There are a lot of Catholics who believe that
the Christmas season ends with the feast of the Epiphany, the visit of the Magi
to the baby Jesus that we celebrated last weekend. But, no, today is the official end of our Christmas
season as we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord. We still have our beautiful Christmas
decorations up, but they will be taken down after today as we enter into
Ordinary Time tomorrow.
The people of Israel are very eagerly
anticipating the arrival of their savior: the one who would bring them
redemption, the one who would bring back honor and glory to their nation. They wonder: John, could you be the
Messiah? Are you the one for whom we are
waiting? John humbly tells the crowds: No. It is not I. And then Jesus comes onto the scene. His earthly ministry starts with his baptism
in the water of the River Jordan.
Jesus is the Son of God, so he had no need to
be baptized. But through his baptism, his body and his
divinity bless the water, giving the water the power to give us baptism. Jesus also receives a blessing from his Father
in the waters of baptism as the voice from heaven proclaims: “You are my
beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” God speaks those words to us not only at our
baptism, but also on our journey through life. He tells us along our journey: “You are my
beloved child; with you I am well pleased; with you I take delight.” Jesus’ earthly ministry begins with his
baptism. At the end of Jesus’ life here
on earth as told in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus meets the disciples before he
ascends into heaven and he gives them the Great Commission: Go and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. Pope Francis declares that our baptism in
Christ gives us hope and new life, that it empowers us to bring Christ’s love
to our world, particularly to the poor and to the marginalized. Through the waters of baptism, we are called
to be disciples of Christ and to be evangelizers who bring his Good News to the
world. In the waters of baptism we die to death and
sin, and then rise up to new life in Christ out of those waters. That is a radical message. And, indeed, baptism is to have a radical
affect on our lives.
In the common baptism that we all share, we
are brothers and sisters in Christ. This
commonality unites us together in our Catholic faith. No doubt about it, the Gospel message can be
very challenging and difficult to swallow sometimes if we take it at its word. And it is often just as difficult and
challenging to try to live out the meaning of Christ’s Gospel in our lives. But that is the way it is meant to be,
according to Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador, who was martyred for the
faith in the midst of a civil war by his country’s own military forces back in
1980. He states: “A church that doesn't
provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn't unsettle, a word of God that doesn't
get under anyone's skin, a word of God that doesn't touch the real sin of the
society in which it is being proclaimed -- what gospel is that?” But, in the midst of trying to discern the
true message of the Gospel, in the midst of being Church, and in the spirit of
Pope Francis, we need to remember this: we are always brothers and sisters in
Christ. We are to reach out and help
each other on our journey. Think of Peter and Paul, the two great
leaders of the Early Church of the Apostles.
Man, did they argue. They clashed
as to personality and style of ministry.
They felt called to different ministries and they had different visions
for the Church. Peter and Paul disagreed in a lot of areas. But they were always brothers in Christ. They did not see each other as enemies or
adversaries. That is not how Christ
binds us together as his Body here on earth. We might think about this in the way we treat our fellow disciples in Christ. Do we view them as our brothers and sisters? Or do we see them as our adversaries and enemies if they live out their faith in a different way than we do or if they see God in a reality that is different than ours?
The
baptism we receive in Christ is not just a ritual that lasts a few moments. In actuality, baptism immerses us daily into
the mission and ministry of Christ. It
requires a lifelong commitment from us. As brothers and sisters in Christ, as we
celebrate the Baptism of our Lord today, let us ask Jesus to renew the grace of
our own baptism within us. God the Father blessed his Son in the waters
of baptism. Let us feel God’s blessing upon us
today.
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