Baptism of the Lord ~ January 9, 2011 ~ Liturgical Year A, Cycle I
First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
Second Reading: Acts 10:34-38
Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17
Summary of the Gospel
This Sunday the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord Jesus. This event marks the end of Jesus’ private life and the beginning of His public ministry. This passage is short and simple: Jesus presents Himself to a hesitant St. John the Baptist, who baptizes Jesus. The Spirit then descends upon Jesus and the Father verbally expresses His love for the Son: Short and sweet, end of story…or is it? This passage raises some interesting questions:
1. Why did Jesus need to get baptized? It is important to remember that Jesus did not need to get baptized, but rather He saw it as fitting. Jesus doesn’t need anything: He’s God, and lacks nothing. So what He does in getting baptized He does for our sake. Jesus is baptized as an outward sign to begin His ministry, and to be an example for us that we need to be baptized.
2. Why did the Spirit come upon Him – wasn’t the Spirit already with Jesus? Yes, the Spirit was already on Jesus, and there was no need for Jesus to receive the Spirit because He was full of the Spirit. The Spirit has always been united with Christ. The Spirit comes down like a dove for the sake of those who were there with Jesus, and for our sake. The descent of the Spirit is a visual reminder to us (kind of like an opening ceremony) that the Lord’s ministry has begun. The Spirit is showing us that He is working with Jesus in His ministry of salvation.
3. If St. John the Baptist knew that Jesus was the source of grace, why didn’t he tell Jesus to start baptizing others, taking over St. John’s ministry on the spot? We have to understand the big picture of Jesus’ ministry – He wants you and me to be saved, to go to heaven after we die, and to live in eternity as children of the Father. Jesus didn’t start baptizing on the spot because He had to prepare us to continue His ministry of making us children of the Father. So Jesus begins this preparation with His baptism, then His miracles, His teachings, the Last Supper, the Cross and the Resurrection. Then, once resurrected, Jesus ascends to heaven and leaves us the Spirit at Pentecost. The Spirit’s role is to bring us to Christ, and He does this through our Baptism, which makes us God’s sons and daughters. It is our responsibility as the Church to go out to the world and bring others to Baptism.
4. What’s the purpose of having the voice of the Father – doesn’t Jesus already know how His Father feels about Him? Again, the purpose of the Father’s voice is not for Jesus’ sake but for our own. We see here that Jesus is not simply another good guy, but rather He has a unique and special relationship with the Father, a relationship characterized by love and unity.
Ultimately, this passage reminds us about the importance of our personal baptism, that we can become God’s special sons and daughters and enjoy love and intimacy with the Father. Many of us have been on baptismal ‘auto-pilot’, going through the motions of our faith. It is not simply good enough to go through the motions: We have to let Jesus be in control of every aspect of our lives. Let us strive to put aside anything that might get in the way of our image of God as anything but a loving, generous Father.
Reflection Questions
1. What clues does this passage provide that show us that God is Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)?
2. Why did Jesus decide not to take over St. John the Baptist’s ministry right after His own baptism and begin baptizing people on the spot? We did He leave that ministry to the Church? What does this say about the importance we have in being Christ’s instruments in the world?
3. What do you remember about your baptism? Describe. From the baptisms you have seen, what strikes you from the Baptismal ceremony? Why? Describe.
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