Baptism of the Lord!
Baptism of the Lord!
Do you remember your baptism? I don’t. But we all have witnessed the baptism of someone. Once, I was baptizing a baby. When I poured the water on his head in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, he turned his head and looked at me with a question on his face: “Where is this coming from?” A baby was ready to jump in the baptismal font at another baptism. He looked content and happy. What did you do at your baptism? No matter what we did that moment, our parents and Godparents professed faith for us, and our sins were washed away.
On the day of our baptism, as in St. Pope John Paul II’s writings, "We were anointed with the oil of catechumens, the sign of Christ's gentle strength, to fight against evil. Blessed water was poured over us, an effective sign of interior purification through the gift of the Holy Spirit. We were then anointed with chrism to show that we were thus consecrated in the image of Jesus, the Father's Anointed One. The candle lighted from the paschal candle was a symbol of the light of faith which our parents and godparents must have continually safeguarded and nourished with the life-giving grace of the Spirit."
Last Sunday, we celebrated Epiphany – revelation – of the Lord. This Sunday, we celebrate the Baptism - revelation – of the Lord. At the Baptism of the Lord, Jesus Christ, the second person of God, stood at the Jordan River. We hear the voice of the Father from heaven and the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove. The baptism of Jesus is also an epiphany because it reveals Jesus' divine nature and that God is literally present in the person of Jesus.
We are familiar with the story of Exodus from the Old Testament, which is a journey from slavery to the Promised Land. In that journey, the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. It was in the beginning part of the Exodus story. At the end of the Exodus story, they crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land. John prepared a new exodus in the desert and invited people to receive the baptism of repentance in the Jordan River. The Book of Malachi 3:1 says, “Now I am sending my messenger- he will prepare the way before me.” Jews believed that Elijah would come to prepare the way of the Lord (3:23). John invited them for the baptism. Washing or a purification ceremony was ordinary for Jewish people. It is called Mikveh, and it is the pool they went to for the washing ceremony. In the Gospel of Luke (3:15-16;21-22), people were in great expectation. John clarified that he was not Messiah and also clarified that his baptism was only with water, but Jesus would be baptized with the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit. John was giving the baptism of repentance at the Jordan River to prepare the way for the Lord.
Even though Jesus is sinless and has no need for repentance, Jesus chooses to be baptized to identify himself with his people, sinners, as part of the Father’s plan to save them. Jesus' baptism was the inauguration of the reconciliation of God with humanity. St. Gregory of Nazianzus says, “Perhaps he comes to sanctify his baptizer; certainly he comes to bury sinful humanity in the waters… Jesus rises from the waters; the world rises with him.” John baptized Jesus at the Jordan, it was an acceptance of the baptism on the Cross. He poured out the blood and water from his side to set us free. John said, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Luke often points out that Jesus prayed in preparation for the important decisions or events of his mission. Today’s Gospel, while he was praying, heaven opened and confirmed his divinity and revealed the three persons of the Trinity. “This is my beloved Son,” the Father’s announcement echoes several Old Testament passages. In the first reading from the book of Isaiah 42:1, 6&7, we see prophesy that the coming of God’s pleasing servant, who will rescue Israel and be the nation's light. Jesus fulfills this role as a suffering servant and light of the world (John 8:12). Psalm 2:17 portrays King David as the anointed son of God. Jesus is here from the house of David, anointed by the Spirit and Father, revealing Jesus' identity, “This is my beloved Son.”
The Baptism of the Lord was the inauguration of the new Exodus. Then began his ministry of the miracle at Cana, opening the eyes of the blind, healing the sick, bringing out prisoners from confinement, feeding the five thousand, instituting the Eucharist to remain with us forever, and offering on the cross, pouring out blood to give us new baptism, to wash away our sins. Through his passion, death, and resurrection, he gave us the Sacraments to prepare us to go out and bring the same ministry he did.
Every time when we enter the Church, we dip the fingers of our right hands into the holy water font and bless ourselves. This blessing is supposed to remind us of our baptism. And so when we bless ourselves with holy water, we should be thinking of the fact that we are a child of God, that the Cross of Christ has redeemed us, that we have been made a member of God’s family, and that we have been washed, forgiven, cleansed and purified by the blood of the Lamb. We have been sent out to bring the Good News by sharing the gift we received and making Jesus' name known and loved.