The Baptism of Our Lord

Is 55: 1-11;                                         I John 5: 1-9;                              Mark 1: 7-11

My Dear Brothers and Sisters,

For more than two weeks we have celebrated Jesus as an infant. Now once again we begin celebrating Jesus as an adult. Therefore appropriately we begin with Jesus’ first public appearance as an adult, his baptism by John the Baptist in the river Jordan.

Perhaps we wonder why Jesus requested John to baptize him. Jesus did not have any sins to repent of and the baptism offered by John the Baptist was for repentance of sins (Luke 3:3). When sinners went to John at the river Jordan they did so because they acknowledged their sinfulness and their baptism symbolized turning over a new leaf in their lives and leaving sin behind. Jesus, although like us in every way, was without sin, as the Letter to the Hebrews assures us (Heb 4:15). That explains why John the Baptist objected to Jesus’ request for baptism in the Gospel of Matt, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” (Matt 3:14). The answer Jesus gave John helps us to understand why Jesus wanted to be baptized, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matt 3:15) “To fulfill all righteousness” is why Jesus wanted to be baptized. We might say it is difficult to understand this answer because Jesus was not lacking in righteousness and was already righteous. So how could his baptism fulfill all righteousness? I would like to draw your attention on Pope Benedict’s book “Jesus of Nazareth” pp 17-23 to help us to answer this question. Sinless Jesus did not have any sins of his own to take down into the river Jordan; therefore it could only have been our sins that he took down into the river Jordan. Naturally no one would understand this at that time but they would realize this later when they understood that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. So Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan and his dying on the cross go together; he did both for our sins. He took our sins on his shoulders as he went down into the Jordan and as he died on the cross.

I think we can see this close connection between Jesus’ baptism and his cross in the Scriptures.

v  The prophet Isaiah prophesied that a servant would suffer because of our sins (Isa 52:13-53:12). You are familiar with this prophecy of Isaiah from hearing it every year on Good Friday. This servant would be righteous and by his suffering would make sinners righteous. We obviously see this prophecy predicting Jesus’ Passion.

v  Jesus, when speaking in prophecy about his Passion, described it as a baptism. “There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!” (Luke 12:50) When James and John wanted to sit in glory beside Jesus he spoke about his Passion to them but we can be sure that they understand only later. Jesus said, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” (Mark 10:38)

v  The Gospel of John tells us that when John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching him in the river Jordan he proclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) It is interesting that as Jesus appears at the river Jordan John the Baptist mentions that Jesus takes away the sin of the world. It is also interesting that John the Baptist describes Jesus as the Lamb of God. In the Gospel of John Jesus dies on the cross as the Passover lambs are being slaughtered in the temple. The Passover lambs were slaughtered in remembrance of the first Passover lambs whose blood was smeared on the doorposts the last night the Hebrews spent in Egypt to protect them from death. Jesus is the new Passover Lamb of the New Covenant who shed his blood for us to save us from our sins and already at his baptism he is proclaimed by John to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

On the cross Jesus took our sins on himself and made us righteous. When Jesus was baptized he was looking forward to taking our sins on himself on the cross. So when Jesus was baptized he was already taking our guilt down into the river Jordan. In this way we can see that when Jesus was baptized all righteousness was fulfilled. When Jonah was thrown overboard the ship the life of everyone else on the ship was spared (Jon 1:12-15) and when Jesus took our sins and unrighteousness on his shoulders we were saved and this begins with his baptism in the Jordan. So when Jesus is baptized he is already accepting his Passion and death.

Just as there is a close link between Jesus’ baptism and his cross there is a close link between our baptism and Jesus’ cross. Paul in his letter to the Romans tells us,

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Rom 6:3-4)

Paul is saying that when we were baptized we spiritually entered the tomb with Jesus to leave a life of sin behind. When we were baptized we buried sin by spiritually entering the tomb with Jesus and we rose again with the new life of Jesus just as Jesus rose to new life out of the tomb. Our baptism, just like the other six sacraments, receives its power from Jesus’ death and resurrection. Our baptism is a sharing in the effects and salvation of Jesus’ death and resurrection, a sharing in the new life of Jesus we receive from his death and resurrection.

The Sacrament of Baptism emphasizes a new relationship with our Father. Though the sacrament of Baptism removes our Original sin, it emphasizes more becoming a child of God and a member of the Church. That is why after baptism at the font, four signs in the sacrament symbolize for us this new relationship with God. If you listen to the prayers accompanying these four symbols they tell us about our new relationship with God.

Ø  Firstly the child is anointed with the oil of chrism. This is the holy oil used by the bishop to anoint us on the forehead during Confirmation and to anoint the hands of a priest during his Ordination. Part of the prayer for the anointing during baptism is, “As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet and King, so may you live always as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life.” 

Ø  Secondly the white garment is put on the child. Part of the prayer accompanying putting on the white garment is, “…you have clothed yourself in Christ. See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity”.

Ø  Thirdly a lighted candle is given to the parents, a symbol of receiving the light of Christ. Part of the prayer accompanying this is, “This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ.” 

Ø  Fourthly the ears and mouth of the child are blessed because they will hear the Word of God and the child will profess his/her faith.

Being baptized as children would make no sense and have no meaning if we don’t put our baptism into effect and if we don’t live like people who have been baptized into the Catholic Church. I would like to remind here to the parents and the god parents the promise that you gave during the baptism of your children. The priest asks the parents in the following way: You have asked to have your children baptized. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of training him/her in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring him/her up to keep God and our neighbour. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking? And the parents and the god parents say: “Yes, we do”. Now is the time for you my dear parents and god parents to reflect and see whether you truly fulfilled or fulfilling your duty towards your children as you have promised to God during their baptism. Once again I would like to remind you that it is your duty to bring your children up in the practice of the Catholic faith.

Another important fact to be understood today is about all the seven Sacraments. All the Sacraments in the first place bring forth sacramental grace. It is the plan of God that we should receive these sacraments regularly to keep us alive. Baptism is the first sacrament that a person receives, and is called sacrament of initiation.

Dear friends, Our baptism when we were children would have been senseless  if we did not decide for ourselves as we grew up that the decision made for us by our parents was in fact what we ourselves also wanted for ourselves. There is one occasion above all others during the year when we proclaim that what our parents did for us was what we also wanted, that is during the Easter Vigil when we renew our baptismal vows. Every sacrament has a lasting effect, our baptism was not just a magic formula recited over us by the priest to wash off original sin and give us a chance of getting to heaven. Baptism is like Ordination and marriage, it is something to be lived every day. When we were baptized it is as if the Father said over us as he said over Jesus, “This is my beloved son, this is my beloved daughter. Our baptism is a sharing in the effects and salvation of Jesus’ death and resurrection, a sharing in the new life of Jesus we receive from his death and resurrection. Jesus was baptized so that all righteousness might be fulfilled and this happens when we live our baptism by turning from sin to live the life of Jesus and all righteousness is fulfilled.

AMEN.          

Fr. A. Christopher, HGN

EPIPHANY

Is 60:1-6;                       Eph 3:2-3                       Mt 2:1-12

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Once, a little girl and her mother were looking at the Nativity scene. The mother was explaining that the Wise Men were presenting their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the newborn King. The little girl looked in great adoration at the babe in the manger, then turning to her mother, thoughtfully asked, "Why didn’t they bring Him a bed?"

Let us now imagine ourselves in the presence of baby Jesus, and Mary and Joseph. We are surprised to see men of eastern appearance come. They see baby Jesus and fall on their knees. They offer him homage and give him presents of gold, frankincense and myrrh, gold because Jesus is king, frankincense since Jesus is divine and myrrh prefiguring his Passion. They tell us about the star and about Herod who knew nothing about Jesus’ birth. After their stay they set out on their return journey eastwards but not via Jerusalem since they want to avoid Herod. After their departure we spend time with baby Jesus.

We do not have gold, frankincense and myrrh to give to baby Jesus, but we can surely give him our love. Let our love be his manger.

There are many lessons to be learnt from the feast of Epiphany. For me the first lesson is “God is for everyone, for both rich and poor, good and bad, wise and fool etc...! Epiphany is ‘manifestation of God’. At Bethlehem during his birth Jesus manifested himself to the poor shepherds and to the poor family that offered him a place to be born. Today Jesus manifests himself to the three kings, the rich and elite. This simply means that the Messiah is for all. For Him all are equal and same. He is not just for one particular caste, not for one meticulous group alone, not for one scrupulous race alone, not for one linguistic group, not for only poor and not for only elite alone. The feast of Epiphany affirms that God is for everyone and no one has the right to reserve God, His gospel and the Sacraments to only some particular caste or meticulous group and avoid the other.

Secondly, even while Jesus was only a little baby he experienced both acceptance from the wise men and rejection from Herod. The wise men and Herod had two opposing attitudes, searching for God and being closed to God. We see that the wise men were blessed in their search for the Saviour by finding Jesus. We also need to search for Jesus and should like to come ever closer to him. Let us ask Jesus to help us to draw ever closer to him and if we are closed to him like Herod, ask him to help us to open so that we can find him. Let us ask Jesus to help us in drawing closer to him.

Not only the wise men and Herod had different attitudes to Jesus, they also had different attitudes to life. The wise men were generous; Herod was selfish wanting to hold on to his throne. The magi gave him gifts; but Herod killed all boys under two years of age. The wise men were willing to put energy and goodness into life, Herod wanted to get all he could from life. The magi who sacrificed to put into life were happy, Herod who took all he could from life was unhappy. Let us now pray to Baby Jesus, to help us to foster a healthy attitude towards life, giving and caring, instead of grasping, and being selfish and possessive. Let us pray now asking Jesus to help us develop ever more wholesome attitudes towards life.

The magi were lucky. They were given the guidance of a star. In the darkness of this world we have all been given help on our journey to God; the beauty of nature, the Word of God in Sacred Scripture, Spirit-filled witnessing and preaching, the faith of others and our own faith. For a moment let us thank God for giving us stars to lead us to him.

When the wise men arrived in Jerusalem, it seems they no longer had the guidance of the star, otherwise they would not have had to ask Herod for advice. Sometimes we too feel as if we’re in the dark, like the magi. Sometimes what or whom we relied on, is not there anymore. Sometimes we see only darkness around us. But we must know and believe deeply that our Saviour is there, and that eternal life awaits us even if sometimes in this world there is no star for us. In our moments of darkness without a star, let us pray to Jesus to help us not to give up but to keep searching, hoping and praying because that would be the best way forward. Let us pray now for strength to remain steadfast when there is no guiding star.

The three wise men went in search of a child king and found him. And when they found him, they treasured him so much that they wouldn’t let anything take him from them. Those three wise men went back to their homes and families, but you can be sure they took Christ with them in their hearts. You can be sure their lives were greatly changed. They had an aim, a greater aim and they achieved it.

People, who live only for the here and now, who have nothing high to aim for, no dream to follow, no rainbow to chase, cut themselves short in life. But it is the same with those who think no further than their life span here on earth. There’s a minister who asked a high school student what his plans were for his life. This is how the conversation went:

“Well,” said the boy, “I plan to go on to college and become a lawyer.” “Then what?” continued the minister. “Then I hope to join a law firm and make a lot of money. Of course I want to marry and have children, own a beautiful house with a swimming pool, and belong to a country club.” “Then what?” asked the minister. “Then I’ll retire, play golf, travel, and visit my grandchildren.”

“And?” persisted the minister. “And what?” asked the boy who was getting annoyed and irritated by the questions. “And what are your plans after that?” the minister asked. “Nothing! That’s it! I guess I’ll die!” replied the boy. “Then you’re cutting yourself short,” the minister told him.

Anyone who has no plans at all, no star which he is pursuing is not getting much out of life. That’s obvious. But not so obvious is that which eluded this high school boy with all his plans for the future - that same thing that eludes many people. If your plans only include what you hope to do while you are living on this earth, if your plans only go as far as your death, then you are cutting yourself short. How about your life after death? What are your plans for that one? Do you have any? Or is your attention directed towards your few short years on this planet?

I assume that you are here in church today because you do give some thought to your life hereafter. I hope my assumption is correct. But if I’m wrong and you are here merely to make your life on earth a better one, you are being short-sighted. For your life on earth is but a speck in time in comparison to your life in eternity. You, nor I, nor anyone, should ever pursue plans and dreams that are not looked at from the viewpoint of our eternal life. Just as an astronaut planning a future life on Mars or some other planet would direct all his decisions and energies towards preparing for that life, so too should we who plan an eternity in heaven direct all our decisions and energies towards preparing for life with God. If we don’t, we are the crazy ones, not the guy on the camel following a star to his saviour.

I hope you have a dream. I hope you have many of them. But I pray that the main one is to spend eternity in heaven. And that your other dreams are pursued with that in mind — so that no matter what you do in this life, it will prepare you for the unending one to come. No matter what you do, I hope it helps to pack your bags with all you need for your life hereafter. The high school boy had plans that reached only into his retirement years - nothing for after that. He had no idea what he would do at the end of his retirement. Do you?

Our three wise kings let nothing stand in their way, not even the evil Herod. They were looking for the only way to heaven. And when they found Him, they gave him their everything. They returned home to live good lives in preparation for the one to come. May you share in their wisdom, and make Jesus Christ the guiding star of your life!

AMEN.                                                                                                  

 Fr. A. Christopher, HGN