On Christmas, we journeyed with the humble shepherds to the manger in Bethlehem. The poor shepherds give testimony: God draws near to the poor and the lowly. The Most High God doesn’t simply love us from a distance, he comes into the grime and the muck of humanity—into poverty, filth, obscurity, and suffering to be among us, to save us from our sins, and to show us the way to true peace and freedom
At Epiphany, we journeyed with wise men from the east bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The gold testified that he was a king, the frankincense testified that was God, , and the myrrh testified that he would die for us. To be wise is to seek Him out, to kneel before him, to place our lives in his service.
On this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, fast forward 30 years from Bethlehem. Jesus goes down to the Jordan to be baptized by John. As water is poured, the Holy Spirit descends like a Dove and the voice from heaven speaks. So, at Christmas, we had shepherds testifying to Jesus’ identify, on Epiphany we had the wise men testifying who Jesus is, now at his Baptism, not only is John the Baptist testifying to Jesus’ Identity, but God the Father and God the Holy Spirit show up as well, to testify that Jesus is the Son of God.Jesus is not just a wise philosopher like Socrates, he’s not just a moral teacher or spiritual guru . He’s not a peace activist or political figure working for some earthly utopia. He is God, the second person of the Holy Trinity. His teachings are not just opinions; they are not amalgamations of human wisdom.
Nor has he come simply to teach us theological formulations or inspiring aphorisms. St. Peter explaining to a small group in the house of Cornelius says in our second reading, that Jesus came to heal those oppressed by the devil. St. John in his first new testament letter echoes this point. John writes, “This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.” Sin is so abominable in the sight of God that its various forms are said to be "the works of the devil." And Jesus has come to heal the effects of sin, to overthrow the kingdom of Satan. He came to wage war with the devil, and his baptism marks the beginning of this great and cosmic battle. As soldiers were anointed with oil before battle, Jesus, at his Baptism, is anointed by the Holy Spirit and blessed by his Father for this battle.
If we were to read on in Matthew's Gospel, following the passage we just heard, the Lord is immediately driven out into the desert by the Spirit where he fasts and is tempted by the devil. The Lord wins that first desert skirmish, a foreshadowing of his ultimate victory on the cross. But the Lord came not simply to resist the devil but to overthrow him. The victory, the coup, would occur on Calvary.
The Feast of the Baptism not only calls to mind the Lord’s baptism, but reminds us of our own. We who have been baptized, have been baptized into his saving death, as St. paul says. When we are baptized, the devil’s hold on us in unraveled, the effects of his malice upon us begin to be healed. We are given the strength to withstand the devil’s temptations, like our Lord in the desert.
But again, just as the Lord came not simply to withstand, but to destroy the works of the devil, so are we, by baptism, empowered for that same mission. We are empowered to be forces for good in the world, instruments of God, members of the fighting force against which the gates of hell shall not prevail, in winning back souls from the devil’s grasp, lifting the oppression of sin, and error, and confusion, and shame which comes from sin. Baptism reopens a conduit to heaven that had been closed by sin, a blockage which delighted the enemy. But because the life of Christ flows into the souls of the baptized, united with Him, we are empowered to bring the Lord’s power and love into hopeless, desperate situations, to work for peace and reconciliation, to bring the most hardened souls back to God. Baptism enables us to become with Christ, in the words of Isaiah in our first reading “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.”
I am fond of recalling on this feast the catechism lesson Pope Saint Leo the Great would give to the newly baptized of Rome. He would instruct them, "Christian, recognize your dignity and, now that you share in God's own nature, do not return to your former base condition by sinning. Remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of the Kingdom of God."
What powerful words that we should never forget. Recalling that we are baptized should bring us joy when we are sad, fortification to work against injustice, and strength when we are tempted, A powerful way to fight off temptation is to recall our baptism. To say to ourselves, “wait, I’m a Christian, I’m not supposed to do that; I’m not supposed to talk like that. I’m supposed to act like Christ. I'm not supposed to ignore the needs of my brother. Christ, sustain me. Christ, heal me. Christ, you are my life and my love.”
Baptism is more than just a symbolic ceremony where we express our faith. Baptism is the greatest of the Christmas gifts—the gift of salvation, the gift which heals the oppression of the devil and unravels his works, the gift of God’s divine life within us, a share in his kingdom, power, and glory.
May the grace of our baptism be renewed and flourish within us, strengthening us in our mission to “go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them all that Christ commands and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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