Fr. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR
Homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
January 9, 2011
Shortly after his election as the pope in 1958, Pope John XXIII spoke of the shock he felt at being elected to the papacy. But within few hours of becoming Pope, he suggested to his advisors that in a matter of days, he would like to visit the large prison, Regina Caeli, on the outskirts of
It wasn’t just what the Pope said that endeared him to the prison inmates and to the rest of world; it was the very fact that he was there, that he had come among them as one of them. His presence and his words touched the hearts of many in his congregation. There were tears in the eyes of some of the prison officers, as well as in those of the prisoners. The Pope saw himself as one of the prisoners. This reminds me of what
Dearest beloved, it’s the baptism of the Lord. Today we celebrate God’s own Son who came into our world as one of us. Today we celebrate the baptism of the Lord; we celebrate the Lord’s association with us sinners. Today, God, the Creator submits himself to the hands of a creature to be baptized. The Lord plunged himself into the waters of Jordon, shoulder to shoulder with sinners, and with that shows himself as our redeeming Lord, our compassionate Savior, our dearest friend and our loving brother. He blessed and sanctified the waters of baptism.
The baptism of the Lord at first glance might seem an odd feast. Since the Church teaches that the sacrament of baptism is necessary for the remission of sin, particularly the sin we inherited from our human progenitors, the Original Sin, and Jesus did not inherit Original Sin, and he lived his entire life without sinning. Therefore he had no need of baptism as we do. Yet, he humbly submitted himself to the baptism of his cousin John the Baptist. By doing that, the Lord provided the example for the rest of us. If he should submit himself to baptism, though he does not necessarily need it, then the rest of us should do likewise after all we are his followers.
But it is important to understand that baptism is not all about forgiveness of sins. Baptism marks a dividing line between the old life and the new life, between waiting for the Messiah and finding him, between living with guilt and living in freedom, between living in a community of law and living in a community of love. By baptism we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, and it is a relationship of friendship. Baptism initiates us into a life-giving relationship with God. Through it we become adopted sons and daughters of God, members of Christ’s body, children of the Father, and temples of the Holy Spirit. By baptism, we become the people of God; our gathering becomes a gathering of God’s people. We become the family of God, and enjoy fellowship with God. Baptism makes us new creation. It imprints an indelible spiritual mark of ownership. We no longer belong to ourselves, we belong to God. Remember Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus in John 3:1-8!
Today we celebrate the baptism of the Lord. At the baptism of the Lord, the Father and the Holy Spirit were present. His baptism reveals the Trinity. No wonder Jesus orders us in Matthew 28: 19 to baptize using the Trinitarian Formula: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” At the baptism, the Holy Spirit was present in the form of a dove: “The Spirit of God was descending like a dove and coming upon him.” And immediately the Father’s big voice was heard from heaven testifying for his beloved and begotten Son, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus was not alone during his baptism. His Father was present. The Holy Spirit was also present. They were present to testify the specialness of Jesus. They were present to glorify the Lord. They were present to tell the world “I have given you everything; I have given you my all.” God has given us his beloved Son, his special Son, his one and only Son. What a great and wonderful event.
Dearest beloved, on the day of our baptism, you too were not alone. Apart from the priest and God’s people who were present when we were baptized, the Triune God- Father, Son and the Holy Spirit was also present. The day of our baptism was the day of our divine recognition. On that very day, Jesus was present, the Holy Spirit was present, the Father was present. The Father’s voice also sounded from heaven, “This is my beloved son; this is my beloved daughter with whom I am well pleased.” Hence baptism is our official recognition as children of God. On that very day, the Father testified for us. On that very day, the Father said to the world and the Devil, this is my beloved son; this is my beloved daughter with whom I am well pleased. On our baptism day, we were set aside for God and for God’s matters. On our baptism day, God declares how special we are. On our baptism day, God claims ownership of us. On our baptism day, he also set some expectation for us. When God declared that he is pleased with us when we were baptized, he expects us to continue to strive to please him.
Dearest beloved, on the day of our baptism, God claims you as his own. We become God’s servants, God’s children, God’s friends, and God’s special “treasure.” We become God’s jewels of inestimable value. On that day, the Holy Spirit rests upon us. On that day we become God’s voice speaking and bringing justice to the nations. We become God’s effigies, that whoever encounters us encounters not us but God living in us.
The First Reading of today is taken from Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7. This is what God says in verses 6 and 7,
“I, the Lord have called you in righteousness; I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you; and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison and to release from dungeon those who live in darkness.”
Beloved in Christ, through baptism God has called us in righteousness. Through baptism God has grasped us by the hand. Through baptism the Lord has formed us into his image that’s why he declared from heaven “Behold my beloved son and daughter with whom I am well pleased.” By baptism God has set before us a covenant he made with us, “You will be my people and I will be your God.” Baptism has made us God’s covenant. Beloved in the Lord, by baptism we have become a light to the nations. We have become the light of Christ; we’ve become the salt of the earth. By baptism, we have become the shining light of Jesus for others to see. The light that emanates from us must shines through the darkness of the world and overcomes it. Like the star that led and guided the Wise Men from the East to the place where Jesus laid, we must become the shinning light of the world, leading and guiding people to God. Baptism has made us intercessors praying for the restoration of sight to the blind, those who are blinded from seeing Jesus as the Truth, the Way and Life. By baptism we have become agents of freedom.
So many people are living in darkness. A lot of our friends, brothers and sisters, colleagues at work are still wandering away in darkness; so many have been blinded by the darkness of night. They need freedom. They deserve freedom. We need to change the dominant beliefs of this era. Jesus is still the Lord! So many people are turning away from God and turning away from themselves. The captives are not necessarily those in jail. There are as a matter of fact many more captives walking around us. Some of them have good jobs and have enormous wealth. Some Christians unfortunately are captives too. If you believe in any of these wild beliefs and practices of this time, then you are in captivity. If you believe that sin does not make you a bad person, you are really in captivity. If you feel no guilt of sin even when in sin, you are in captivity. If you are a Christian who does whatever he or she wants and believes that God will understand, then you are in captivity. God does not understand irresponsible behaviors. The only thing God understands is total obedience to him. Those who wake up from the bed of mortal sin and come to the table of the Lord to receive the Eucharist without making a perfect act of contrition or seeking the sacrament of reconciliation are really in captivity. Let’s be honest with ourselves for once! When was the last time we sought God’s mercy via the sacrament of reconciliation? If you think God understands you are making an eternal mistake. The State does not expect the citizens to act irresponsibly, so do God.
Beloved in Christ, we are God’s special children. Baptism transforms us from being just creatures of God to being God’s children- sons and daughters of God. God was well pleased with us then. God was happy when we first accepted him. The Triune God was present to testify that we belong to him. But is God still pleased with us? When God looks at us, does he still throw a party with the angels? Can God still say “This is my beloved son; this is my beloved daughter with whom I am well pleased?” Baptism makes us God’s children for ever. But sin does not please God. It separates us from God. Unfaithfulness to God does not please God. Though we are God’s children, but is God still pleased with us? Can the voice of the Father resound from heaven testify that he is pleased with us? You know the answer, and I know mine.
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