Baptized into the Power of God

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Today’s Readings: [Click here]

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord—and Monday, we return to Ordinary Time. As always, there is a beautiful wisdom in this calendar arrangement.

Jesus didn’t need to be baptized the way we regular mortals do. He certainly didn’t have the stain of original sin on his soul that needed to be washed away. And he didn’t need to become an adopted child of God, since he was already a “natural” child of God—if we can use such an awkward term.

Our Lord’s baptism can perhaps better be seen as an important milestone in his earthly life—almost a commissioning to begin his public ministry. And of course, Ordinary Time is where the bulk of that public ministry takes place.

In our own lives, in a parallel sense, most of us also go through important rites of passage: we earn our high school diploma, we pass the nursing licensure exam, get through the police academy, pass the bar, get a military commission, get ordained, get married… Once you’re trained, officially certified and have the appropriate license or piece of paper, you then can begin your career or new life: as a nurse, police officer, lawyer, soldier, priest, husband or wife, and so on. Your own “ordinary time” in life then begins where you live out the life you prepared for.

One of the most important rites for human beings is baptism. It is, of course, a sacrament and a rite of the Church. But it is also a rite of passage. Through baptism, a person is mystically, instantaneously and permanently transformed into a new creation: an adopted child of God and a member of Christ’s Church. Today, I’d especially like to speak about this membership aspect of baptism.

We are fortunate people to live in a rural community. Yeah, we may not have all the conveniences of city living—the stores, the cultural resources, high-speed internet—but life is pretty good. We know our neighbors. The air is clean. Rush hour is not bumper to bumper on the Dan Ryan but a couple of loose hogs on the road or getting behind a combine during harvest season.

Go into Chicago or New York or just about any big city, and you’ll run into all kinds of terrible problems—like gangs. Many gang members are nothing more than youngsters who crave a sense of belonging and importance. By themselves, they’re weak and scared. But put on the gang colors and join the crowd… well, now you’re powerful and respected, if only out of fear.

If you’ll pardon the analogy, our baptism makes us part of Christ’s gang. Once we were weak and alone, but now, thanks to the character imprinted onto our soul—our gang colors, you might say—we become part of a powerful and divine machine: the Body of Christ. We’re no longer weak. We’re no longer alone.

Through his teaching and example, Jesus shows us that becoming a member of the Church through baptism is actually a miracle that operates on several levels.

For one thing, it’s about our faith and how, if we trust in God, we’ll always have what we need. If you join a gang, there are no guarantees. You could get killed, betrayed, wind up in jail… but the power of God insures that if we follow him, we are good to go.

Second, it’s about how even the smallest thing we offer to God will grow and blossom through God’s grace. Our life becomes a living example of the multiplication of the loaves. Did you see the story in last Sunday’s News-Gazette about the 7-year-old girl in Danville who raised $1,500 to help a family that was burned out? Seven years old! Her mustard seed, her one small loaf, was magnified and multiplied. We can do that, too: with a kind word, a small good deed, the widow’s mite given in love, an extra bit of patience, a smile… Because we’re not just separate, discrete individuals—but a community in Christ—we draw others, or are ourselves drawn, into a loving support network where the whole is definitely greater than the mere sum of the parts. There is an electricity, an excitement, a dynamic strength, in belonging to the Body of Christ.

And thirdly, it’s about how the riches we all have are often hidden until Christ’s presence brings them out. Christ transforms everything we bring before him. It’s as though our baptism gives us the key or password to unlock a special vault within us that contains so many blessings and graces that emerge when needed. We scarcely have any idea how great and vast our treasure is…

After his own baptism, Jesus is revealed as the Christ. The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. As he takes up his public ministry, Jesus teaches us that even the small deposits of love and caring we offer our neighbors will do more than just satisfy immediate needs. Through Christ, what we offer may grow into something much greater than we could ever imagine. Why? Because love comes from God and is therefore incredibly powerful. As we love one another, God will enable that love to grow exponentially, transforming both us and the world.

On this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we should stop to consider the awesome dignity and power and mystery that we possess by reason of our baptism. Let us offer our thanksgiving to God for so great a gift, and promise to be open to use the bounty of our baptism in life to the greatest extent we possibly can.