January 9/10, 2010
The Baptism of the Lord

Today, we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord.  Jesus baptized by his cousin, John in the river Jordan.

In our Gospel account, John the Baptist is completing his mission. Remember, John is the voice crying out in the wilderness, "Make straight a highway for God. Here comes in power the Lord God!" John's mission was to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah, for the coming of Jesus.  John has completed his job. He has fulfilled his mission as the forerunner of the Messiah. 

Notice the Gospel says, "After all the people had been baptized, and Jesus too had been baptized."  The people were readied. All had been prepared. John saw Jesus coming and asking to be baptized.  In other Gospel accounts, John argues with Jesus saying, "I should be baptized by you, yet you come to me?"  Jesus says in return, "Give in John.  Baptize me so the law may be fulfilled."

The Son of God baptized by a mere man.

Think of it:  God humbling himself is to be baptized. God himself bows before a mere man and is baptized. God bowing before a man. And afterward, the heavens open up and the Father says, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

We really do not grasp the depths to which we have fallen do we? Our fall from grace and our original dignity.  Our complete dependence upon God and our utter helplessness without him.

Nor do we comprehend the heights to which we are called in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Where Jesus leads by example, we must follow.

Jesus' submission to John's baptism was not because of any personal need for baptism.  Jesus is God and completely sinless.  But Jesus leads us by his example. Jesus was fully aware of the depths to which we had fallen from grace and holiness. Jesus thus completely humbles himself, gives away all appearance of his greatness to demonstrate to us his solidarity with us in our lowliness, in our fallenness, and our need to ask for baptism, for forgiveness.

As soon as he does, the Spirit descends and the voice of the Father exalts Jesus and Jesus' divinity  is revealed.

Where Jesus leads, we must follow.

God is calling us to unimaginable heights, but first we must come to terms with our lowliness, the depths to which we have fallen from our real dignity.

Here in the Gospel, Jesus, the divine Son of God, humbles himself to lead us to conversion. To holiness.  

As our first reading tells us, Jesus becomes the Servant. 

   "Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased."

He leads by his humility. He grasps us by the hand and leads us.  He brings us out of our fallenness, our blindness, our prison, our darkness.

We cannot rise unless we first bow down.
We cannot become beloved sons and daughters of God if we haven't comes to terms with the depths of our fall from grace and God. 
We cannot rise to our greatness as adopted children of the most high God, unless we have first grappled with our weakness and sin.
We cannot become great unless we become the servant of all.

Where Jesus leads, we must follow.

There is a certain "theology of prosperity" nowadays that seems awfully popular, especially by some of the televangelists. This theology seems say that if you really love God, God will shower you with material wealth, as well as his love. Holy men and women will enjoy material wealth.  You can see this theology in some movies.  Those who buy into this actually are on the edge of the truth, but misunderstand the central 
notion of greatness, of our dignity. It has little to do with material wealth, but has everything to do with spiritual dignity.  

We are called to become like God himself.  And everyone, young and old, rich or poor, healthy or ill, black, white, Asian, Hispanic -- all are sons and daughters of the Lord Jesus. Our real dignity has nothing to do with our material possessions or gifts.  Our dignity lies in our relationships with God as sons and daughters. 

Jesus leads us, he grasps us by the hand, calling us forth from our dungeons. 

Let us go forth and do what is good.  What is holy. Let us do what is in conformity with our true dignity.

And in hope we wait to hear on our last day the voice from heaven say to us, "You are my beloved son or daughter; with you I am well pleased!"