The Baptism of the Lord

January 9, 2011

The baptism of Jesus is an important theological event for the four Evangelists because it appears in each of the Gospels. Mark's account is straightforward but it presented an embarrassing problem for the early church. It struggled with the incongruity of the sinless Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist for his sins. Matthew remedies this point by removing that baptism is done "for the forgiveness of sins" and adding "let it be so for now." Matthew emphasizes fulfillment of Scripture as a completion of God's work through Christ.

Matthews first main theme in his Gospel is the nearness of the kingdom of God. His second concern is that justice and righteousness comes from living in this kingdom. One is to do whatever is just because one is obedient to the will of God. Jesus identifies with the common person and shows his solidarity by submitting to John's baptism, even though in theological terms he did not need to do so.

As he comes up from the water, Matthew tells us that the heavens were opened for him. He becomes the anointed one and receives power, wisdom, and holiness to become the special servant of God. Matthew has in mind the mysterious suffering servant who, though innocent, suffers for the people. We have to remember that the Gospels were written well after the earthly life of Jesus and symbolic meaning was often attached to his life's events.

The suffering servant is introduced in the first reading from Isaiah. We notice that God has a special relationship to this servant whom God blesses. God delights in him who is obedient to the divine will even if it involves terrible suffering. This servant will establish God's justice on the earth and will be a great teacher of God's mercy. Through his suffering God will be able to bring light to the nations, open the eyes of the blind, and release prisoners from their dungeon.

Peter, in the second reading, introduces baptism as a way of being included into the family of believes. The people of every nation can be received into God's favor for God shows no partiality if the people reverence God and acts justly. Through baptism, God's Spirit rests upon the faithful ones and receives spiritual aids to help them lead righteous lives.

It is an appropriate time to return to our own baptism. Most of us cannot remember our infant baptism but we can consider the community of faith that surrounded us as we were brought into Christ's life. Sponsors and Godparents, friends and family joined together to attend this happy event. As a communion of saints, they prayed over us and for us. Perhaps it is a day when we can renew our baptismal promises as we profess our faith. Perhaps we can try to understand the deeper implications of our faith, especially a faith that begets God's justice. Regardless, it is a day in which we can return to God's affirmation of us through the Spirit when he speaks to us the words he spoke to Jesus and the suffering servant: "This is my beloved with whom I am well pleased." We can do marvelous deeds when we know God affirms our identity.

Themes for this Week’s Masses

First Reading: Ordinary time begins with Hebrews in Cycle A, Year 1. The author begins by telling us that God has spoken to us through his Son, who is creator of the universe and the glory of the Father. God exalted humans so that he made his Son one of them and subjected all things to him. He would be the one to make salvation perfect through suffering. As a human, Jesus shared in the life and death for us so he might, in his mercy, destroy death and evil. After positing his points, the author exhorts Christians to encourage themselves daily so they may understand the significance of Christ's actions and to be open to the grace he extends. We are to strive to enter into the kingdom and to conform our actions according to our belief. We can confidently approach the throne of grace because the word of God is living and effective and penetrates between soul and spirit.

Gospel: After the baptism of Jesus, John was arrested and Jesus began to proclaim the Gospel of God. He calls Simon and Andrew and then James and John as his first disciples to make them fishers of people. In Mark's Gospel, Jesus shows he is powerful in words having authority of demons and spirits. He demonstrates authority not witnessed beforehand. After leaving the synagogue, Jesus heals Simon's mother-in-law. Others come to be healed. After curing them, he retires to a deserted place to pray. A leper comes to Jesus and wonders if Jesus wishes for him to be cured. He does and cures him telling him to fulfill the Mosaic custom of presenting himself to a priest for inclusion into the community. A paralytics is lowered into a home by his four friends. Jesus heals him and forgives his sins telling him to rise and walk. Jesus then calls Levi Alphaeus, a tax collector, into his inner circle, which raises the eyebrows of his friends and adversaries.

Saints of the Week

Thursday: Hilary, bishop and doctor (315-367) was a Gaul who became bishop of Poitiers and defended the faith against the Arians. The emperor banished Hilary due to the influence of the Arians, but he was returned to Gaul because he created additional problems in the East because he would not compromise on his orthodox views.

This Week in Jesuit History

• Jan. 9, 1574: Fr. Jasper Haywood died at Naples. He was superior of the English mission. As a boy he was one of the pages of honor to the Princess Elizabeth. After a brilliant career at Oxford, he renounced his fellowship and entered the Society in Rome in 1570. An able Hebrew scholar and theologians, he was for two years professor in the Roman College.
• Jan. 10, 1581: Queen Elizabeth signed the fifth Penal Statute in England inflicting heavy fines and imprisonment on all who harbored Jesuits and Seminary priests.
• Jan 10, 1567. Two Jesuits arrived in Havana, Cuba, as a base for evangelization.
• Jan 11, 1573. At Milan, St Charles Borromeo founded a college (the Brera) and placed it under the care of the Society.
• Jan 12, 1544. Xavier wrote a long letter on his apostolic labors, saying he wished to visit all the universities of Europe in search of laborers for our Lord's vineyard. The letter was widely circulated and very influential.
• Jan 13, 1547. At the Council of Trent, Fr. James Laynez, as a papal theologian, defended the Catholic doctrine on the sacraments in a learned three-hour discourse.
• Jan 14, 1989. The death of John Ford SJ, moral theologian and teacher at Weston College and Boston College. He served on the papal commission on birth control.
• Jan 15, 1955. The death of Daniel Lord SJ, popular writer, national director of the Sodality, founder of the Summer School of Catholic Action, and editor of The Queen's Work.

Ordinary Time Begins

Ordinary Time begins on January 10th, the day after the Baptism of the Lord, and continues for nine weeks until Ash Wednesday on March 9th. Lent begins late and Easter Sunday in April 24th. We enter an extended Carnival season where we can eat meat. Vale (goodbye) means to wave goodbye to Carne (meat) and the last day of Carnival is Mardi Gras - Fat Tuesday, the day that precedes Ash Wednesday.

Ordinary time is not ho-hum time. Ordinal numbers are used to number the weeks of the life of Christ in between the special seasons of Lent, Advent, Christmas, and Easter.