Sunday, January 9, 2022

 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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