Anointed with Water

Feast of the Lord's Baptism Jan. 9, 2011 (Mt 3:13-17)

Then 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."

John the Baptist's baptism of repentance was a preparation for the coming of the Kingdom of God. In the advent of God's kingdom, John called the people to be in the proper disposition. This is what the baptismal ritual symbolized. One arises from the Jordan River a new person; he has emerged from the river and has let it wash away his sins. This resolve to turn away from sin prepared the way for the radical message of conversion that Jesus will bring.

But why would Jesus have to be baptized? Did Jesus have to prepare Himself for the coming of God's Kingdom? Actually, yes He did. He needed to prepare because it was Him who was to usher in the coming of this Kingdom. He was "bracing Himself" for the task ahead. His baptism, therefore, is the beginning of His mission, His commissioning, so to speak. With the Father and the Spirit, He begins His work of proclaiming God's Kingdom. But more than that, His baptism is a revelation that the work He will do is divine. The Trinity manifests itself and declares that they are about to work wonders.

Like Jesus' baptism, our own baptism also symbolizes our participation in the coming of the Kingdom. Our baptism bestows upon us the privilege of being children of God. Yet it also gives us the responsibility to live up to the name Christian. We must, therefore, live our lives as Jesus showed us, and our lives must be a testament that God is King over us. In short, we must live as obedient children of God.

Aside from living up to our mission as baptized Catholics in our personal lives, we must also recognize that we are part of the Church, the community of the baptized and the sacrament of God's Kingdom here on earth. Most Catholics do not go to church anymore. They do not join the assembly of the people of God. They must recognize the fact that, although personal devotion is good, worshiping God as a community is very important. The assembly gathered in the church is a sign of God's presence on earth. Christ Himself assured us His presence wherever an assembly gathers in His name.

Our Baptism reminds us to be true children of God, obedient to His will and participative in the mission He entrusted us with, that of building His Kingdom here on earth. Let us no longer be Catholics by name, but by the very life we live. May the waters of baptism remind us that we have been washed and that, therefore, we ought to remain clean. In the end, may we also hear the Father tell us, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

His Mission

Feast of the Lord's Baptism Jan. 10, 2010 (Lk 3:15-16, 21-22)

Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. John answered them all, saying, "I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

The baptism preached by John is a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. So why did Jesus need to be baptized by John, when Jesus had no sin and, therefore, did not need to be baptized? This question is usually where reflections about today's Gospel start.

Jesus' baptism echoes the message of Christmas to a larger audience. It echoes the truth that God has indeed visited His people and that He dwells with them even though they are sinners. Metaphorically speaking, the River Jordan has been dirtied by the sins of those who have repented and have had their baptism in it. Jesus, the Savior, made the waters clean. The waters of the Jordan were made holy by Jesus who plunged in it. In the same way, Jesus comes into this world as man to cleanse us from sin by His bloody Baptism on Mount Calvary.

The Baptism of Jesus, therefore, reminds us of the central message of Christmas - that Jesus came into our sinful world to save us. In this sense, also, we realize that the joy of Christmas is inseparable to the sorrow of Calvary. The news that Jesus dwelt here on earth cannot be separated with the story of his saving death.

In the first part of the Gospel, John spoke about the coming of someone mightier than him. Jesus was then revealed to the people as the Son of God, the promised Messiah John spoke about. One should never cease to marvel at how God has willed to send even His own Son for our salvation. It was unthinkable that a God would become man, out of love for His people. Much less unthinkable is the fact that this Son of God would offer his life for the salvation of His people. Yet, God showed us His love: "This is my beloved Son." Witnesses of Jesus' Baptism ought to have been in awe.

On our part, since we are baptized Christians, we ought to pattern our lives to that of Christ. The Holy Spirit who descended upon Jesus as a dove shall guide us as we travel to our own Jerusalem. Each person has been anointed by God to serve Him in a unique way and each must discern and obey His will. But as a Church, we also share a common mission, given to us by Christ. And that is to be His witnesses to the whole world. As Jesus was baptized to start His public ministry, our own Baptism also anoints us as children of God. And we must live as His true children, faithful and obedient.

Dying to Produce Fruit

5th Sunday of Lent Mar. 29, 2009 (Jn 12:20-33)

Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus."

Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit."

"Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me."

"I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name."

Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it and will glorify it again."

The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; but others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come for my sake but for yours. Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself." He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

As we are nearing the celebration of Jesus' passion, death and resurrection, the Gospel readings are already pointing to the events of Jesus' crucifixion. In the Gospel last Sunday, Jesus explained to Nicodemus how He must be lifted up like the serpent in the desert from Old Testament times. Today, Jesus speaks about His hour, the hour when He will fulfill His mission on earth, the hour when He shall die on the cross, the hour of His glory.

Jesus compares Himself to a grain of wheat that must die in order to produce fruit. But more than just a metaphor for His death, this parable of the grain of wheat is a call for us followers of Christ to "die" so we may bear fruit. As Jesus said, "Whoever serves me must follow me..." (Jn 12:26) Therefore, if Jesus' mission is to die to produce fruit, we should also follow Jesus' example. We should also die.

Now "dying" does not necessarily have to be literal. Dying in order to produce fruit means that we should die to our sinful selves and emerge as new persons, just like in Baptism. It also entails sacrificing for other people who are in need, denying oneself in order to help them. Literally dying for the faith, or dying a martyr's death, is not an opportunity given to all Christians. But even if we are not given the chance to die for God and for our neighbor, the challenge for all of us is to live for God and for our neighbor. Our whole life can be a sacrifice to God, in service of our neighbors. And this sacrifice, since a sacrifice always hurts us, will be our "death" that will produce much fruit.

In Jesus' death, He will gather all people to Himself. By "all people", He meant everyone. This is symbolized by the Greeks who came looking for Jesus. Jesus' salvation is for all of us; it is not exclusive, because we are all in need of salvation. Jesus' blood is enough to purchase all men. There is no single person whose sins are so great that Jesus could not have saved him. Nevertheless, all who seek salvation must first believe and follow Jesus.

As we enter Holy Week, let us remember the importance of sacrifice, the importance of pain and suffering. For as Jesus said, "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life." (Jn 12:25). Therefore we must set our eyes to the things of heaven, and deny ourselves and sacrifice for the good of all. Let us also remember that Easter cannot come without Good Friday and that the hour of Jesus' glory (Jn 12:23) is the hour of His death.

Our Christian Mission

Feast of the Lord's Baptism Jan. 11, 2009 (Mk 1:7-11)

This is what John the Baptist proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.

And a voice came from the heavens, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

The baptism proclaimed by John was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, the question we have to reflect on today is this: "Why did Jesus have to be baptized?" True, Jesus became man. But He did not commit sin. He was like us in all things but sin (Heb 4:15). So why did He have to be baptized by John?

The baptism of Jesus is also an Epiphany. It is a manifestation. It is when God the Father introduced Jesus as His beloved Son. If we compare this epiphany to the epiphany which occurred when the baby Jesus was revealed to the magi, there is one noteworthy similarity. Both epiphanies occurred in humble scenarios. Yes, Jesus manifests Himself in simple and humble ways. First, He was manifested to the magi, lying on the humble manger. Now, He is manifested to the peoples, while receiving a baptism that was meant for sinners. Jesus baptism is, therefore, an act of humility. It is a sign of His sharing with our humanity. He identifies Himself with sinful man, yet He Himself remained sinless.

Jesus' baptism is also the beginning of His public ministry. After His baptism, he went to fast in the wilderness where He was tempted. Then, He began His mission - three years of preaching, healing the sick, forgiving sinners and feeding the hungry - which culminated in His passion, death and resurrection.

Today's feast reminds us of our own baptism. We often think of baptism as a ritual that has been done to us before. But it is much more than that. Baptism makes us Christians - followers of Christ and children of the Father. Through it, we receive the Holy Spirit.

Baptism also gives us a mission - a common mission as part of the community and a unique mission which we must discern. Our baptism is something which we must live up to everyday. We must live in the way Christ showed us. Our parents and godparents should be our guide in doing this. Sadly, many ignore this mission.

As children of God, we share in the mission of Christ, We must continue building the Kingdom of God on earth. We must journey towards God and help each other be closer to Him.

Do we give value to our baptism? Do we live up to the mission given to us as baptized Christians? Are we helping to build the Kingdom on here earth? Or are we just living as children of this earth, with worldly values and desires?