I think we all follow something or someone..
Dorothy followed the yellow brick road. The magi followed the star. Wall street junkies follow the stock market. Some people follow blogs…the list goes on and on.
As Christians we are called to follow Christ Jesus. It is a road that is hard and rocky. To truly follow His ways and not the ways of man means ridicule, discrimination, and even today, death.
Today at mass, the gospel reading spoke of Jesus’ Baptism. One may ask why Jesus, our Savior, needed to be Baptized. The answer is He did not. In order to fulfill the Will of God, Jesus did seek John for Baptism. It was during this Baptism that the waters of the Jordan became sanctified and became the first “holy water”. How could John Baptize our Lord without first being Baptized himself? John was sanctified by Jesus when Mary visited Elizabeth. John leapt in the womb when receiving his sanctifying grace.
Jesus’ Baptism was the beginning of His ministry. His mission was to love and to show us how to love. He asked that we give up our worldly influences and give ourselves to Him for our salvation. He asked that we follow Him.
The reason to follow Him….because He loved us first. He loved us so much that He gave all of Himself for our salvation. With one drop of blood, Jesus’ mission for our salvation was complete. Why did He give Himself up to torture and humiliation and total loss of blood then? The answer is simple: He gave all of His blood because He had it to give. He loved us that much.
Message given to Nancy Fowler in Conyers, Georgia, January 13, 1992:
Mary: “Tell my children, they have been marked with the sign of the cross. The cross is on your forehead. (Father Jorge later added that we are marked at Baptism) Nancy asked if the cross was of white light. “Yes, it is a cross of white light. You name your children and we name ours.”
“Dear children of America, be children of light. Walk away from sin. Please children, many of you are in danger of losing Heaven forever. There is no greater suffering than the loss of God. Prepare yourselves for eternal happiness. Come follow my Son’s light. Banish all darkness from your souls. Keep the laws of God. You cannot love God without keeping His commandments. I bless you. I am praying for you to come to the light. As my Son went to the water for His Baptism, I ask you to return to the light of your Baptism.”
I am today making a commitment to follow Him.
He loves me.
C’est Bon
Love,
Sherry