I, the Lord, have called you for justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, To open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.
– Isaiah 42:6-7
“The graces of our baptism—no matter how long ago—are still wonderfully present.”
- We have had our sins washed away — both original sin and personal.
- We were united with Christ Jesus in his death – we were raised to new life.
- We had our ears opened to hear the Lord – our mouths opened to declare his praise.
- We were added to the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- We received Sanctifying Grace — the divine life of the Triune God.
All of these fruits — they are graces.
They are graces of the Sacrament of holy baptism.
And these graces our ours — amazingly so.
And yet today — as we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord — the question nags us every year, if not throughout the year: “Why was Jesus baptized?”
Early in the Church, in the third and fourth centuries, there was a trilogy of feasts celebrated as the heart of the Christmas Season: Christmas, Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord. All of these knitted together beautifully by the theme of LIGHT. Light from above – the light that opened eyes, described in our first reading from Isaiah.
Our feast today celebrates the Lord’s baptism, but what I enumerated above were graces that WE receive in our baptism — so what do these graces have to do with Jesus and his baptism? In a way: NOTHING. In another way: EVERYTHING.
NOTHING: because Jesus is not Baptized to “receive” anything.
- Jesus is WITHOUT sin.
- Jesus establishes and forms the Church — he is not added to it.
- He does not receive Sanctifying Grace — Jesus IS Sanctifying Grace himself.
So Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist was not for any of the reasons that we were baptized. Yet there is a deep and inextricable connection between our Lord’s baptism and OURS.
First, in the Incarnation — which we celebrate in the Christmas Season — our Lord Jesus desired to take on flesh for us, to fully identify with us. This identification with us was in his birth in the flesh — his birth from the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But, his identification with us was also in the temptations he endured — and in his baptism. Though his baptism was radically different from ours.
One aspect of Jesus’ baptism that overlaps with our, is that in both, a mission is inaugurated. Especially in St. Mark’s Gospel, we see the baptism of Jesus, very early (extremely early) in our Lord’s public ministry – in fact, one can say his baptism in the Jordan begins his public ministry – his mission of salvation.
For us, our baptism also inaugurates the beginning of our ministry, our mission. The living of our life in holiness – holiness given to us by the Lord, when we cooperate with his grace – and the mission to share the good news of Jesus with others.
Thirdly and finally, the purpose of Jesus’ baptism –while not fully treated in Sacred Scripture -– is certainly explored in the Early Church Fathers.
In brief, the Early Church Fathers were those priests and deacons — and especially bishops — who were Church leaders, who preached and wrote extensively on the Faith. Their writings are a gift to the Church — still today and forever.
Regarding the baptism of our Lord — the Fathers have much to say — all of it powerful, all of it beautiful.
All of it pertaining to us.
St Maximus of Turin (fifth century) said: “Christ is baptized not to be made holy by the water, but to make the water holy….to purify the waters of baptism. For when the Savior is washed…all water for our baptism is made clean, purified at its source for the dispensing of baptismal graces.“
Notice the power of these words: We know Jesus is not made holy by his baptism — but HE makes the water holy. By purifying the waters of the Jordan, he purified ALL BAPTISMAL water for ages to come, so that we might be made holy by our baptism.
One more from the Fathers: from St Gregory of Nazianzus (fourth century) “Christ is bathed in light; let us also be bathed in light. Christ is baptized; let us also go down with him, and rise with him. The heavens – were closed by Adam due to himself — for his descendants, the heavens are now opened wide.”
Friends — light permeated our Lord’s baptism — and ours. Christ went down into the waters of baptism — but our going down is a descent into the death of Christ and a rising to new life. And the closing line of the excerpt is a beautiful image: with the sin of Adam, the heavens were CLOSED –- but now, with the “new Adam” (Christ Jesus) – the heavens are OPENED WIDE.
Friends, this wonderful Feast today which closes the season of Christmas is a wonderful opportunity for us to reflect on our own baptism.
The graces of our baptism—no matter how long ago – are still wonderfully present. My baptism – May 11th 1959, at St Francis of Assisi Church in New Orleans – was a long time ago, but those graces are still present — in spite of all evidence to the contrary!!
Today – let us reflect on the goodness of the Lord Jesus – let us PRAISE the Lord for his desire to gather us together to himself. And let us thank the Lord, for the Holy Eucharist, so tied to the graces of the sacrament of baptism. Praise BE JESUS our LORD in his Church.
Copyright © Deacon Randy Ory
Baptism of the Lord (Year C): Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 | Psalms 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10 | Acts 10:34-38 | Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
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