Sunday Homilies by Fr. Rudolf V. D’ Souza

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Baptism of the Lord
January 13, 2008 Year: A
Is 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Mt 3:13-17
Anointed FOR THE KINGDOM

First Reading...
"Thus says the Lord:
'Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
"I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.'" [Is. 42:1-4, 6-7]  

Second Reading...
"Peter began to speak to those assembled in the house of Cornelius. 'I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ - he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.'" [Acts 10:34-38]

Gospel Reading...
"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?' But Jesus answered him, 'Let it be so for now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.' Then John consented.

And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.' [Mt. 3:13-17]

Once upon a time a family moved into a new house. It was a very nice house with a lot more room than in their old house. However, it was also strange and when it came time to go to bed, the three children were very sleepy. They didn’t like their rooms because they were unfamiliar and they didn’t like the house because it was not their old house and they didn’t like anything because they were so tired. Well, finally they fell asleep and had terrible nightmares. Then they woke up and were frightened and angry. This made them more frightened and angry. So they stormed down stairs and discovered that both their parents were sleeping on the bare floor. The children understood the sacrifice of their parents and slept besides them on the floor. They felt assured and then they participated also in the suffering lot of their parents.

In Our Parish

In our parish we had 176 baptisms last year (2007). I baptized a couple of them. I try to make this ceremony meaningful. Make people participate in this beautiful rite of this sacrament. Many bring their children with white clothing. But I ask them to remove these clothes and then when the child is Baptized we request them to put on these white clothes. At times, especially during hot season, I dip the little children in the Baptismal font, and lift them up, and all in the Church, around thousands behold that sight. Children look beautiful, as it were angels. Well, at the end of the ceremony, which takes place during the Holy Eucharist after the Homily, I hold the mike near the mouth of these little babes; some of them cry, others just utter a few sweet babblings and people like to hear that. Very sweet indeed this ceremony. After the Holy Eucharist of course I run to the Church to hold these babes for a little while more and take some fotos.

On the Sunday that follows the Epiphany of the Lord, the Church commemorates the baptism of Jesus.  This Sunday is consecrated to the memory of the beginning of Christ's mission.  For Jesus began his mission, like any Christian does, by being baptized by one of those who are charged with representing him on earth.  John the Baptist is indeed the figure of the Church, but primarily he is the one who resembles Christ, and who therefore represents him among the people of his time.  When John the Baptist baptizes, he is the figure of the Church that baptizes.  When Jesus is baptized by John, he is the figure of the man or woman who is baptized by the Church.  Baptism inaugurates the mission of the newly-baptized; Jesus inaugurates his mission by being baptized by John.

Jesus is about 30 years old when this passage takes place. Jesus was an educated man. He knew how to read. He knew the law and he knew the prophets. So he probably read this passage many times from Isaiah which we heard this morning. 

In coming to know himself and his relationship to God and who his God was Jesus came to see that his God was one who did not put out the smoldering wick. – So easy to do – when we see the little smoke coming up we put it out. Our God, Jesus saw, was not one who would break off the reed just because it was bent. When you walk along a wheat field there is that temptation when one reed is bent down to just break it off. Jesus found out that God didn’t do that. Jesus found out that God was one who tried to give sight to people who were blind, not just physically blind, but spiritually blind; to help people see where sin was in their lives which prevented them from getting closer to their God. That our God tried to take people out of the dungeon of despair, the dungeon of darkness, the dungeon where love does not exist. That God tried to bring them into his own light which is simply filled with love. In time as Jesus read these passages and prayed over them, just as you and I read and pray over them, Jesus came to realize that the servant Isaiah was speaking about who would save the people Israel was very possibly he. That he was this servant. And so I am sure in time throughout his life he continued to pray over this calling that he felt. He came really to see that the Father in Heaven was calling him to preach to people these words of Isaiah and all scripture - to tell about who God is. 

Jesus came to realize that he was the one who had to take care of that smoldering wick – you and me when we were smoldering – to make sure we weren’t broken off when we were bent; to give sight to us in our spiritual blindness in those areas of our lives that we don’t want to recognize that need to be improved and made more perfect; to be brought into the kingdom of God’s love, God’s light.  

And so Jesus accepts that mission, that vocation, that calling, and he leaves home and sets out to preach God. He comes to the Jordan, and as a sign of that acceptance he enters into the waters of the Jordan to give himself over to His Father. Miraculously a beautiful thing happens. The Father says to Jesus, “Yes, you are right. This is what I am calling you to - to preach My word, to be My word for all people. And so Jesus knows that the Father says to him, “You are my son and I am so pleased and proud of you.” 

In a way today we celebrate the vocation of Jesus. We celebrate the fact that he accepted it. Because, you know, Jesus didn’t have to. He had free will just as you and I do. He was tempted and the evil spirit tried to call him away from the things the Father wanted him to do. But Jesus said he wanted to follow the Father. And so in a sense we celebrate the fact that Jesus accepted his vocation, no matter where it would lead. As we

know, it led to his death on the cross. But we celebrate more than just the vocation of Jesus and the fact that he is the beloved son of the Father. We celebrate also our vocations. We are baptized people. We have entered into the waters of the Jordan with Jesus. We have entered into a recognition and acceptance of our own sinfulness. We accept then the ministry that Jesus gives us - to open our eyes and to live in the kingdom of God’s love and God’s light. That’s our calling.  

We too have to go around now and make sure that the one who is smoldering gets new light – is brought back to life – the wick isn’t put out, it is brought to light. And that the wound of the wounded reed, the bent reed, is healed. That’s what we do. That is our vocation. That is our calling. We beg God to open our eyes that we might see our own spiritual blindness – those things that prevent us from getting closer to God – those comfortable sins that are so very much a part of us that we don’t even think about them twice. We beg that we might be brought into the kingdom of God’s love. That we might experience it deeply.

There is a beautiful line as I was reading over the readings for today which touched me and which I share with you. At the end of our Second Reading, Peter is speaking to Cornelius and the people assembled there. He said, “Jesus went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by evil for God was with him.” Jesus could do these things because God was him. God is with us. If we recognize the presence of God in our lives and if we accept the presence of God in our lives we can go about doing good just as Jesus did. That’s what we pray for.

"The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, in order that through all those works which are those of the Christian man they may offer spiritual sacrifices and proclaim the power of Him who has called them out of darkness into His marvelous light. Therefore all the disciples of Christ, persevering in prayer and praising God, should present themselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. Everywhere on earth they must bear witness to Christ and give an answer to those who seek an account of that hope of eternal life which is in them" (Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, II,10)

When Jesus came to be baptized, John the Baptist insisted that it was he who should be baptized by Jesus. For the Baptism of John was a rite of repentance and confession of sin. How could Jesus submit Himself to such a Baptism when "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth?" [1 Pet. 2:22] Jesus' submission to the Baptism of John was to demonstrate that He was a faithful Jew who obeyed the Law and the practices associated with good Jewish life.

"And when Jesus had been baptized, just as He came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to Him and (John) saw the Spirit of God descending like a Dove and alighting on Him." [Mt. 3:16] "And a voice from heaven said, 'This is My Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.'" [Mt. 3:17] Here the Dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, the image of a dove is a symbol of love. The Dove, the Holy Spirit, echoes the love of the Father for His only begotten Son Jesus.

The Words of the Heavenly Father, "This is My Son, the Beloved, with Whom I am well pleased" [Mt. 3:17] echo the Word of the Lord through the great prophet Isaiah, "Here is My Servant, Whom I uphold, My Chosen, in Whom My Soul delights." [Is. 42:1] This identifies Jesus as the Servant of the Lord. His Messiah-ship is not one of a royal conquering Messiah, but one of a Servant Who proclaims the good news and suffers.

Summarizing the Baptism of Jesus as found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we learn that the Baptism of Jesus was a major turning point in His life. Prior to it, we know very little of His life between age twelve and thirty. "Jesus' public life began with His Baptism by Saint John the Baptist in the Jordan. [Lk. 3:23; Acts 1:22] John preached 'a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins'. [Lk. 3:3] A crowd of sinners, [Lk. 3:10-14; Mt. 3:7; 21:32] tax collectors and soldiers, Pharisees and Sadducees, and prostitutes, came to be baptized by him. 'Then Jesus appears.' The Baptist hesitates, but Jesus insists and receives Baptism. Then the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, comes upon Jesus and a voice from heaven proclaims, 'This is my beloved Son.' [Mt 3:13-17] This is the manifestation ('Epiphany') of Jesus as Messiah of Israel and Son of God."

Through Baptism the Christian is sacramentally assimilated to Jesus, who in His own baptism anticipates His death and resurrection. The Christian must enter into this mystery of humble self-abasement and repentance, go down into the water with Jesus in order to rise with Him, be reborn of water and the Spirit so as to become the Father's beloved son in the Son and "walk in newness of life": [Rom 6:4] Let us be buried with Christ by Baptism to rise with Him; let us go down with Him to be raised with Him; and let us rise with Him to be glorified with Him Everything that happened to Christ lets us know that, after the bath of water, the Holy Spirit swoops down upon us from high heaven and that, adopted by the Father's voice, we become sons of God.

Let us not forget: our baptism in the Holy Spirit will never distance us from suffering, contradiction, or humiliation of any kind. Saint Paul thought it good to remind the Roman faithful: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”  (Rom 6:3-4)

The Eucharist being the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ offered in sacrifice, we cannot hope to better vivify in us the presence of the Holy Spirit than by receiving the Body of Christ in communion! Through Mary and with Her, may we become more faithful to our baptism every day, for the Glory of the Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

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