Celebrating The Baptism Of Jesus

Reflecting On Our Own Baptism 

The celebration of baptism is always slightly bittersweet for me. It is bitter sweet because so often the reasons parents give for wanting to baptize their children is so disconnected from reality. The reasons given go from the ridiculous to the sublime.

I thought of this as I read the Gospel passage because this Gospel passage tells us what the sacrament of baptism is about. In this Gospel passage we are witnessing a handing over of power or of a mission to someone new. This is a truly human experience. Politicians do it, leaders of firms do it, principals of schools do it, sports administrators do it, and I dare say parents do it also.

We can pass on the mission or power following the example of John the Baptist and Jesus or we can do it according to the criteria of the world which is as you know not very Christian.  Just look at our politicians

John the Baptist had a mission “To proclaim a baptism of penance for the forgiveness of sin.” It is this mission which Jesus will take up. We are told in Matthew 4:17 “Jesus began to preach and to say Repent for the Kingdom of God is close at hand” and in Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is close at hand, Repent and believe the Gospel” John knows that he has fulfilled all that he can do so he tells his disciples “Someone better than I is coming and he will lead you further along the road “ I baptize with water, he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and Fire” Follow him. He discerns very clearly the person to succeed him. He does not struggle to hold on to power. He prepares Jesus for the hand over. He baptizes him. John knows that Jesus will do things differently [I baptize with water, he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and Fire] but that is okay as long fidelity to the mission is maintained. John does not demand that things be done his way only that the mission be fulfilled. They both will proclaim repentance. Jesus accepts to continue the mission handed on by John.

This mission which John accepted will in the end cause him to lose his head. Jesus too, in accepting the mission passed on to him by John will suffer the same consequences. He will not lose his head; he will lose his life because of his fidelity to doing what the Father asked, because of his fidelity to the message. Because of this fidelity which the Father sees in his Son, the Father is well pleased.

Disciples, my dear friends are people who follow the master. They try to imitate the Master and they do that because they love him. Because disciples love, they find their imitating of the master fulfilling, they spread the message of the Master and they want everyone to hear the message and accept it. Like the Master, disciples pass on and so there is the need to hand on the mission and to prepare others to fulfill it. This is what baptism is about. Baptism is the handing on of the mission so that the message of repentance and the proclamation of the Kingdom can continue. This handing on of the mission demands of parents, not only that they baptize their children and so bring them into the community of the disciples, it also entails the commitment to prepare their children to be authentic disciples. When that happens, when children become authentic disciples, fulfilling the mission and spreading the word, the Father is well pleased.

All successful corporations do succession planning. It is done to ensure as far as possible that success will continue. We disciples of Jesus must ensure that the message lives on. We therefore must take the measures which will ensure that the message lives on. This is what the parents of saints like, Maria Goretti and St. Therese of Lisieux did. They so formed their children that the message lived on in the lives of their children. They did this primarily by the examples of their lives. You and I, if we are truly disciples must let our own lives shape and form others so that the mission and message will continue to live.  Let us remember and thank God for the people and events which prepared us for discipleship in an effective manner, and let us commit ourselves to handing on the mission when the time comes for us to do it.

Prayer

All powerful and ever-loving God, John the Baptist pointed out your Son Jesus as the One to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Vivify in our lives that baptism which we your people have all received so that we may with boldness live the mission and proclaim the message wherever we find ourselves. Help us by the example of our very lives to pass on the mission and message. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, our Mother and your Son Jesus. Amen 

Gospel- Lk. 3:15-22

The Word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin  As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ, John answered them all, « I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. » Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, « Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased. »”