The baptism of the Lord. Today’s readings: Isaiah 40,1-5.9-11; Titus 2,11-14; 3,4-7; Luke 3,15-16.21-22.
Following the lead of some friends, I decided to start the year differently than usual. After my morning mass, I dashed out of church and made my way to Sliema. That is where I had my first dip ever in the sea on January 1 in cold, crystal-clear water. What a refreshing and invigorating experience!
Together with the empowerment received earlier in the Eucharist, that swim made me feel psychologically ready to face the year ahead. Though it only lasted a few minutes, it was enough to boost me enough to face any challenge.
After last week’s visit of the Magi to baby Jesus in Bethlehem, this Sunday the Church catapults us to his baptism scene, which does not occur while he is still a child, as is common practice nowadays, but rather in his adulthood.
The Jewish child Jesus who had not shunned an intimate visit of pagan Magi would not feel less comfortable surrounded by men and women, young and old, who were burdened by sin and who sought to be washed clean in the baptismal waters of the Jordan. Like a pilgrim of hope, he walked in their midst and headed straight to those waters, so rich in symbolism and so full of promise.
Despite my New Year’s dip being an exhilarating experience, Christ’s immersion in those muddy waters of the Jordan was so much more meaningful and inspiring. His baptism was unlike that of all the rest who surrounded him.
His full immersion in the water signified his uncompromising surrender to the Father’s will
This was not about his conversion but about the Father’s commission; Jesus was not laying down his sin but rather taking up a mission. His baptism signified his complete dependence on the Father in any salvific work he would accomplish. His full immersion in the water signified his uncompromising surrender to the Father’s will.
Many have enjoyed films about the British secret agent known by the codename 007. James Bond is often seen communicating with those in charge of the Secret Intelligence Service, the MI6, and receiving instructions from the head, who is known as M. The scenes contain all that is needed to whet one’s appetite and to keep the viewer on tenterhooks. The gadgets with which Bond is furnished make him entirely equipped to accomplish the most daring of missions, and clearly give him an advantage over his opponents.
Yet, despite the professionalism of the Secret Service’s activities, love is the only element that is missing, particularly if one were to compare those scenes with the baptism of Jesus. In the latter, as Jesus becomes empowered by the Spirit of God to conquer the very kingdom of darkness, the heavenly Father’s voice is heard addressing him with these tender words: “You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Lk 3,22) – a rare moment of revelation in which we are allowed to listen to the most sublime words reverberating in the Godhead. The assurance of that love is all that the son needed in order to face the devil and strip him of his authority singlehandedly.
Literature is replete with the theme of incredible missions, such as the daunting one of Frodo Baggins, the hobbit in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings who had the awesome task of destroying the One Ring that dominated the peoples of Middle-earth. We too have each been entrusted with a mission, which we can accomplish because God’s gaze is upon us, just as it was on Jesus, and because we are immersed in his love.
The Christian author Joseph Hedgecock has said that some people look so sour they seem to have been baptised in lemon juice. We would do well to remember that we were baptised in the Holy Spirit whose power cannot but bring us deep joy.