Readings: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; Psalm 104; Titus 2:11-14, 3:4-7; Luke 3:15-16, 21-22.
Dearly beloved in Christ, today we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. With this celebration, we end the season of Christmas and we enter into the Ordinary time in which we continue to reflect on the mystery of Christ’ life and ministry in all its fullness.
The Baptism is an important event in the life of Christ, with profound significance, deep meaning and lessons for us.
Today, we shall reflect on the mystery, meaning and message of Christ’ Baptism.
Why was Jesus baptised and what do we have to learn from this?
This question is so important because the Baptism of John was principally for cleansing of sin but Jesus, though He is man like us in all things, has no sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
I will just mention 3 reasons why Jesus received Baptism.
1. To sanctify the water of Baptism: According to St. Maximus of Turin (Sermon 100, Epiphany), “Christ is baptized, not that He may be sanctified in the waters, but that He Himself may sanctify the waters, and by His own purification may purify those streams which He touches.”
Amazing, isn’t it? In simple language, by Baptism, Jesus was not cleansed by the water, He cleansed the water, so that henceforth, the water of Baptism could become holy for all who would be baptised.
2. By receiving Baptism, Jesus showed us the importance/necessity of Baptism. He led by example. In John 3:5, He told Nicodemus that no one can enter the kingdom of heaven without being born of water and spirit. Christ taught this by words and showed it by example, unlike the Pharisees, who taught what they didn’t practise.
3. The Baptism of Jesus was also to show His solidarity and unity with the human race whom He came to save. He set aside His exemption and completely identified with us. We read in Hebrews 2:11 that He is not ashamed to call us His brothers and Sisters, i.e. there was no-holier-than-thou attitude in Christ. His Baptism was a complete identification with us – an accentuation/a deepening of His incarnation.
DIGGING DEEPER
In the Baptism of Jesus, we understand better the mystery of Baptism; we grasp better our own Baptism.
Three significant things happened at His baptism:
A. Heaven opened
B. The Spirit descended
C. The Father’s voice was heard confirming that Jesus is His beloved Son.
These are the three things that happen at every Baptism.
The heaven which Adam shut against himself and against his posterity by the original sin (Genesis 3:23-24), is being re-opened for us because the guilt of original sin is being washed away. With the opening of heaven, we are given access to come to the throne of God/grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16).
The Spirit of God descends on the baptised. 2 Corinthians 1:22 says, this Spirit becomes God’s seal on us and we are marked/anointed as belonging to God and empowered by His Spirit. Everybody baptised is, in this sense, God’s anointed.
The Father confirms us as His beloved sons and daughters. We are then fit to call God our Father. At our Baptism, God adopts us into His family in heaven and His family on earth (the Church – Ephesians 2:19-22).
Two points to take home today:
Message one
Today is a day to reflect again on the promises that we made at our Baptism and that we renew as adults every Easter particularly.
We promise to renounce Satan and all his works, all his empty promises. We promise to renounce sin and live in the freedom of God’s children.
We also profess that we believe in God the Father as the creator of all that exists and the one in charge of our lives. We profess our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and we profess our faith in the Holy Spirit, the giver of life, our teacher, guide and counsellor.
We profess our faith in the one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church – we confess that we believe everything she teaches as true and that it has the fullness of the means of holiness and salvation.
The question is: “Do we still stand by what we profess before God and His entire Church, earthly and celestial?”
Have we completely renounced Satan and all his works, which includes all forms of idolatry, syncretism, new age religion, superstitious beliefs, pagan practices like Halloween, sexual immoralities and perversions, injustice, wickedness, etc, which are His works?
Do we still believe firmly in God, even when we do not get what we ask for, when grieving, when life is hard?
Do we believe, honour and pray for the Church, that though wounded, human and fractured, it is still divine, it is still the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, the pillar of truth and the ark of salvation?
Message two
At the Baptism of Jesus, the voice of the Father was heard, “You are my Son, the Beloved…”
At our own Baptism too, the Father also claims us for His own – “You are my son/daughter…”
The question is: “What type of son/daughter am I?
Which type of God’s child have I become?
Do I make God proud?
Do I resemble God (godliness)?
Can God still say of me today, “This is my son/daughter, my beloved, in whom I am well pleased.”
By Baptism, we have God’s acceptance but does our way of life have God’s approval?
Is He pleased with how I am living?
If we think deep and we discover that we have not been the child of God that we should be, the Second Reading is a re-router, calling us to turn back and give up everything that doesn’t lead to God, to be self restrained and begin to live good and religious lives while we are awaiting in hope for the blessings which will come with the appearing of the glory of Christ.
Happy Feast to all of us.
Sermon preached by Fr Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on January 12, 2025