 |
“Baptism of Christ”
by Tintoretto, 1540’s |
Readings for the Feast of the
Baptism of the Lord [2]
Readings
from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary:[4]
Reading 1: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
Thus
says the Lord:
Here
is my servant whom I uphold,
my
chosen one with whom I am pleased,
upon
whom I have put my spirit;
he
shall bring forth justice to the nations,
not
crying out, not shouting,
not
making his voice heard in the street.
a
bruised reed he shall not break,
and
a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
until
he establishes justice on the earth;
the
coastlands will wait for his teaching.
I,
the Lord, have called you for the victory of justice,
I
have grasped you by the hand;
I
formed you, and set you
as
a covenant of the people,
a
light for the nations,
to
open the eyes of the blind,
to
bring out prisoners from confinement,
and
from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Is 42:1-4, 6-7
This passage begins what is known as the “First Song of the Servant
of the Lord.” There are three more passages considered by some to be parts of
one poem (Isaiah
49:1-6; Isaiah
50:4-7; and Isaiah
52:13—53:12). While there is some scholarly debate about the original intent
of these poems, the prophetic view sees in these songs a reference to the
coming messiah.
In this first song, Isaiah’s prediction brings us almost the exact
words spoken by God as Jesus walks out of the Jordan following his baptism: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my
chosen one with whom I am pleased.” The image of God infusing his
spirit is fulfilled as the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove at Jesus’
baptism (Matthew
16:12; Mark
1:10; Luke
3:22). He goes on in v. 2-4 to describe the compassionate and loving
character of the messiah.
In v. 6-7, Isaiah focuses on the new covenant established with the
people. “The expression ‘light
to the nations’ (v.6) seems to find an echo in what Jesus says
about his being ‘the light of
the world’ (John
8:12; 9:5) and also
in the Benedictus of
Zechariah (Luke 1:78-79). There is
an evocation of v.7 in Jesus’ reply to the messengers from John the Baptist who
ask him whether he is ‘he who is to come’ (cf. Matthew 11:4-6; Luke 7:18-22); […] And
so St. Justin will say commenting on vv. 6-7: ‘Everything that is said here, my
friends, refers to Christ and to the peoples who have been enlightened by his
presence.’ (Dialogus cum
Tryphone, 122, 2)” [5]
CCC: Is 42:1-9 713; Is
42:1 536,
555; Is 42:3 580; Is
42:6 580
-------------------------------------------
OR
Acts 10:34-38
Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered
in the house of Cornelius, saying:
“In truth, I see that God shows no
partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him
and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him.
You know the word that he sent to the
Israelites
as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ,
who is Lord of all,
what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee
after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the
devil,
for God was with him.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary
on Acts 10:34-38
In this selection from Acts,
Peter is speaking in the house of Cornelius following the vision he was given
showing him that nothing God created should be considered profane. Peter
pondered this vision because it challenged the precepts of Jewish dietary laws
and laws forbidding contact with Gentiles at certain times. It expands the
invitation to salvation saying that God is for everyone, not just the
Israelites. Peter then launches into the Good News which he starts with a
description of the baptism of the Lord and how the Holy Spirit descended. The passage concludes with Peter saying his
mission is to reveal God’s love in his healing ministry.
CCC: Acts 10:35 761;
Acts 10:38 438, 453, 486, 1289
-------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
R.
(11b) The Lord will bless his people
with peace.
Give to the Lord, you sons of God,
give to the Lord glory and praise,
Give to the Lord the glory due his name;
adore the Lord in holy attire.
R.
The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters,
the Lord, over vast waters.
The voice of the Lord is mighty;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
R.
The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The God of glory thunders,
and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
The Lord is enthroned above the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as king forever.
R.
The Lord will bless his people with peace.
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps
29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
Psalm 29 is a hymn extolling the
power of God. These strophes describe the immense power of God in nature. His majesty
encompasses the earth (“enthroned above the flood”) and his kingship is
established over all the earth, forever. This psalm selection focuses our
attention on the baptismal font as it addresses water, the symbol and source of
life, in two of the three strophes.
CCC: Ps
29:2 2143
-------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17
Jesus
came from Galilee to John at the Jordan
to
be baptized by him.
John
tried to prevent him, saying,
“I
need to be baptized by you,
and
yet you are coming to me?”
Jesus
said to him in reply,
“Allow
it now, for thus it is fitting for us
to
fulfill all righteousness.”
Then
he allowed him.
After
Jesus was baptized,
he
came up from the water and behold,
the
heavens were opened for him,
and
he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and
coming upon him.
And
a voice came from the heavens, saying,
“This
is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt
3:13-17
The story of the baptism of Jesus from St. Matthew’s Gospel, while
short, is the most complete account of the interaction between Jesus and St.
John the Baptist in the Synoptic Gospels. Jesus recognizes the symbolic nature
of what the Baptist is doing and tells him, over his objections, to “fulfill
all righteousness.”
“Jesus puts John’s view of justice in a new light. In the Old Testament, ‘justice’ meant the
attribution of holiness to God and of sinfulness to man. Therefore, the Master
could not possibly be baptized by the disciple. The human hand held out in a
gesture of forgiveness of the all-pure and holy Head would surely incur
horrendous blasphemy. Would it not whither on the spot? But what if the Master
himself should request it? Jesus’ petition of baptism somehow fulfills
the divine justice abundantly and more meticulously than the traditional
assignation of the virtue of guilt.” [6]
The event unfolds with Jesus coming up from the water and the Holy
Spirit descending. What God says, as reported by St. Matthew, differs slightly
from the Gospels of Mark and Luke in that the address takes the form of a
proclamation, as opposed to a statement to the Lord himself (“This is my
beloved Son,” as opposed to “You are my beloved Son" (Mark 1:11) or (Luke 3:22)).
CCC: Mt 3:13-17 535,
1286; Mt 3:13 1223; Mt
3:14-15 608; Mt 3:15 536,
1224; Mt 3:16-17 1224; Mt 3:16 536; Mt 3:16
& par. 701; Mt 3:17 444,
713
-------------------------------------------
Reflection
The baptism of Jesus, like
our own baptisms, marks a beginning and an end. For the Lord, it is the end of
his preparation. He was born to a task. His self-imposed incarnation was for a
purpose. He was to reveal God’s love to all creation. All that we have been
talking and hearing about since the Nativity of the Lord a few short weeks ago
has pointed to this moment.
The story we have heard about
the Lord’s humble but miraculous birth to a virgin in Bethlehem was to fulfill
the prophecy of his coming. The whole weight of the prophets was thrown behind
that starlit birth in a manger. The world’s anticipation was recognized as the
magi came bearing gifts. It was not just to the Jews that the Light came into
the world, but to the whole of mankind.
In Scripture, during those
days immediately following the angelic proclamation that the Prince of Peace
had come to us, we heard how his father, St. Joseph, listened to those heavenly
messengers and fled to Egypt with Mary, the Mother of God, and their new son.
The story continues with details of how Herod’s plot to stop God’s plan was
foiled through the cries of the first martyrs, the Holy Innocents.
Those early years of the
Lord’s life were not shared with us. He comes to the baptismal bath now as a
man of thirty, prepared to take up the mantle of the Messiah. He submits to the
symbolic bath of St. John the Baptist, his cousin, and emerges, at once crowned
with the Holy Spirit. Now, joined with the "substance," "person,"
or "hypostasis”[7]
that is the Holy Spirit he would later leave as a gift, the beginning is at an
end and the work of the Lord is at hand.
For us too, the gift of new
life in baptism was both an end and a beginning. We were given as a gift of new
life and a share in God’s creative work to our parents. If we were baptized, as
most of us were, as infants, our parents stood up in front of the faith
community to which they belonged and promised, as our proxies, in our place,
that the faith we share would be the faith of their child.
We were brought to that bath
as human children and came out of it changed, altered in essence. Like a piece
of steel that is tempered in fire, in its raw form we cannot see a difference
between the metal and the finished product. But when tested, there is strength
in that tempered steel not found in it before it passed through the fire. When
we received that baptism, the heart that beat within us was strengthened with
the Holy Spirit. Just as Christ welcomed the Spirit at his baptism we were given
that same gift.
Something else happens as
well. There is a drowning, sin is washed away. Again, as the impurities of
metal are removed during the fabricating process, the soul is washed clean. The
sins no longer exist, something new rises out of that water, freed from the
nature that allowed Adam and Eve to be deceived by Satan. We are freed from
that fallen nature of disobedience to the Father. The old self dies in that
bath, drowned in the love of God for his children.
Once transformed in the
waters of baptism, we were anointed with holy chrism. Upon our crowns was
placed that sacred oil which set us aside, now as something holy, something of
God. Changed in character, we were then offered as a gift to the Son who saved
us.
Next, we were presented with
the Light of Christ from the new fire of the Easter candle, and clothed in a
white garment, making us as new creations, now reborn in Christ.
For those of us baptized as
infants we do not remember the event that opened the gates of heaven for us.
For those of us lucky enough to have been “made
new” later in life, those effects were no doubt felt as they occurred.
Whether we were old or young, when we passed through that holy bath we were set
upon a new course. Like Jesus, that mission was placed before us and we are
called to follow his example.
Today as we celebrate the
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we are reminded of our own call to holiness.
In Jesus’ life, this event marked a new beginning. We now embark upon our own
continued journey. As we reflect upon our lives to this point, we are called
once more to ask ourselves if we have done what God has called us to do. We are
called, as a holy people, set aside for Christ, to take up the message given by
the angels at the Lord’s birth. We are called, as the adopted sons and
daughters of God, to bring that message of love and peace to all we meet. That
is what the journey upon which the Lord embarks is about; that is our mission
as well.
Pax
[1]
The Homiletic Directory does not
provide links for the Baptism of the Lord. These references are taken
from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, © 1994, United States Catholic
Conference, Inc. – Libreris Editrice Vaticana, p. 756.[2]
The picture is “Baptism of Christ” by Tintoretto, 1540’s.
[3]
S.S. Commemoratio[4]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the
psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
[5]
The
Navarre Bible, “Gospels
and Acts,” Scepter Publishers,
Princeton,
NJ, © 2002, p. 186.
[6]
Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I, Erasmo
Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996 p. 130.[7]
CCC 249-256.
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