Mystery of Baptism
Dear Children of God! how are you? How was holiday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s Resurrection? Hope you have celebrated it with joy, love and peace with your family, relatives, beloved ones, neighbors and friends also according to the liturgy attending Church.
Children, the feast of our Lord is feast of all of us because He gave us new heavenly life with His resurrection as we have seen last time. That is why it is very vital (important) to learn the “Mystery of Incarnation” beginning childhood within church education.
We are now in the season of “Beale Hamesa” which is the time from Resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ up to the “Feast of Pentecost (The Descending of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles). Thus, we pray and attend churches on Sabbath but do not fast, prostrate (bow) or perform the liturgy of Penance (the process of cleansing from sin /bad doings/) We celebrate throughout the season with joy because it is the resemblance of heavenly and saintly life we are to be bestowed after our rising from the dead at judgment day.
This eternity (everlasting heavenly life) did not come within a period of a day but a life time of hard work and diligence (living by being strong, tolerant and righteous/good person/). But the foremost thing we have to do is to have faith, be baptized and Christian life up to the end of our earthly living. Then, God will bestow (give) us a heavenly life.
So children, it is very important to have faith in our Lord and religion. Then, as we have stated in our topic, it is very important to be baptized. Lord Jesus have said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)
The main reason our Holy Church teaches about “Mystery of Baptism,” “The Sacrament”, “The Secret of Baptism” is for her children to be cleansed from any harm, evil deed and sinful act. Baptism is “the Holy Sacrament (liturgy/Service) through which we are born again by being immersed in water three times in the name of the Holy Trinity: The Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit. The application of holy water to a person, as a sacrament or religious ceremony, by which he is initiated into the visible church of Christ. This is usually performed by sprinkling or immersion. It is a cleansing or washing of the soul from sin.” (King James Dictionary)
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was baptized by the hands of Saint John the Baptist. “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
Then He consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.” (Matthew 3:12-16)
Believers are baptized following the model of Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the river Jordan on wards our infant baptism at our three-month age at our Holy Church. That is once in a life time baptism. But, the baptism we are to be baptized in accordance to the teaching of Saint John the Baptist for our repentance (cleansing from sin) and alike our Lord, takes place through our life time every year on Tir 11 (Ethiopian Calendar).
Dear Children of God! it is therefore so essential to learn and know about the “Mystery of Baptism” and be baptized according to the service, whilst our growth within the spiritual life. So, we shall follow the path of Lord Jesus and have faith in being baptized.
Farewell children, we have finished our lesson for today. Hope to meet you next time.
May God be with you, Amen!