Homily - The Baptism of the Lord

The Baptism of the Lord

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

Video

With today’s feast of the baptism of the Lord, our Christmas season ends, and we begin the next chapter of the Church year. Moving through the liturgical year is like reading through the chapters of a book or watching the seasons of a television series. Season one is Advent, focused on eager anticipation for the Messiah. Season two is Christmas, focused on celebrating the Incarnation: “Immanuel” God with us. Season three is Jesus’ public ministry and today is episode one: his baptism. We have two other seasons- Lent, a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in preparation to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection at Easter. And during the Easter Season, we celebrate Christ's triumph over death. 

After Jesus had been baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove and a voice was heard affirming him as the beloved Son. We seem to have a theological dilemma here! Why would the sinless Son of God submit to a baptism of repentance?

Responses to this question are as varied as the gospel writers and church fathers themselves. Matthew says that it is ‘to fulfill all righteousness” (Mt 3/15). The Gospel of John simply neglects to say that Jesus was baptized by John. Instead, John the Baptist merely testifies to Jesus without baptizing him at all. Then, Luke places the baptism of Jesus in the passive voice, almost as an afterthought; In Luke, we read; ‘After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized’ (Luke 2:21).

Let’s think about it for a moment. If we identify the key things which occur when any of us is baptized and ask whether they also occurred in Jesus’s baptism, we discover that they didn’t and that they couldn’t have taken place. When we are baptized, we are healed from the guilt of original sin, and we are incorporated into the Church. Did any of this happen to Christ? No. Jesus did not suffer from original sin so he didn’t need to be healed from it, and Jesus had not yet founded the Church so he couldn’t be incorporated into it. So, Jesus’ baptism at the hands of John did not have the same effects as our baptism does.

It is clear Jesus had no need of baptism because he is the Son of God incarnate. In the act of descending into the waters, Jesus revealed his mission: not to be separate from humanity but to stand with us, to take upon himself the weight of our sins. The heavens open, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father proclaims, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). In this moment, the Trinity is revealed, and Jesus begins his public ministry, bringing God’s presence into the world in a new and transformative way.

In reflecting on the Baptism of Christ, we are drawn into the profound mystery of what Jesus brought into the world. Joseph Ratzinger, the late Pope Benedict XVI, tells us: “Jesus has brought God, and now we know his face, now we can call upon him. Now we know the path that we human beings have to take in this world.”

Note that Jesus did not bring immediate world peace, an end to all forms of suffering or a new age of universal prosperity. He brought something infinitely greater: God. Through Jesus, the invisible God is made visible. In his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus shows us the face of the Father and opens for us the path to eternal life

The path he walked, marked by faith, hope, and love is now our path, illuminated by his light. Yet, as Ratzinger observes, it is often our hardness of heart that blinds us to the magnitude of this gift. We may long for tangible signs of triumph — peace, prosperity, a perfect world — and fail to see that in bringing God, Jesus has given us the source of all peace, the origin of all good. To know God, to call upon his name, and to walk in the truth as his sons and daughters is the greatest gift we could ever receive.

Dear friends, today is an appropriate occasion for us to remember the graces we have received in Baptism and to renew our baptismal promises.

Let me conclude with a prayer reflection from a renowned homilist, Flor McCarthy, SDB:

Lord Jesus, touch our eyes,
so that we may see the signs of your presence
in our lives and in the world.
Touch our ears so that we may profess our faith.
Touch our hands that we may give and receive.
Touch our feet that we may walk in your paths.
Touch our minds that we may understand you ways.
Touch our wills that they may be in tune with your will.
Touch our hearts that we may bring your love
to the praise and glory of God. Amen.