Baptism of the Lord
This weekends feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of the Churches Ordinary Time. The first reading today foretells the coming of a messiah who will bring forth justice for the nations, firmly leading them from darkness to light: We are told that” He does not break the crushed reed, nor quench the wavering flame, until He establishes justice on the earth.” As Jesus began his mission, He must have been aware of this prophecy of Isaiah. He must, have been excited and a little fearful at beginning His great mission. Has journeyed to the banks of the Jordan, where a crowd surrounds a man in strange attire his cousin John the Baptist. In the Gospel we hear that Jesus beholds His own cousin with whom He had played as a child. They meet in a solemn moment as all see John stare, then greet Jesus warmly. And Jesus asks John for baptism! John protests that’s for sinners!”, and Jesus, seeking full solidarity with humanity, urges John, “Give in for now.” And John does! As the water is poured over Him, the Spirit descends from the sky.
From the sky come the same words Isaiah had proclaimed hundreds of years before are heard again: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him!” And Jesus, rising up from the waters, assumes the role of Prophet of justice, truth, and love. He begins to gather other men and women who can share His mission. Just as Jesus entered the Jordan to be baptized, so he enters our scene of darkness and confinement in our lives today. He is the one promised to us in the prophet Isaiah, the one who will “bring out prisoners from their prisons.” He comes to those hidden places that keep us locked up. He goes to the imprisoned areas of our lives and our restricted ways of behaving which we sometimes excuse by saying, “That’s just the way I am.” Rather than be on the side-lines, Jesus comes down into the dark places where we are. He helps us face the shadows and hidden places and leads us out just as God promised he would do for us through the prophet Isaiah. Jesus’ baptism reminds us today that, through our own baptism, we are united to him. Most of us rarely, if ever, think about our baptism. Through our baptism we died with Christ and thus have been reborn into a whole new life ( Romans 6). We, the baptized, are incorporated into the body of Christ.
We are called and enabled to imitate Jesus, whom Paul says, “went about doing good.” We don’t need a detailed rule book in order to know how we should act in each situation of our lives, for in baptism, we have the companionship of the Spirit of Jesus who is our wisdom, impulse and help to do good. Our role as baptized Christians has some of the characteristics of St. John the Baptist in that we also called by what we say and do to prepare the way for Christ, not only in our own lives, but in the lives of others. We do this by the example we give of how we live our own lives of faith. The church rejoices at the baptism of a person into the church as well as into their own unique relationship with Jesus, as they are sealed and marked as Christ’s own forever. Take a moment and reflect on where your own baptismal journey has brought you. How has Jesus led you to use your talents and gifts for righteous actions? What has been joyful for you on this journey? Then look around at our sisters and brothers in faith, and give thanks that together we can celebrate our life in Christ as we look forward to further adventures in the life of faith in 2023.
Fullerton T 