Why was Jesus baptized even though He had no need of it? Pope Benedict XVI, in Jesus of Nazareth, offers some illuminating insights on all this. In antiquity, the image of water conjures up images of both death and life. Immersion into the waters is a symbol of death, which recalls the death symbolism of the annihilating, destructive power of the ocean flood. The ancient mind perceived the ocean as a permanent threat to the cosmos, to the earth; it was the primeval flood that might submerge all life, but the flowing waters of the river are above all a symbol of life. Baptism by immersion into the waters, represents death and new life: the descent into the waters is a form of death and burial; the rising to a new life is an icon of resurrection. Benedict XVI also notes that by descending into the Jordan to be baptized by John, Jesus inaugurated his public activity by stepping into the place of sinners. His inaugural gesture is an anticipation of the Cross. In other words, His baptism  foreshadowed His Passion and Resurrection. May we too in remembering our own baptismal birthday die to the things that do not lead to God and rise to new life with Him.