Merry Christmas to all of you. Today our celebration of the Baptism of the Lord brings us to the conclusion of the Christmas season. Throughout the course of the Christmas season we have professed that God took on our human flesh in the second person of the Holy Trinity which is to say that God now dwells with us. This message cannot remain secluded in a manger and is not a message that was simply made for the shepherds and magi who came to do Him homage. Last week we celebrated the Epiphany where we were reminded that the message of God made flesh being resonated throughout the whole world was represented by the magi's visit to the manger. Now today, through Christ's baptism in the Jordan, we are reminded of the importance that baptism plays within our own life. Here we are reminded that baptism has imparted new life upon each of us, new life which has united us to the Holy Trinity in a most special way. Due to this reality we must always set before our eyes that which was begun in us at our baptism.
At our baptism we were not simply configured to the Lord at that one point in time, but instead through our baptism our life has been changed forever. Through our baptism we have been forever oriented towards Christ whom we discover in the manger during this Christmas season. Seeing that baptism has forever changed our life and has oriented us towards Him we must take it upon ourself to continue to live out what was begun in us on that day. As we should know, the living out of our baptismal promises are not always easy. It is tough at times to keep our faith firmly placed upon what was begun within us on that day & it is also tough to continue to step out upon the straight path that leads to Christ through our resisting of sin and temptation. Nevertheless, no matter how hard it is to live out what was begun in us at our baptism we must stay firmly grounded in the continuation of this sacrament through the living out of this tension especially through the faithful reception of the sacraments that always bring us back to Christ.
Anytime that you have the opportunity to attend a baptism or even on Easter Day itself you receive the opportunity to renew your baptismal promises. To each question that is asked we know that our response is "I do." Here the use of "I do" is very similar to what we say prior to receiving Holy Communion where an "amen" is given in order to signify that you believe not only in Christ present in the Eucharist, but also in everything that the Church professes and teaches. So often we pass by our "I do" given at the renewal of our baptismal promises as if they are without meaning. So to with our "amen" given prior to receiving our Lord in Holy Communion because we are used to saying what is requested of us without moving on to reflect deeper upon the significance of our words. And so we are asked: Do you reject Satan? And all his works? And all his empty promises? Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of Heaven and earth? Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?
Each of these statements are most important because they renew within us our commitment to what was begun in us on the day of our baptism. May our "I do" or even our "amen" always signify our commitment to what was begun in us on that wondrous day of our baptism. When Christ was baptized in the Jordan He went plunged into the water to signify His death, but then He rose again from the waters to signify the new life that springs forth with the Resurrection. We to have been plunged into these waters in order to put our sin to death and we have then raised forth from them as a new creature who will always be oriented towards God.
It was Saint John John the Baptist who prepared us for the coming of the Messiah throughout the season of Advent with his command to make straight the way to the Lord. This day we again encounter Saint John the Baptist who now points the way to the Messiah who dwells with us. From Saint John's Gospel we are told "He must increase, I must decrease." Indeed we must allow our Lord to increase in our life by the way that we continue to live out what was begun in us on the day of our baptism. May we always allow nothing to impede this relationship, but instead may we continue to come to the mercy and forgiveness of Christ who always sheds the water of new life upon us.
No comments:
Post a Comment