BAPTISM OF JESUS

BAPTISM OF JESUS

THE HOMILY     Let me begin by telling you the story of the Protestant pastor in England, the Rev. Potty Mcgoo. He wanted to improve the quality of the singing for the Sunday services. So he hired a luxury coach to bring the young people twice a week and drop them home after practice. This went on for a few weeks; but then the pastor suddenly decided to stop the whole thing. A parishioner asked him why. “Because,” explained the pastor, “these young people are belting out party songs on their way back, like ‘Roll out the barrel…the gang’s all here’”  “My dear pastor,” replied the parishioner, “what you should do is to get into the barrel yourself and sing along with them. When the gang sees that, they’ll sing better in church.”      So it was with Jesus who reached down and became one of the crowd in the Jordan. Perhaps there was some embarrassment of Jesus going needlessly down to the Jordan. Imagine him standing in line with those rogues and street women! But clearly it was the Father’s will that Jesus should share life with us. He proved true to his name – “Emmanuel” God with us. He reached down into our self-centredness and shame so that he could draw us out with him into a new beginning, empowered by the same Spirit that he received at his Baptism. Jesus’ logic was simple and honest. Since he had assumed humanity, he had taken on our sinful condition without, though, committing a personal sin. It’s like when you jump in to rescue somebody sinking in the mud, you’ve got to be ready to be muddied all over.

          So at his baptism Jesus foreshadowed the humiliation of his crucifixion. Removing his garments to step into the water, he was stripping himself of all divine prerogatives, humbly taking his place in the queue alongside mere mortals who truly need repentance and rebirth. There is a singularly unassuming quality about this “servant of Yahweh”. He is not preceded by fanfares or spectacular stunts of clowns and tumblers, and is soon launched into his mission – opening the eyes of the blind and setting captives free. How much we need to be healed of our blindness and set free from our sinful habits.         Today’s feast tells us that God can be found in the very darkness of our sinfulness. This is what we state in the profession of faith: “he descended into hell” – the hell of our sin and isolation. God will not allow the sinner to remain in his isolation; he will get to him even if it entails crucifixion.

          Unhappily we can get so familiar with God’s closeness to us that we can forget him or take him for granted. You want to hear about the absent-minded professor. This absent-minded professor came down for breakfast one morning and found the milk jug empty. Just then the doorbell rang. With milk on his mind, he got up and opened the door to see a middle-aged woman holding a bottle of milk. He looked at her and asked, “Do you come here often?” And she answered, “I’m your wife, you silly.” In a similar way we are preoccupied with small things and ignore God’s intimate presence to us.     There is no area in our lives that Jesus cannot engage with and heal. Jesus has the power to break the hold of anything that grips us. We can bring to him everything that is not yet in the light or that still holds us in bondage.

          Just visualise once again Jesus standing in solidarity with sinners in the Jordan. If we could begin to take on board the wonder of God’s solidarity with us we would see ourselves and our neighbours in a different light. The great spiritual writer, Thomas Merton, had such an experience. After spending many years in a strictly enclosed Trappist monastery, he had to go to Louisville. To his amazement he was overwhelmed by the goodness he saw in total strangers. He described them as walking around shining like the sun, seeing the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God’s eyes. If only they could see themselves as they really are. If we could see others that way all the time, there would be no more war, hatred, cruelty and greed. We would mysteriously hear God saying to each one: “You are my child, my beloved; my favour rests on you.” I’m sure that many of you have heard that voice some time or other in your life.

PRAYER 

Lord Jesus, by plunging into the Jordan waters you have made the waters of the earth baptismally clean. By your solidarity with us sinners, raise us to the level of your grace and holiness. Jesus, we acknowledge your authority and power over all areas of our life. Help us to link our lives with those who grieve about the injustice in human life; to break from the chains of past wrongs; to be ready to face your age, be renewed by your Spirit and anointed to preach the Good News to the poor, the oppressed and the prisoner. And bring us more fully into your life and truth. Amen.