From The Bishop

This Sunday we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord. In the Gospel of St. Luke we read that as Jesus was being baptized in the Jordan by John, the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him as the Father’s voice could be heard saying, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” We believe that in the Sacrament of Baptism we become sons and daughters of God and receive “the Holy Spirit and fire.” As the Second Reading from Titus reminds us, we have been saved through Baptism: “But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” Baptism is a sacrament of God’s mercy. What we have received we extend to others. The First Reading from Isaiah states, “Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.”  During this New Year let us draw on the grace of our baptism and bring comfort to God’s people through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.