1/13 - The Baptism of the Lord

Dear Parish Family,

Today’s Feast marks the conclusion of the Christmas Season and the beginning of Ordinary Time.  It’s a feast of transition from Jesus’ hidden life to that of His public ministry.  It also echoes the theme of the ‘Epiphany’ in that the Baptism of the Lord is another ‘manifestation’ announcing Jesus’ divinity to all of His first followers and to the disciples of John the Baptist.

First of all, it needs to be pointed out that Jesus did not need the baptism of John.  John was baptizing as a call to and sign of interior repentance.  Jesus had no need to repent.  But, nonetheless, He comes to John.  John resists at first but Jesus insists.  Why did He receive baptism?
First, by accepting the baptism of John, Jesus affirms all that John has said and done and affirms his sacred role of preparing the way for Jesus and for a new era of grace.  Therefore, the Baptism of Jesus acts as a bridge between the Old Testament prophets (of which John was the last) and the New Testament era of grace and truth. 

Second, it has been said that when Jesus entered the waters of baptism, He was not baptized by the waters, rather, His Baptism was one in which all the created waters of this world were, in a sense, “baptized” by Him.  By entering into the waters, Jesus sanctified water and poured forth His grace making all water the future source of salvation. 

Third, the Baptism of Jesus was an epiphany.  It was a moment of manifestation.  As He emerged from the waters, “Heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove.  And a voice came from Heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”  This manifestation of the son-ship and divinity of Jesus took place in a physical, audible and visible form so that all present would know, without question that Jesus was the Son of the Father.  Thus, His baptism is a way in which the Father introduced His Son and His Son’s mission to the world. It was a Jewish traditional belief that when the Messiah would appear there would be a Theophany – a manifestation of God similar to the event of giving the Commandments at Mount Sinai.

Today is an opportunity for all of us to reflect on our own baptism. It is not something which happened a long time and which “made” us Catholics. It is not just a ceremony lasting a few minutes which produces magical effects; it is the beginning of a lifelong journey. It is the beginning of a process of growing into the Body of Christ as its members. Each one of us is called to be a living witness to the Gospel: to be the salt of the earth, a city on a hill, a lamp radiating light for all. Our baptism is a never-ending call to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. So let us today renew our faith in and our commitment to follow Jesus. Let us re-affirm our readiness to carry on his work. For it is a sobering fact that without our co-operation, much of God’s work will never get done.
 

Fr. Tom Kunnel. C.O.