Today is a marvelous feast commemorating the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan and the manifestation of the Holy Trinity! Mark 1: 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; 11 and a voice came from heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.” The following are intercessions from today's Morning Prayer. How appropriate it is to pray them after I baptized little Anthony Cimmilucca yesterday afternoon! Please pray for him and his family! Christ, you made your light shine on us by revealing yourself, – grant us the spirit of humble service to all people. Lord, have mercy. Christ, you humbled yourself and received baptism from your servant to show us the way of humility, – grant us the spirit of humble service to our fellow men. Lord, have mercy. Christ, through your baptism you cleansed us of every blemish and made us children of your Father, – bestow your spirit of adoption on all who seek you. Lord, have mercy. Christ, through baptism you have consecrated creation and opened the door of repentance to all who prepare for baptism, – make us servants of your Gospel in the world. Lord, have mercy. Christ, through your baptism you revealed to us the Holy Trinity when the Father called you his beloved Son and the Holy Spirit came down upon you, – renew the spirit of adoption among the royal priesthood of the baptized. Lord, have mercy.
I remember that in 2005 (when I was just 11 years old) and John Paul II was in the last hours of his life, I was surprised to hear on the news that John Paul II had received Extreme Unction. At the time, I found it strange that he would receive the sacrament from someone "hierarchically inferior to him". Today, I can see how much this reflects the humility that Christ had when he was baptized by someone smaller than him but who was nevertheless the greatest of men born of women.
