What better way to bring the Christmas season to a close than with the
celebration of the moment where Jesus was consecrated to his ministry…
the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord. Whereas Advent is a season
of expectation and preparation, Christmas is the season where prophecy
and expectation are fulfilled… the Christ we have been waiting for is
here!
The Word for The Baptism of the Lord
Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 (or Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11)
Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10 (or Psalm 104:1b-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28, 29-30)
Acts 10:34-38 (or Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7)
Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
This Sunday’s celebration offers us two possible sets of readings, so I have chosen the alternate readings for this commentary since these are the ones we have used recently most often.
Our first reading, from Second Isaiah, is a prophecy of hope for the people of Israel held captive in Exile in Babylon. To our Christian hears, however, it also sounds a lot like John the Baptist preaching the coming of the Lord! In both its Hebrew and Christian perspective, it is a message of hope…a prophecy of fulfillment. Just as in the time of the Exodus, the Lord has heard the cry of his people and promises to set things right. This is a momentous occasion, as heard by the exuberant language of the text. The Lord will deliver us! Our Psalm serves as both a confirmation of the Lord’s greatness and as a prayer of thanksgiving as we sing, “O bless the Lord, ma soul.”
Our second reading comes from Paul’s letter to Titus. Titus, like Timothy, was an acolyte of Paul’s doing his best to form the large growing Christian community on the Mediterranean island of Crete. This is a monumental task, so Paul is providing encouragement and guidance through the example of Jesus. Paul says, “He saved us through the bath of rebirth…” Baptism, so that “we might be justified by his grace.” Baptism is a new beginning, a new hope. Through our own baptisms we become heirs to this hope.
This “new hope” is given form and a face in our Gospel with the Baptism of the Lord. As we are in Cycle C for our Sunday readings, we hear Luke’s version of Jesus’ baptism by John. John announces the coming of the Christ, and then we experience God’s affirmation of Jesus. This is not only a moment of revelation for those who witnessed it, but it marks a turning point in Jesus’ life… the moment he accepts his mission and begins his ministry. God’s voice not only was an affirmation to the people, but no doubt a comfort to Jesus as he takes on the task for which he was born.
Final Thoughts:
Free will. Jesus was born to fulfill a great mission… the son of man that would reconcile the people back to God. No small task. Yet with such great expectations since before his birth, we sometimes forget that Jesus had a choice. This is why our celebration of the Baptism of the Lord is so important. For it is this moment that sets Jesus on the path that, while ultimately leading to his own death, leads us to salvation.
Just as Jesus had the free will to accept his baptism; just as Jesus had the free will to accept the cross, we too have the free will to enter into the sacramental life of the Church and to carry on its mission. It is also this free will we see being exercised today as many faithful Catholics are torn by the Church’s recent and continuing revelations of clerical sexual abuse. Some have withheld their giving or simply walked away while others raise their voices calling for accountability and reform. Still many others offer prayers for victims while looking for guidance on what they should do next. These are hard times for Catholics and the Church, but we should also never forget that our own Baptism anoints us as priests, prophets, and kings in the image of Christ. We must inform our own consciences and exercise our own free will to live and act as Christ called us to do.
The Word for The Baptism of the Lord
Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 (or Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11)
Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10 (or Psalm 104:1b-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28, 29-30)
Acts 10:34-38 (or Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7)
Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
This Sunday’s celebration offers us two possible sets of readings, so I have chosen the alternate readings for this commentary since these are the ones we have used recently most often.
Our first reading, from Second Isaiah, is a prophecy of hope for the people of Israel held captive in Exile in Babylon. To our Christian hears, however, it also sounds a lot like John the Baptist preaching the coming of the Lord! In both its Hebrew and Christian perspective, it is a message of hope…a prophecy of fulfillment. Just as in the time of the Exodus, the Lord has heard the cry of his people and promises to set things right. This is a momentous occasion, as heard by the exuberant language of the text. The Lord will deliver us! Our Psalm serves as both a confirmation of the Lord’s greatness and as a prayer of thanksgiving as we sing, “O bless the Lord, ma soul.”
Our second reading comes from Paul’s letter to Titus. Titus, like Timothy, was an acolyte of Paul’s doing his best to form the large growing Christian community on the Mediterranean island of Crete. This is a monumental task, so Paul is providing encouragement and guidance through the example of Jesus. Paul says, “He saved us through the bath of rebirth…” Baptism, so that “we might be justified by his grace.” Baptism is a new beginning, a new hope. Through our own baptisms we become heirs to this hope.
This “new hope” is given form and a face in our Gospel with the Baptism of the Lord. As we are in Cycle C for our Sunday readings, we hear Luke’s version of Jesus’ baptism by John. John announces the coming of the Christ, and then we experience God’s affirmation of Jesus. This is not only a moment of revelation for those who witnessed it, but it marks a turning point in Jesus’ life… the moment he accepts his mission and begins his ministry. God’s voice not only was an affirmation to the people, but no doubt a comfort to Jesus as he takes on the task for which he was born.
Final Thoughts:
Free will. Jesus was born to fulfill a great mission… the son of man that would reconcile the people back to God. No small task. Yet with such great expectations since before his birth, we sometimes forget that Jesus had a choice. This is why our celebration of the Baptism of the Lord is so important. For it is this moment that sets Jesus on the path that, while ultimately leading to his own death, leads us to salvation.
Just as Jesus had the free will to accept his baptism; just as Jesus had the free will to accept the cross, we too have the free will to enter into the sacramental life of the Church and to carry on its mission. It is also this free will we see being exercised today as many faithful Catholics are torn by the Church’s recent and continuing revelations of clerical sexual abuse. Some have withheld their giving or simply walked away while others raise their voices calling for accountability and reform. Still many others offer prayers for victims while looking for guidance on what they should do next. These are hard times for Catholics and the Church, but we should also never forget that our own Baptism anoints us as priests, prophets, and kings in the image of Christ. We must inform our own consciences and exercise our own free will to live and act as Christ called us to do.
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