Homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Baptized As Priests, Prophets, And Kings

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Brooklyn Center, MN

Sunday, January 9, 2022

The baptism of the Lord gives us a very good opportunity to reflect on our own baptism, our own rebirth in the Spirit. When it comes to the day we were born, we remember the date without much thought, but not so the date of our baptism. From the Christian standpoint, the day you were baptized is the day you were grafted and implanted onto Christ in such a way that you share in Christ’s relationship to the Father. Because of your baptism, you are now a son or daughter in the Son. Because of your baptism, you can call the Father, “Our Father” in union with the Son of God. Due to the fact of your baptism, you are deified, divinized and brought into the divine life. Everything else in Christian life flows from the fact of your baptism. At your baptism, the priest or deacon says the following before he anointed you on your forehead, “God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has freed you from sin, given you you a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and welcomed you into his holy people. He now anoints you with the chrism of salvation. As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King, so may you live always as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life.” What does that tell us? That every baptized person is supposed to live as priest, prophet and king like Christ. How’s is that possible? Let’s now look at our baptismal identity? 

You are a priest. Who is a priest in the Bible? A priest is someone who offers sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. He prays to God on behalf of the people. A priest is a mediator between humanity and divinity. He is a friend of God. Biblical figures like Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Ezekiel, Moses etc. in different ways are priests. And Jesus is the high priest himself. You may be wondering, how am I a priest? I am not ordained. Ordination to the ministerial priesthood is different and those ordained to it perform different roles. If you are baptized as Catholic, you are indeed anointed as priest. What does that mean? First, it means you must be a person of prayer. I am not talking about praying for yourself alone, but intercessory prayer for the sake of others. Be grateful to people who say to you, “Please, pray for me,” because such a request awaken your own priesthood. It reminds you of your identify as priest who can make intercession before God on their behalf. Every baptized person is called to that kind of intercessory prayer. So, Catholic parents, pray for your children on a regular basis in a priestly way. Children, pray for your parents in a priestly way. Husbands, pray for your wives. Wives, pray for your husbands. It is a priestly obligation to do so. Parents, bless your children before they go to bed at night and before they leave for school. It is a priestly act to do so. Families, pray before a meal at home and even at a restaurant. Some of us find praying publicly embarrassing, but look at it this way: when you pray in a restaurant or in other public events, you give witness and also exercise your priesthood. Catholics, attend Mass at least on a weekly basis. Statistics shows that only 20 or 20 percent of Catholics in the US go to Mass on a regular basis. Although the number is much better here in US than in Europe and Australia, it is still bad. What it means is that 75% of baptized priests are staying away from church where their priesthood is full expressed. At Mass, at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the priest says, “Pray, my brothers and sisters that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God the Father Almighty.” He is not saying ‘my one and only sacrifice,’ rather my sacrifice and yours. It means that all the people at Mass are joining themselves to the sacrifice of the priest who is joined to the great sacrifice of Christ himself to the Father. The point is, everybody there is a priest. That’s why before this prayer, we take up collection. Collection is not just a little pause in the middle of the Mass. It is part and parcel of Mass because you are sacrificing something. You are giving for the sake of others. You are expressing a priestly act in the donation you make. So, people of God, stop staying away from Mass. It is there that your priesthood is fully expressed. Okay?

You are also a prophet. Who is a prophet? It is someone who speaks the word of God to others. In the Bible, there are lots of prophets—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Daniel, Hosea, Elijah, Zachariah, Micah etc. Prophets are people summoned by God to speak on his behalf. When Jeremiah was called, he told God not to choose him because he was young, but God insisted, “I have appointed you a prophet to the nation” (Jer. 1:5). Isaiah told God he is a man of unclean lips, and after God purifies his lips, he said, “Here I am Lord, send me”(Is. 6:8b). Like them, you have been anointed a prophet to speak the word of God. Now, the life of a godly prophet was never an easy one. Look at the prophets in the Bible. Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern and put to death. Elijah was pursued by the troops of the wicked Jezebel, wife of Ahab. Prophets usually get into trouble. Look at our Supreme Prophet, Jesus, the very incarnation of Yahweh, he was nailed to the cross because of his prophecy. Being a prophet is always dangerous, but that’s what we are anointed to do. So, do not be ashamed of speaking publicly about your faith. Let people know you are a churchgoing Catholic. Articulate the faith and let the words of faith be on your lips regularly. It is part of prophecy. When was the last time you read a good theology or spiritual book? When was the last time you studied the Bible? Articulating the faith is not left to the ministerial priests. As a baptized person, you are also summoned to speak the word of God. Be ready to give a reason why you believe, why you practice and why God is so important to you. If your grandchild asks you a faith-based question, asks you why the Church holds this and that, are you ready to give an articulated answer? Be ever ready! You are baptized to be a prophet. Parents, during the baptism of your kids you pledged to be the first teachers of faith to them. Do not now abandon that responsibility to someone else. Be the first teacher of faith to your kids. It is part of being a prophet. My entire attitude to prayer was taught and communicated to me by my mother. By doing so, she acted as a prophet. 

You are also a king. There are lots kings in the Bible. In the worldly sense, a king is someone with lots of power and control over others. He reigns and rules over a geographical space. But in a spiritual sense, a king is someone who exercises kingship over self. What does that mean? It means someone who has a mastery over himself or herself. We have conflicting desires, impulses and tendencies. Unless we are able to control ourselves, able to order our minds, will, passions, private and public life in God’s direction, we won’t be able to move unhindered and effectively towards the Kingdom of God. If you are able to control your carnal passions, if you are able to put your libido dominandi in check, if you are able to hold down your inordinate desires for wealth, power, honor and esteem of others, then you have a kingly sovereignty and a kingly authority towards yourself. When that happens, you will become a more successful and effective king regarding those around you. You will be able to exercise the gifts of the Holy Spirit in a way that lead people to God. Parents act as king when they govern and direct their children towards the Kingdom of God. Friends act as king when they use what is available to them and direct as best as they can their friends towards the things of God. Teachers act as king when they use their gifts to help their students discern their vocation in life. If you are baptized, you are summoned to be a king. On this day that we celebrate the baptism of the Lord, it is important we remember that we have been grafted onto Christ and anointed  to be priests, prophets and kings.  

God bless you!