Good Morning. Today’s feast of the Baptism of the
Lord is a glorious transition from the Christmas Season to Ordinary time. Last week we celebrated the Epiphany where
the magi from the east sought out the newborn king guided by a star. They found the king bringing him gifts of
gold, frankincense and myrrh and were overjoyed at his finding. These kings
were Gentiles, a sign indicating that Jesus came for everyone, not just the
Jews. This week we have another epiphany
in the gift that God gives us to be adopted sons and daughters ushered in
through the Baptism of the Lord.
In today’s Gospel Jesus in baptized in the Jordon
River by John. Why would Jesus need to
be baptized? He was without sin so what
would be the purpose of his baptism?
John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. The Jews who came to John were sinners called
to reform their lives. The people
thought John was the Christ, and were drawn to prepare for the Messiah’s coming. John admitted he was not the Christ, saying
he was “not even worthy to loosen the thongs his sandals” which was a task only
the lowliest of servants would do.
Jesus was the Messiah, but he came as a humble servant. He did not need to be baptized, but he
chose to in order to be in solidarity with the people who were struggling with
their own sinful nature. Jesus also
allowed John to be baptized him in order to sanctify the water to be a life-giving
source to baptize all the people who chose to follow him.
Jesus’ baptism by John was the beginning of his
public ministry. This was a major spiritual
event ushering in the mission that
Jesus came to fulfill. After Jesus’
baptism the heavens are opened and the Holy Spirit visibly descends upon him like
a dove. The Father’s voice is heard from
heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Here the Father
expresses his pleasure for Jesus fulfilling his purpose to be in solidarity
with the people. The Holy Spirit came down at that moment as a sort of
authorization to send Jesus on the mission he was called to.
These scene echoes what we heard from the prophet
from Isaiah: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am
well pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit.
Jesus came to be a light to the nations, opening the eyes of the blind and
freeing the prisoners from the bondage of sin.
He came to free them from sin, by showing them how to live as a humble
servant and taking on their sin in his sacrifice on the cross.
This baptism in the Jordon River by John was the
beginning of Jesus’ ministry and was a sign of a different kind of baptism he
would undergo. Jesus would live among the
people for the next three years teaching them to love God and neighbor,
performing miracles, and healings those who were ill. John spoke of a baptism that
Jesus would perform with the Holy Spirit and fire. This was a prelude to the baptism through the
fire of his love by his death on the cross.
This would be the death to sin by Jesus’ solidarity with us by taking on
our sins in offering to the Father, and restoring our hope to eternal life
through His resurrection.
What does Jesus’ baptism mean to us? It provides the doorway for us to become
God’s children through the sacrament of baptism. In our own baptism we go down
in the waters of death that drowns our sins. Our Baptismal font is a perfect
symbol of this. During the Easter vigil
our catechumens walk down the steps into the water. This symbolizes dying to sin. The priest then pours the water over the
catechumen’s head saying: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit”. They then climb up the steps out of the water
and are raised to new life in Christ as adopted sons and daughters of the
Father receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus accompanies us as we rise out of the
waters and become God’s beloved of whom He is well pleased. We become co-heirs
to the hope of eternal life through Jesus sacrifice in solidarity with us. What a wonderful gift to rejoice in!
Each time we come to participate in the Eucharist we
are strengthened through the same gifts we received at our baptism. The priest invokes the Holy Spirit over the
gifts of bread and wine. We hear Jesus
words in the offering his body and blood for us in the baptism of his
death. We join together with him in
praying the Our Father as brothers and sisters in Christ. Finally we receive his living Eucharistic presence
in communion to nourish us on our journey to eternal life. The living waters we received at baptism
become a river of strength each time we receive the Eucharist.
This Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is a joyous occasion
to bring bridge from the Christmas Season into Ordinary time. It’s a reminder for us to appreciate God’s
mercy through Christ’s sacrifice in solidarity with us to provide hope for
eternal life. Let us now renew our own Baptism
and respond with joy as his beloved adopted sons and daughters to become
instruments of God’s mercy during this special Jubilee year of Mercy. God bless
you.
