It is important that we realize the significance of today’s feast. We end the season of Christmas with the Lord’s baptism by John, an act which marks the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. With his baptism he officially begins the work he was sent by the Father to accomplish.
I would like to take this occasion to thank you all for your generosity in our Christmas collection. The sacrifices that were so evident in your contributions are appreciated by me, as your pastor, and are certainly not unnoticed by God. This is one of the most important collections of the year, and so I want you to be sure that your generosity is not only appreciated but very necessary for the upkeep of our parish.
Scripture tells us practically nothing about the first years and the boyhood of the Child Jesus. All we know are the facts of their sojourn in Egypt, their return to Nazareth, and the incidents that occurred when the twelve-year-old boy accompanied his parents to Jerusalem.