesus.
After His baptism, Jesus was at prayer, and the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily shape, like a dove.
And then there came a voice from Heaven that declared: You are my Son, the Beloved, my favour rest on you.
With His baptism, Jesus began His work of salvation by immersing Himself into the broken and fractured human situation.
By His baptism, water became a symbol and a means of spiritual cleansing and healing.
Jesus came to save and to heal. He does not break the crushed reed nor quench the wavering flame, as the 1st reading puts it.
The baptism of Jesus also reminds us of our own baptism.
Yes, at our baptism, we have been washed and cleansed of sin, and we also received a lighted candle as a symbol of the Light of Christ.
But as we step out into the world, we face brokenness from disappointments, and fractured relationships with others.
The fire of God's love that we received at baptism begins to quiver and waiver.
And we get tempted and distracted, and we fall into sin and into the trap of the devil.
But as the 2nd reading tells us, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who fell into the trap of the devil.
Jesus did not break the crush reed nor quench the wavering flame.
Jesus came to save and to heal those who are crushed in life and wavering in gloom.
Today, we renew our baptism and our commitment to Jesus.
And today, God tells us that we are His beloved children, and that He wants to bless us abundantly.
We need God's blessings of love to be witnesses of the Good News of salvation.
God has given the Church Holy Water as a reminder of our baptism, that we are His beloved children, and as a sign of His blessings and love.
Let us give thanks for this gift of Holy Water, and use it on ourselves and our loved ones, and also on those who need to experience the saving love of God.
Jesus will heal our crushed spirits so that our hearts will burn brightly with the fire of His love.
And may our lives as God's beloved children radiate with hope, so that others will be drawn to the saving waters of baptism.