The Baptism Of Jesus

Gospel: Mt 3:13-17

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?”  Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him.
After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Homily

By Archbishop Joseph Harris

It is strange how many people who are happy in their jobs or state of life tell me that if they had known in advance what awaited them, they probably would not have accepted the position that they now have or would not have entered the state of life in which they find themselves. These persons will often say that they do not know where they found the strength, the wisdom, the courage to do the things that they have done.

The feast that we celebrate today, the Baptism of Jesus gives us the answer to the above question.

Jesus is at a decisive moment in his life. He is about to begin his public ministry of preaching the good news of God’s love for all humanity. He is probably a bit scared. His ideas are contrary to those of the religious leaders of his time who taught that God’s love was only for the perfect; that the poor, the infirm, and sinners were all outside the ambit of God’s love. Jesus was in fact about to take on the most powerful persons of his day. This was therefore a most important moment in the life of Jesus and as all of us do at decisive moments of our life, Jesus makes a symbolic gesture. He is baptized by John in the Jordan; the past is symbolically washed away. As he leaves the water and faces his new life, he is given the Spirit and he is convinced by the Spirit of God’s love for Him “He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on Him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

This abiding love of God is shown in the strength that Jesus had to overcome all the obstacles and problems that came his way. It is shown in the way the Father always answered Jesus’ prayers and in the miracles which were worked; It is shown in Jesus’ fidelity to the end, which brought the final and everlasting victory.

This story is repeated or can be repeated in all of our lives. All of us have had decisive moments in our lives, the day of our marriage, or perhaps the day that we accepted a new position at our work, or the day we decided to run for a position in the Government or some sporting organization. As we look back now after many years, or perhaps not so many, we realize how well we have succeeded and how many obstacles we have overcome. If we have any humility about us we know that a superior force was with us.

Like Jesus we were blessed with the Spirit and the Father’s love. And so today we respond to the Gospel passage with love and thanksgiving. We have done as well as we have because we are the Father’s beloved daughter or son.

This reality however brings us to the fact of our own baptism and importantly our confirmation when we consciously repeated our baptismal promises. This too was a decisive moment. The Spirit was given to us in the Father’s love to continue the mission given to Jesus by the Father. The Sprit was given to us, so that through us, others might come to experience God’s love in spite of what the world or society or others may have done to them.

This feast gives us an opportunity to recommit ourselves to this task of continuing the mission of Jesus. We can be successful because God in his love continues to pour out his Spirit upon us. Will we like Jesus accept the Spirit?

Prayer

All powerful and ever-loving God, you were well pleased with your Son Jesus because he was receptive to the Spirit with which You endowed him so that he might fulfil the mission you gave him of making your love known to all and of bringing true justice to the nations. Give us your sons and daughters that receptivity to the Spirit so that our lives may be lives lived in relationship with You and in relationships of true justice, peace and love with others. We ask this through the intercession of Mary, our mother and your Son Jesus. Amen