topleft05.jpg (18208 bytes)HOMILY
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (B)
12 January 03


 

In this morning’s first reading, we heard Isaiah the prophet proclaim:
 

“I, the Lord, have called you…I have grasped you by the hand;

I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light to the nations;

to open the eyes of the blind,

to bring out prisoners from confinement,

and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.” (Isaiah (42:6-7)


Oftentimes, when we read Scripture privately or hear it proclaimed publicly in church, it is so very easy to conclude that the words we have read or heard pertain to someone or some group other than ourselves.  For example, we might conclude that the words of today’s first reading were spoken for the people of ancient Israel, reminding them about their vocation and mission as God’s Chosen People.  Or, we might conclude, in light of today’s gospel, that these words were spoken about Jesus and his vocation as God’s Anointed, the Messiah whose mission it was to save people from their sins.

In reality, however, the words of Scripture and, in particular, these very words of Isaiah the prophet, are addressed directly to each and every one of us.  These words are intended to remind us about our vocation not only as women and men who have been called by God and grasped by His hand but also to remind us about our mission as Jesus’ disciples, the people of whom God has said, “You are my beloved.  Upon you my favor rests.”

It’s so easy to conclude that God has formed people other than us and set them to be a covenant of the people, a light to the nations.  It is so easy to conclude that God has charged others to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

But, Isaiah’s words are God’s words, spoken not only to people in some bygone era or to other people, even in our own day.  No, these words are addressed directly to us about our vocation and our mission, both of which were sealed with Holy Chrism on the day of our baptism, the very day when God said of us, “You are my beloved.  Upon you my favor rests.”

In a former incarnation, I used to teach Theology.  I’ve taught every grade from sixth grade through senior year in high school, both in classes that were part of the school’s curriculum as well as parish-based CCD classes that were not part of the school’s curriculum.

I recall one class when, after I read today’s gospel, a particularly insightful student asked, “If Jesus was baptized as an adult, why does the Church baptize infants?”  The student’s basic argument was that Jesus’ baptism represented an adult commitment on his part and that baptism should represent a commitment on the part of an adult who genuinely and seriously wants to make the commitment to follow Jesus’ pathway.  Imposing the obligations of baptism upon infants, it seemed to this student, not only to be unjust but also contrary to Scripture.

My intention is not to detail the debate about infant baptism and its history, as interesting as all of that really and truly is.  Instead, on this day, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, I want to consider what today’s Scripture suggests that baptism really is, what it involves, and what it requires.

For me, Isaiah’s words in today’s first reading provide a most appropriate focus for thinking about baptism.  There are three reasons for this.

First, Isaiah reminds us that God calls human beings and grasps them by the hand.

We oftentimes think about baptism as something human beings do.  For example, parents take their newborn to the church on a Sunday afternoon where the priest or deacon performs the ritual.  Or, a young adult or adult participates in a parish’s RCIA program and is subsequently baptized at the Easter Vigil.

Today’s scripture reminds us that baptism is actually just one moment in a process that is of far greater significance than the actual baptismal ritual itself.

Isaiah alludes to the first step of the process which culminates in the moment of baptism, namely, that an individual recognizes that God has called that person by name and has grasped that individual by the hand.  To enter into the process that culminates in baptism, I must first be aware that God has called me and grasped me by the hand.

This presents a real challenge.  Can I identify an experience or even, series of experiences, where I have heard the God speak directly to me¾calling my name¾and leading me in a direction I might otherwise have not gone¾grasping me by the hand?

We typically don’t think in these terms, thinking that God speaks to holy people, like Pope John Paul II or a Mother Theresa.  But, to understand what baptism really is, what it involves, and what it requires of us, it is important, Isaiah reminds us, that we develop an abiding awareness of God’s voice and His hand in our lives.  We need to become more fully aware of the multitude of ways that God is with us.  Don’t forget that is the name the angel told Joseph in a dream to name God’s Son, “Emmanuel,” that is, “God is with us.”

Believe it or not, many people do experience God calling them in some vague way, perhaps as they reflect about their lives and contemplate what they need to do.  They may be reflecting about some tension on the home front or at the workplace, a difficulty in raising one’s kids, past actions they are now ashamed of, or considering what they need to do if they are to be less selfish and more self-giving.  God is present in all of these moments, calling the person by name, grasping that individual by the hand, and leading that person in a new direction.

That is what Isaiah wants us to understand how God is with us.  He calls each of us by name, grasps each of us by the hand, and leads us in new directions where we will experience a more complete, full, and meaningful life.  Baptism is not just the moment when a priest poured water onto our forehead; no, baptism also involves a commitment on our part, that is, in those moments when God calls us by name and grasps us by the hand, that we accept God’s initiative and follow Him wherever he may lead us.

Where my astute student in theology class was correct is that, absent the awareness that God has called us, grasped us by the hand, and is leading us, the moment of baptism may mean very little and, consequently, have little or no impact upon how we live our lives.  Absent this awareness, we just hope to make it through the day and not let the challenges get to us.  Or, worse yet, we turn away from the God who has called us and grasped us by the hand so that we can pursue what we believe is in our best interest.

A second reason I believe Isaiah’s words are most appropriate for thinking about baptism is because the prophet reminds us that God forms human beings and sets them as a covenant of the people, a light to the nations.

The process of baptism is not simply recognizing that God calls and grasps us and, then, committing ourselves to follow God’s lead in our lives.  All of that provides the secure foundation for something more important, namely, our mission.

We all know what a contract is.  It is a document that details various rights and responsibilities and uses the force of law to ensure that the parties fulfill their end of the bargain.  Isaiah doesn’t use the word “contract” to describe our mission.  Instead, he uses the word “covenant” bespeaking a relationship of a more personal nature, namely, a relationship of mutual trust and fidelity that both parties will live up to their personal commitment.

Isaiah uses the word “covenant” because he wants us to understand that the relationship of God to His people is similar to a marriage.  Try as hard as one might, no contract could ever provide a secure foundation for a lasting marriage.  Why?  Because a marriage is not a legal fiction based upon a series of quid pro quos.  No, a lasting marriage is rooted in a covenant, that is, personal commitment based solely upon the faith each party has in the other’s word.

That is precisely how Isaiah wants us to understand how God is present to us.  God calls us and He grasps us.  But, then, He also forms us and sets us to be a covenant for the people.  As we lead our lives full of trust and faith in God, God is with us as we stand before the world as a sign of hope.

But, how do we demonstrate our trust and fidelity to God in such a way that we become a sign of hope?

Isaiah offers a third reason.  We demonstrate our trust and fidelity and stand before the world as a sign of hope as we follow in the pathway that Jesus showed us following his baptism.  We become a light for the nations.  We open the eyes of the blind.  We bring prisoners out from confinement.  And, from the dungeon, we bring out those who live in darkness.

In short, we demonstrate our trust and fidelity and stand before the world as a sign of hope as we follow in the pathway that Jesus showed us following his baptism.

Leaving the waters of the Jordan River, Jesus began to teach parables to anyone who would listen, using these stories to teach the people about the kingdom of God.  These stories offered people hope as they experienced that they too were not God’s rejected people but God’s beloved people.

Following his baptism, Jesus’ mission involved calling sinners by name, grasping their hands, and leading them to experience the forgiveness of their sins as well as healing of their physical and spiritual diseases.  Thus, Jesus called those who were blind to the truth by name, grasped them by the hand, and led them into the light of truth.  To prisoners confined to the cells of their own making and those people living in the darkness of a dungeon, Jesus opened the doors barring them in, called them by name, grasped their hand, and led them forth into the light of a new day.  Where despair once reigned in the hearts and souls of sinners, Jesus offered hope as these people experienced¾some of them for the first time in their lives¾that they too were God’s beloved.

Once again, being baptized is only one moment which is part of the larger process, namely, the mission of identifying ourselves with sinful humanity, as Jesus did, by standing before them and ministering to them as a sign of hope that they, too, are God’s beloved.

This is what baptism really is, what it involves, and what it requires of us.  Because God has called us by name, grasped us by the hand, and led us to the experience of being one of God’s beloved, our mission today is the same as Jesus’ mission when he walked on earth.  Whether that is in our home, our neighborhood, or our workplace, we are to be a sign of hope.  We are to be witnesses to the Good News that what God has done by calling His Son by name, grasping him by the hand, and entrusting the mission of salvation him, God will do for anyone and everyone who recognizes that God is with us and listens to us.

It is clear that the baptized are to be saints.  By that term, I don’t mean withdrawing from living in the world and from dealing with its many challenges.  No, a saint lives one’s life just like everyone else does.  But, in one’s own quiet, yet sometimes forceful way, a saint stands in the midst of the suffering, pain, and despair that people experience as a sign of hope.  Because of one’s trust in and fidelity to God’s covenant, a saint becomes less selfish and more self-giving.  And, like Jesus, a saint calls people by name, grasps their hand, and leads them away from the pathway of sin and along the pathway of grace.  It’s of these people that God says, “You are my beloved.  Upon you my favor rests.  Listen to him.”

That is what God has said about each and every one of us when we were baptized.  Today, that is our mission.

 

 

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