Homily for the Baptism of the Lord Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. Gospel of St. Mark 1:7-11. Theme: Baptized with Jesus
On this feast of the Baptism of the Lord, our Church Season of Christmastime comes to an end because the baby in the manger has grown up to become a man. It’s time for us to move on from Bethlehem like the shepherds who returned to their fields with a new song of praise to God on their lips. It’s time to journey back to ordinary everyday life like the Magi, as spiritually changed people who bear the Gift of the Newborn King in our hearts.
In today’s liturgy, Jesus comes to us as an adult. We encounter him at the Jordan River approaching his cousin, St. John the Baptist, in order to begin the public stage of the mission for which he was born. At his Baptism, God the Father’s voice affirms Christ’s identity and God the Holy Spirit descends upon him, anointing him to preach and teach the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Jesus goes forth from the Jordan River to combat evil, to heal the lame and cure the sick, to forgive the trespasses of sinners and restore wholeness to the broken.
God’s rescue-and-restore mission that was begun in a hidden way in Bethlehem, has now burst into the public scene. But it would be very wrong for us to think that the ministry of Jesus as Messiah and Savior is just an event of the past! This mission of Jesus continues even today in every part of planet Earth, including Marin County, through those of us who have become united with him through faith. Through each one of us, in a marvelous mystical way initiated at Baptism, the Risen Lord Jesus wishes to still speak and touch and heal and reconcile others to God.
Jesus was baptized, not because he had any sins to be washed away, but to show us by example that baptism is our first step in becoming part of his rescue-and-restore mission. And what happened to him at his baptism is both a sign and a promise of what happens to each one of us at ours. By reflecting on this event, we can discover that the Sacrament of Baptism destines us for Heaven, fills us with the Holy Spirit, and makes us beloved children of God. In other words, it starts us off on a life of becoming more and more like Jesus.
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 us 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 their Creator or of living life on their own terms, separated from God. They freely chose to turn their backs on their Creator and refused eternal life with Him in Heaven. And this was the deficient spiritual inheritance they passed on to all their descendants, that is, to all of us humans. 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? Well, because the dove is a universal human and biblical 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 and live what He teaches us through the Gospel and his Church.
Finally, the gospel tells us that God the Father’s voice was audibly heard declaring Jesus to be His Beloved Son in whom He was 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 feast of the Baptism of Jesus starts off the new year. 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.
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