Feast of the Lord's Baptism

 

THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD


We open the Christmas season by celebrating the arrival of Jesus. Then we follow up by exploring the theological significance of his arrival. For example, should it matter to us that he enters our world by way of the family? Do we need to revise our understanding of the Blessed Mother? And how do the Gentiles fit into the picture? On this final weekend of the Christmas season, however, the focus begins to shift. We are moving beyond the manger. Now, we are at the Jordan River, watching Jesus receive his Baptism. This marks a new phase: from this point on, it will be all about his public ministry. 


In other words, he doesn’t arrive just for the sake of arriving. Rather, he arrives so that a mission can be undertaken. By way of illustration, think about that famous Dr. Seuss character: The Cat In The Hat. He arrives at a particular home. Somehow, mysteriously, he knows that his services are going to be required. The children within that home are a combination of sad, confined, and bored. If only the day wasn’t so cold and rainy! Then we could go outside and play! For all practical purposes, it adds up to a state of bondage. They stand in need of deliverance. And this is something the Cat In The Hat will achieve. He will achieve this, not just by arriving on the scene, but by applying himself, by “getting to work.”  


Returning our attention to Jesus, he arrives here, so now what? Well, now we will see Jesus applying himself. He will be pursuing his mission. It’s time to get busy. What’s his objective? He’s here to deliver us. From what? Boredom? No, it’s more serious than that. You could say that we’re like the children in the story: not happy with our circumstances. They resign themselves to looking out the window. What do we do? We look up, toward the heavens. They are stuck indoors. We’re stuck with this earthly way of life: afflicted by the inevitability of sin and the inevitability of the grave. They are visited by somebody from beyond their neighborhood. We’re visited by somebody from beyond our world. 


For their part, the children are delivered. They are delivered from what was plaguing them. Are we being delivered? That depends. Consider the welcome that has been extended to the Lord. It’s a hearty welcome, at least initially. We do well at Christmas time. Still, the hope is that we will make Jesus feel welcome, not just at Christmas, but through the course of our lives. The welcome we extend to him needs to be understood as a perpetual welcome. A perpetual welcome translates into the blessing of perpetual deliverance. 

Popular posts from this blog

Sermon For Trinity Sunday

Image
  TRINITY SUNDAY [C] We are prepared to observe Trinity Sunday. But are we prepared to go that extra step? Are we prepared to actually celebrate the Trinity? It’s expected of us. But it’s not easy, getting excited about the Trinity. It’s not just a doctrine; it’s something dense; it’s a profound mystery. How do you penetrate the mystery of one God being revealed in a Trinity of three Persons? Perhaps we should begin by picking up a Bible.  Now that your Bible is open, you find yourself being introduced to our God; you’re being introduced to him in the Book of Genesis. You will notice right away that he is a rather busy God. Busy in what way? He’s being an artist. He’s doing what artists typically do: he’s creating. He stands back, he admires his creation, and he pronounces it as “good” (Gen. 1:31). This episode doesn’t resolve all of your questions, but at least it’s a start.  Later on in the Bible, we will arrive at a particular juncture. St. Paul refers to it as “the ...
Read more

Fifth Sunday of Lent [C]

Image
FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT [C] Jesus wins a reprieve for the woman caught in adultery. He sends her on her way with the words: “sin no more” (John 8:11). Does she comply? We don’t know. But let’s suppose that she does comply; she takes the message to heart. What will this signify? As far as St. Paul is concerned, this signifies a type of liberation. She’s no longer carrying the burden of sin. Now she can run freely. In pursuit of what? Paul refers to it as “the finish line” (Phil. 3:14, original NAB translation). It’s “the prize” (revised NAB translation). In other words, it’s something very desirable, something appealing. It’s appealing in the same way that a river would hold appeal for someone journeying in the desert (see Isaiah 43:16-19). Isaiah looks forward to the day when God will transform the desert into a place of vitality. A river will be released, providing satisfaction for those who are in need of refreshment. God has had enough of the old; now a new plan will be unfolding....
Read more

17th Sunday of Ordinary Time [C]

Image
17TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [C] Can anybody name the topic for this weekend? If you answer with “prayer,” then you’re at least partially correct. More specifically, we are dealing with the subject of PERSISTENT prayer. Note the example of Abraham in our first reading. He learns that a severe judgment is being handed down, concerning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He responds with one petition after another, begging for the cities to be spared. As a result, we are now detecting flexibility, where previously there was no flexibility (see Gen. 18:16-33).  Jesus reaffirms the Abraham approach in this Gospel selection (Luke 11:1-13). When you pray, be sure to pray with persistence. What will that gain for you? Potentially, you will be blessed with the gift of mercy. That’s the point of focus for Abraham. And Paul likewise seems to be preoccupied with the gift of mercy as he writes to the community at Colossae. He proclaims that the bond being held against us has been nailed to the c...
Read more