11 January 2015
Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord
Have you ever wondered why Jesus even had to be baptized? After all, wasn’t he “like us in all things but sin” as we hear in some of the liturgical prayers? The fact of Jesus’ baptism caused some confusion among early Christians, as baptism is associated with cleansing from sin.In the gospels the baptism of Jesus is regarded not as the act of repentance encouraged by John the Baptist. Rather, this event is the inauguration of Jesus' mission of preaching, healing and forgiving.
What the people witnessed that day was earth-shattering. The Greek text describes the heavens being literally “torn apart" as the voice of God was heard acknowledging his beloved son. Jesus was plunged into the primordial chaos of the water and emerged to signify a new cleansing of heart and spirit. In this act he revealed his solidarity with sinful humanity (though he was without sin personally) and prefigured the final cleansing that would take place at his death. Christ’s emerging from the water is a figure of his rising from the dead.
Today’s second reading reflects on the same mysteries. “This is the one
who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but
by water and blood. The Spirit is the one that testifies, and the Spirit
is truth. So there are three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and
the blood, and the three are of one accord.” As Jesus emerges from the
depths of the Jordan River, he is joined by the Father and Spirit
revealing their common being (consubstantial nature, from the
Latin)--the communion that is the Holy Trinity. Like that of Jesus, our baptism was a public event witnessed by fellow believers. The life of the Trinity entered our being as we received our divine childhood. We are the handiwork of God’s creation, and in us the Father sees the Body of Christ and is well pleased.
The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, Class of 2001, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, the Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.
