FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD
(Isaiah 40: 1-5.9-11; Titus 2: 11-14.3:
4-7; Luke 3: 15-16.21-22)
The other day a named boy Alexander was
baptized. He is almost a year old. Perhaps due to his medical condition, he was
not baptized as a newborn. But since he was going into the hospital for
surgery, his parents asked for an emergency baptism. Because Alexander was
hooked up to oxygen, it took place in his own home. The priest poured the water
on his forehead saying: “I baptize you…” Alexander has joined Jesus in today’s
gospel.
We celebrate the Baptism of the Lord around
Christmas because the two holidays have similar significance. They show how the
Son of God has come into the world to save humans. More precisely, he came to
save us from our sins. It was not
necessary for him to undergo John’s baptism of repentance because he never
sinned. However, he submitted to it to show solidarity with humanity. As everyone else, Jesus suffered the bitter
fruits of sin: war, disease, and famine with resultant death.
Since the beginning of the Church, Baptism
has been more than a sign of one’s repentance.
It is also joining ourselves to Christ in his death and
resurrection. The guilt of our sins is
overcome as we participate in Christ victory. Baptism is also entrance into the
Church, the Body of Christ. Today’s second reading teaches that Jesus Christ
was born "to save all." As members of the Body of Christ, this
mission becomes ours. We are "to save all." How can we carry out this
mission?
Pope Francis has convoked a synod to answer
this question. He calls the entire Church to a two-year encounter process. We
will listen to one another, shape together an evangelization plan, and prepare
ourselves to put it into practice. The pope wants the laity to participate in
the process as much as the bishops and priests. Of course, he doesn't want to
leave the nuns and deacons out of the conversation. He also will not allow
homosexuals and minorities to be omitted. Behind this inclusion of all
Catholics is his appreciation for Baptism. It is one of the two basic sacraments
because it propels us forward with the grace of the Holy Spirit.
The gospel specifies that the Spirit
descends on Jesus as he prays. Prayer is necessary because it facilitates
empowerment by grace. Strategies, new apps and gadgets are not enough to carry
out the mission of universal salvation. If we are “to save all," we have
to pray reflectively and persistently. The pope himself is said to worship
before the Blessed Sacrament at 9 p.m. every night. We should imitate him as
much as we can.
Once a bishop said that he was going to
have the date of his Baptism written on his tombstone. It was more important to
him than the day of his ordination or even the day of his birth. Why? He
explained that it was the day he was adopted as a son of God. As a child of
God, he became a brother of Jesus Christ and a member of his Church. It's true
for us as well. As sons and daughters of God, we are God's family. Thus, we
have the right to participate in Pope Francis’ synod.
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