FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD
This Sunday we officially end the season of Christmas on this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Today, we formally enter into the Season of Ordinary time with a strong emphasis on our baptism, which made us citizens of the kingdom of God. The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord reminds us of our basic and fundamental identity as baptized followers of Christ. In God’s kingdom, our citizenship is based not on our country of birth or through a process of naturalization, but rather based on faith and on a personal encounter with God. Our participation in the Christian community attests to the reality that since we did not come into this world alone, but through the communion of two persons — the communion of our mothers and our fathers — so too our journey back to God is with other people. This is the primary reason why we need the Church. The Church does not exist so that we can have weekly fellowship, but rather to lead us to salvation as one community. And how do we accomplish that? We accomplish that through living out our baptismal promises and commitments.
The baptism of the Lord in the Jordan River was also the beginning of his active public ministry. After baptism, we saw Him boldly preaching the Good News, curing the sick, etc. This is also what is expected of us through our baptism. Our baptism carries a huge responsibility of leading a life according to our Christian commitment. There are many rich symbols of the sacrament of baptism, starting from the asking of the priest of the name of the child which signifies that the person to be baptized is no longer anonymous; he/she does not live in darkness anymore without a clear identity, but is now a child of God. Another powerful symbol is the signing of the cross in which the priest says these words “(NAME), the Christian community welcomes you with great joy. In its name, I claim you for Christ our Savior by the sign of his cross” — this powerfully communicates that we are now branded in Christ, that we are now of God because that sign is an indelible mark of our incorporation to Jesus; to act otherwise is to deny our new identity. As baptized, we walk in this world with that invisible sign of the cross, and that invisible sign is made visible by the way we lead our own lives. Another powerful symbol is the baptismal white garment in which the priest says to the newly baptized “you have become a new creation and have clothed yourself in Christ. See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity. With your family and friends to help you by word and example, bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of Heaven.” What color is our baptismal garment now? Is it still white? To be baptized is to be sent for a mission. The way we live our life is the way we manifest our own baptism, and it is also our own way to fulfill our call to spread the Good News. Being a responsible parent, a good student, an honest worker, caring for the poor, paying our taxes and respecting others, despite differences in beliefs or traditions, are just a few of the many ways in which we are living out our baptismal commitment. I must admit that these are easily said than done. Part of being true to our baptismal call is the constant struggle to grow and mature in our faith. Even though there are some things that are unclear and ambiguous to us or even if we have experienced pain and suffering within our Church community, meaning and faith have the last word. We may not now be able to tell the story of our lives or of humanity, but our hope is that one day all that we have lived will be found to have sense. Though we cannot make an exclusive claim that we are the only one who is sharing in God’s life, we must be aware that because of our baptism, we have been freed from the slavery to sin and invited into the very life of God and one day share in God’s glory. This should give us great joy and hope. ~ Fr. Cary