You Are My Beloved

January 11, 2009

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord


By Rev. Joe McCloskey, S.J.


Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near. Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked man his thoughts; Let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. Isaiah 55:6-8


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.” Mark 1:10-11

Piety

God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation, and say on that day: Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth. Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel!
(Isaiah 12:2-6)

Study

Baptism of fire is the learning by the doing. Christ’s baptism was the accepting of a challenge to do something about sin in the world. It was a baptism into a destiny pointed out in the Suffering Servant chapters of Isaiah. They depicted the sufferings Christ would go through. Christ, by John’s baptism, accepted the plan of his Father to go from the Hidden Life of Nazareth to the Public Life of proclaiming the Good News of Salvation, namely that God’s love was in the world by his person and he would be the forgiveness of sin.

Destiny is God’s plan for us. Our Life’s purpose is to be available to what the Lord wants, even in the trivial things. Thus we love God with our mind, heart, soul, strength and all that we are. We are baptized into a destiny given us by God. What God is asking of us is found in the needs of our family, friends, jobs and commitments. By our baptisms we are joined to the destiny of Christ. He asks us to be his presence in the world. We are called to be his saints. A Saint is an update of Jesus Christ. Our spirituality calls us by our moments close to Christ to become his presence in the World. We are called to be transparencies of Christ by the goodness and the love of our lives.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ begotten by God and everyone who loves the Father loves also the one begotten by God. Our baptisms not only join us to Christ, they make us sharers in his destiny. We might not have to die on his cross. But we are called to share his cross by what we suffer in his name.

Crosses are invitations to discipleship. His disciples take up their crosses – accept the inconveniences of the day as God’s invitation - don’t expect things to be easy or smooth – accept the daily chaos as a good thing. “Behold the Lamb of God” is John recognizing at Jesus’ baptism the destiny of the Suffering Servant in Christ. He is pointing out the destiny of Jesus, tying together the old prophecies and the future. A number of times in the Gospels Jesus mentions having to go to Jerusalem to suffer. He is conscious of His anointing as the Lamb. He is baptized into a destiny and accepts it. We are free to make his choice in the acceptance of life’s crosses with love. Fulfillment belongs to moments in which our destiny is played out in what we are doing. Accepted graces of the cross are part of being followers of Christ. A good life is destiny realized. The Baptism of Christ is his acceptance of his destiny. We are baptized into a share of his destiny. Our happiness will follow our living up to our baptism into Christ.

Action

Our love of God is shown in the keeping of his Commandments. Healthy interpersonal relationships are the wholeness of life brought on by living God’s Way in our world. When we understand that Jesus is the Son of God we have a handle on how to live the God life that is the humanness of Christ. Christ is human living lived in the perfection of what is possible to our humanness. In the humanness of Christ we have the perfect revelation of what God hopes from us. When we recognize Christ in each other we are echoes of the voice from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” All of the Commandments are summed up in the loving of others as our real self. Our world needs to be soaked with the water and the blood that pours forth from the heart pierced on the Cross. We are baptized into being God’s love in our going into the waters with Christ. We need to soak our world with his love.