The Triple Gift of Baptism

The Catholic Liturgy for the Baptism of the Lord, Jan. 13, 2019. Gospel – Luke 3:15-22. Theme: The Triple Gift of Baptism.

Today’s liturgy in honor of the Baptism of the Lord, closes up the Christmas season and presents us with the Child Jesus now grown up into a young adult, about 30 years of age.  He has spent the bulk of his life in the little village of Nazareth, with Joseph and Mary, working as a laborer, a carpenter. Now we see Him approach his cousin, St. John the Baptist at the Jordan River, ready to inaugurate His public mission as the Savior, the One who is sent to lead humanity back to God.

Jesus enters the Jordan River, not because He has any sins to be washed away, but to bless & sanctify this water-ritual of repentance, transforming it into the Christian Sacrament of Baptism.  He shows us by example that baptism is our first step to a new and meaningful relationship with God. And what happened to Him at his baptism is a sign and a promise of what happens to each one of us at ours. By reflecting on this gospel, we can discover how this awesome sacrament destines us for Heaven, fills us with the Holy Spirit, and makes us beloved children of God.

The first thing we hear about after Jesus comes up out of the water is that heaven was opened. And this is precisely what Baptism does for us. It re-opens the way to Heaven which was closed to the human race by the original sin of Adam and Eve.  Recall that in the beginning of our history, the first humans were given the choice of living in obedience to our Creator or of making their own way through life separated from God. And as we all know they chose to live life on their own terms. They freely chose to turn their backs on our Creator and refused eternal life with Him in Heaven.  And this is the deficient spiritual inheritance they passed on to all their descendants including us. But Jesus came to undo what they had done, and to give each one of us a chance to choose God and Heaven for ourselves. And the first step in making this choice is baptism. 

The next marvelous thing we see at the Jordan River is the Holy Spirit coming down upon Jesus under the appearance of a dove. Now, we might wonder why God choose to appear in the form of a dove? Because the dove is a universal human symbol of peace and innocence. By the waters of baptism, we are made innocent through the forgiveness of sin and we make our peace with God. This innocence and peace remain within us as long as we chose to live the promises of our baptism: to reject sin and Satan, to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and to believe what He teaches us through the Gospel and his Church. This indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a baptismal gift to us that is the core of our intimate relationship with God. It is a gift that keeps-on-giving throughout our lives, making us His living, walking, breathing temples. And His presence is increased within us every time we pray, receive the sacraments and do good to others. Imagine that!

Finally, the gospel tells us that God the Father’s voice was audibly heard declaring Jesus to be His Beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. And this is exactly what God the Father says about each one of us who have become spiritually one with Jesus in Baptism: we are His beloved children in whom He finds delight! The Scriptures assure us that God delights over you, delights over me, delights over each one of us personally.  And it’s this personal love of God that transforms us from the inside out, giving us the desire, the grace, the spiritual power, to live and love and delight in Him in return.

So, maybe we can better see now why the Baptism of Jesus has always been a favorite story among of the Christian people, both in liturgy and in art. It’s not so much because of what it says about Christ per se, but more-so because of what it says about us, or more precisely, what is says about the marvelous and awesome things that God does for us through, with and in our beloved Brother and Lord, Jesus.