In today's Gospel, we hear about the Baptism of Jesus in the
river Jordan. Luke tells us that the
heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove. Then, everyone heard the voice of God the
Father saying: "You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased." God the Father is a proud father introducing
his son.
After His baptism, Jesus began his public ministry. Next week, we will hear about Jesus' first
miracle, converting water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana. Jesus public ministry continued for three
years. During this time, he selected and
taught twelve disciples who he prepared to lead his church. When it was time, he went to Jerusalem where
he was crucified and died. After rising
from the dead three days later, he appeared to His disciples several times over
the next forty days. Finally, Jesus
ascended into heaven. His final words to
his apostles were: "Go, therefore, and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded
you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” The apostles went into hiding for several
days. Then, at Pentecost, tongues of
fire descended on each of them and our church was off and running. They followed Jesus directions and baptized
3000 people that day. That is enough to
fill this church four times over. Isn't
that amazing!
When we were baptized, we were
welcomed into God's family. Most of us
were baptized as infants. I'd like you to think about your baptism. Do you
know the date of your baptism? Who was
present there? You probably wore a white
garment signifying your freedom from all sin after baptism. Your father was given a candle which he lit
from the Easter candle. Do you still
have this candle? After giving the father the candle, the
priest or deacon says: "Parents and godparents, this light is entrusted to
you to be kept burning brightly. These
children of yours have been enlightened by Christ. They are to walk always as a child of the
light. May they keep the flame of faith
alive in their hearts. When the Lord
comes, may they go out to meet him with all the saints in the heavenly
kingdom."
Sometimes we
forget our baptism, aren't aware of its meaning, or even ignore it. But, as baptized Christians, our calling is
to live as beloved, as one who
pleases God. This call is not due to
anything we’ve done; for we have not earned it.
It is pure gift. We are sons and
daughters of the Father. We have been
baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We are the body of Christ in the world, sent
to bring justice and compassion, to be a light in our world and bread for the
hungry.
At our baptism, we received an
indelible mark on our soul marking us as a child of God. Like the apostles, in our adult life we are
meant to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.
We are to make disciples of all our children, friends, neighbors, and
even enemies, just like Jesus told his
disciples before he ascended into heaven.
How are we doing in our
mission of making disciples? We may look
at others: our parents, our children, our friends, our fellow parishioners, and
maybe even our deacons, priests, and bishops, and see that they are failing at
their mission. But, on judgment day, we
aren't going to be held accountable for their actions, only for ours.
Like Jesus, we all want to
hear the words of God the Father: "You are my beloved son or you are my beloved daughter,
with you I am well pleased." I encourage you to listen to the Holy Spirit. Is he calling you to repent? What mission does he have in mind for
you?
