Skip to main content

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, 2015

By
For the Western Church, the Christmas Season officially comes to an end this Sunday with  our celebration of the Baptism of the Lord.  The celebration of the Nativity is behind us and the new year stretches before us, so what better way to transition from Christmas to Ordinary Time than by celebrating the Lord’s Baptism.  Baptism marks a new beginning…  a rebirth.  For Jesus, this marks the beginning of his ministry, and serves as an excellent transition from the infancy narratives to the story of his life and ministry.  So this week we begin a new journey…

The Word for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Isaiah 55:1-11
Psalm 12:2-3, 5-6
1 John 5:1-9
Mark 1:7-11

Our first reading is the famous “banquet invitation” which concludes 2nd Isaiah.  This song from Isaiah is a fitting end to his prophecy on Israel’s liberation from Exile in Babylon.  It sings of the goodness that God provides his people and welcomes them back into covenant with him.  The imagery draws us in and we can feel God’s love and forgiveness.  At the same time, however, we are reminded that we too have a role in this covenant, reminding us that the scoundrel should forsake his way.  He continues to remind us, in that very popular passage, that “my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.”  As mere mortals it may be difficult for us to agree with what God is asking of us, but like a parent to a child, we should trust that God knows what’s best.

Our response comes not from Psalms, but from again from the Prophet Isaiah, in this case, 1st Isaiah where we proclaim that God is indeed our savior, and we should “draw water joyfully from the spring of salvation.”  As a complement to our first reading, our trust in God, even when we would rather follow our own path, leads to joy and salvation.

Our second reading comes from the 1st Letter of John.  Here John presents us with two important messages.  First, in a passage that compliments what we heard in our first reading and our response, in that following the Lord leads to salvation.  Here John exhorts us to “keep his commandments” while reminding us that doing so is not burdensome, and will in fact lead us to victory.  John takes this one step further, however, reminding us that Jesus himself, in following the Lord, was the victor over the world (through his death and resurrection).  He then goes on to remind us that Jesus, who came through water (at his Baptism) and blood (at his crucifixion) can attest, through the Spirit, that God’s promise of victory is true.  John’s oratory in this letter is both poetic and layered with insight.  In it you can hear John developing a style he will employ more fully in his Gospel.

This takes us to our Gospel, which in honor of the feast day we hear Mark’s account of the Baptism of Jesus.  Typical of Mark, the story is short and to the point.  Jesus has traveled from Nazareth down to John at the Jordon.  While the distance Jesus had to travel was pretty significant, it’s not nearly as significant as what happens after he emerges from the water.  As Mark describes it, the heavens are “torn open” and the Spirit, like a dove, descends on him, and we hear a voice from heaven proclaim “you are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”  It’s an extraordinary moment, and marks the beginning of Jesus’ mission.

Final Thoughts:
The story of Jesus’ Baptism is a Catholic favorite because for us it is the premier example of a “Sacramental moment.”  When we think of Baptism or Confirmation or any of the Sacraments, it’s these images that we think of most… and rightly so.  Unfortunately, it’s also the reason why that when we receive our own sacraments, we can feel a little let down...  because the heavens didn’t open up… no doves descended… you don’t really feel any different than before. 

We build up these expectations only to be disappointed when something miraculous doesn’t happen right at that moment.  But that’s only because we’re not looking at these moments the right way.  It’s not the moment of the sacramental act that is the miracle, but the grace we receive from it over time as we live out that sacrament.  It changes us in ways that we don’t immediately see, but over time, when embraced and practiced to the fullest, we can see how it has changed and formed our lives in ways we could never imagine.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

26th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B

By
Who speaks for the Lord?  Do you have to be a prophet?  A priest?  A bishop?  The Pope?  What about you?  The answer, according to our readings this week, is “whomever God calls,” and that could be you. The Word for the 26tth Sunday of Ordinary Time Numbers 11:25-29 Psalm 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14 James 5:1-6 Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 Our first reading comes from the Book of Numbers.  This book is a continuation of the Exodus story, from the point where they leave the Sinai (after receiving the Law) to the point where they are ready to enter the Promised Land.  The book gives us some history of these years interspersed with sections of legal codes.  This Sunday’s passage deals with the commissioning the elders, those 70 individuals chosen by Moses to receive some of the Spirit so that they may prophesy (preach) among the people.  But during this time there were two men, Eldad and Medad, who were not with the group at the tent, but who also recei...
Post a Comment
Read more

3rd Sunday of Advent - Cycle C

By
“Shout for Joy!”  The opening lines of our first reading expresses the feelings we should be having during this third Sunday of Advent.  Also known as Gaudete Sunday (Latin for “rejoice”), we celebrate that we have now past the half-way point of our penitent reflection – the “hump day” of Advent, if you will.  What have we to be so joyful about?  Our readings provide the answer: The Word for the 3rd Sunday of Advent Zephaniah 3:14-18a Psalm 12:2-3, 4, 5-6 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke3:10-18 Our first reading comes from the Book of the Prophet Zephaniah.  Though we don’t hear from Zephaniah very often in our Sunday Liturgies, and though the book itself isn’t that long (only 3 chapters), the importance of his message not only can be seen in his predecessors Jeremiah and Baruch, but may even have had a profound effect on the Judean monarchy itself by moving King Josiah to begin his campaign of religious reform.  Our passage this week, though similar to the passages...
Post a Comment
Read more

28th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B

By
What is truly valuable?  As a species humanity seems constantly preoccupied with this question, starting from our individual perspective and building up to our families, our parish, our community, all the way up to the entire world view.  Whole industries have grown around this idea of value, from the advertising industry that tries to convince you of the value of what they’re selling, to insurance companies that can set a monetary value on everything, including your own life.  Our faith tradition also has some thoughts on this question, as addressed by our readings this week: The Word for the 28tth Sunday of Ordinary Time Wisdom 7:7-11 Psalm 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17 Hebrews 4:12-13 Mark 10:17-30 Our first reading is from the Book of Wisdom.  You may recall that we had a passage from this book three weeks ago, but by way of reminder, the Book of Wisdom comes to us from the Jewish community in Alexandria some 50 years before Christ.  Typical of wisdom literature in...
Post a Comment
Read more