Good Morning from SD, CA

Today the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord by John in the Jordan River.  It's been a concept that so many people don't fully appreciate because Jesus was not born with original sin.  Since his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin by a singular grace, and Jesus was conceived by the power of God's Holy Spirit, there was no sin to be passed along.  It makes perfect sense to me since Adam and Eve didn't have original sin either - their offspring did but only AFTER they disobeyed God.

Jesus' baptism by John was one of making John's baptizing others different.  Some may think that people who were baptized prior to Jesus had plain water.  However, the Jordan was the place where Elijah passed on the mantle to Elisha (his authority).  I even think of the story of Namaan the leper who was told by Elisha to plunge 7 times into the Jordan to cure his leprosy.  While he might not have believed Elisha at first, he did it anyway and his skin became like that of a child again.  The leprosy was gone.  So baptizing in the Jordan River is no accident for John the Baptist.  They were the same waters that cleansed many throughout history.  Do you think if you knew that history of Namaan you would have wanted to be baptized in those waters?  Well, the educated at the time would have known about Elisha's prophecy for Namaan.  It's the one thing that would have made sense for people to hear about and enhance their faith.

Another thing that should strike us in the readings today is the words spoken from the heavens.  "Here is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased."  It's practically the carbon copy of what is prophesied by Isaiah "Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am well pleased."  Again, scholars of the day would have recognized the correlation and connection when the statement is made in the gospel.  It still makes me wonder, though, just how it was that even after hearing such a voice and statement about Jesus the people turned on him in the end.

I still have another week before class begins.  I may have a flat tire unfortunately.  Around here it wouldn't surprise me.  There is more debris on the pavement than one might expect, even on the highways.  Must have picked up something.  It's bad because I just got new tires a couple of months ago.  Grrrrrrr.