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. |