The Baptism of the Lord (C); January 13, 2019
Is 40:1-11 Ps 29 Ti 2:11-14; 3:4-7 Lk 3:15-22
Deacon Jim McFadden

In celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, it is a good occasion to reflect upon this most basic Sacrament of the Church. Since most of us have been baptized, it defines our relationship with Jesus and links us to one another.
One of the earliest descriptions of Baptism was promulgated at the Council of Florence (1314), which described it as “the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to the life in the Spirit” (vitae spiritualis ianua). Baptism is the way in; it’s the foundation; it’s the precondition for an authentically spiritual life. To appreciate this is to understand what is fundamentally distinct about Christianity. Our religion is not primarily about becoming a good person or doing the right thing or, in the words of Flannery O’Connor “having a heart of gold.” Such virtues are not peculiar to Christians as a Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or even a pagan could aspire to the same things. Don’t get me wrong: if one is striving to be authentically Christian, then they will become a good person, who has a heart of gold. But, that’s not distinctive to Christianity.
Then what its? To be a Christian is to be grafted onto Christ and, in so doing, to enter into the very dynamics of the inner life of God. Doing good things, having a heart of gold—great, but they will flow from joined to our Lord.
As Christians, we don’t talk about following Jesus or imitating him as important as those are. Rather, we speak of being initiated into Christ’s very being—of being a member of his mystical Body and therefore, we share in the same relationship that he has with his Father. That’s what decisive about Christianity. Jesus is the Son of God by nature. We become via baptism the sons and daughters of God by adaption. That’s why it’s important to say that we’re baptized “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Indeed, without that Trinitarian formula, the action is not valid.
So, Baptism is tied to the Trinity. Why? Baptism draws us into the relationship between the Father and the Son. We become sons and daughters of the Father through our relationship with Jesus and we do so in the Holy Spirit, who is the “Lord and giver of life.”
Baptism, in a word, is all about grace. It’s about the breakthrough of the divine life. It’s about our incorporation through the power of God’s love into God’s own very life. Do you see why this is much more intriguing than just being a nice person? To be sure, I want you to be a good person, I don’t want you to cut people off in traffic. But, becoming a member of the Body of Christ is so much more intriguing, exciting, challenging, and puzzling than the other aspiration. Through Baptism we’ve been grafted onto Christ and, therefore, we share in the very life of God.
Think for a second that whenever you pray as a Catholic, you bless yourself “in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” By doing so, you’re signifying your Baptismal identity in a certain way. You see, you’re not praying to God; you’re not outside of God, but you are inside of God. You’re praying in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—which means you are an active participant in the Body of Christ; as such, you are sharing in the dynamism of the Holy Spirit—that’s Christian prayer!
Listen to what Gregory of Nazianzus (329-389 a.d.), one of the Cappadocian Fathers who made tremendous contributions to the doctrine of the Trinity, who said in the 4th century, “Baptism is God’s most beautiful and magnificent gift. It’s called gift because it’s conferred on those who bring nothing of their own. It’s called grace because it’s given even to the guilty.”
Isn’t that beautiful?! Baptism is pure gift and we bring nothing in exchange to merit it! You see, when we fall prey to a transactional view of religion, that if I do this and that, then God will love me. By the same token, if I do bad things, God will stop loving me. If we embrace a ‘reward/punishment’ view of Catholicism, we get into a bad spiritual space because religion becomes about us. Baptism is pure gift to those who bring nothing of their own. It’s grace and grace given even to the guilty. It’s not that I can say, “I’m innocent or I’m a good person or I have earned my spiritual merit badges and therefore, I am worthy of God’s love.” No!—grace is given to the guilty and fellow sinners, we are all guilty. As Jesus said his heavenly Father “makes his sun rise on the bad and good alike, and causes rain to fall on the just and unjust”
(Mt 5:45). That is why Baptism is primordial grace.
Brothers and sisters, it’s not we who are taking the initiative. What did Jesus himself say, “It’s not you who have chosen me, but I who have chosen you.” It’s important that we get this right. That’s why Baptism is called the primacy of grace. Baptism is the sacramental ratification of that pure gift; it’s the sign of that choice: of Christ’s choice of you and not your choice of him.
When we receive Baptism, we become a new creature because something radically new has happened to us. We have become grafted onto Jesus; we have been initiated into his Body, and in so doing, we enter into the very life of Trinitarian Love. Once we get that, we can see the relationship of Baptism to the other Sacraments. Remember, Baptism is the birth into the spiritual order; that’s why we become a “new creature.” It’s the beginning of a properly spiritual life.
The other Sacraments represent modifications of that life. So, a living being needs to eat; it needs nourishment, which is the role of the Eucharist. That’s why only baptized people can receive it. If you’re not alive spiritually, then what’s the point of feeding you? Baptism, so to speak, gives you the right to receive the Eucharist.
What does the Sacrament of Reconciliation do but restores us to the spiritual life that’s been lost to serious sin. We can do things that alienate ourselves from God and each other. We know what that’s about because we’re all sinners which we acknowledge at the beginning of Mass. Things that are “mortally sinful” kill off the spiritual life within us. What’s penance but the grace that restores the loss of grace.
What is Confirmation? It confirms and strengthens us to the life given to us at Baptism. We are empowered through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
What is the Sacrament of Marriage and Holy Orders but they are the Sacraments of vocation and mission. People of God, life is so much more than the acquisition of the goods of the world, but involves one that is purposeful, that is intentionally directed towards the realization of a relationship that is intended to endure for eternity. It’s not enough to have the divine life of Baptism, but that life wants to have a direction and a purpose. Hence, marriage and Holy Orders focused on a baptismal life.
Let’s conclude, by looking at Jesus’ baptism in which we hear, “This is my beloved Son of whom I am well pleased” (Lk 3:22). Baptized, you have been grafted onto that Son. You are a son or daughter of the Father in that beloved Son. Therefore, every baptized person should hear the same words, the same voice: “You are my beloved son, you are my beloved daughter whom I am well pleased.” That’s the deepest truth of Baptism. Amen.