Understanding Jesus' Baptism and our own

The Baptism of the Lord | LK 3:15-16, 21-22

“Christ”. We hear this name so often used in relation to Jesus that it can seem like his last name. Christ comes from the Latin word Christus, which itself translates the Hebrew word Messiah, meaning anointed one. Jesus Christ. Jesus the anointed one. Throughout the Old Testament, kings, prophets and priests are often anointed with oil. These individuals could be considered messiahs in a certain sense. After their anointing, they received a new identity and mission. When did Jesus, the anointed one, receive this anointing where he received his mission and identity?

Andrea Verrocchio [Public domain]

In his Gospel, Luke makes the argument that Jesus’ baptism, which we have just heard narrated, was in fact when Jesus was anointed. Now, I know what you are thinking, “there was no oil at Jesus’ baptism!” You are of course correct. Still, Luke makes it clear that Jesus’ baptism should be interpreted as the moment of his anointing. Here are two pieces of evidence.

1. Soon after his baptism, Jesus returned from the Jordan river to his hometown in Nazareth and entered a synagogue. After receiving the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, Jesus himself choose the first words that he would read: “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me” (Isa 61:1). At his baptism, the Spirit came upon Jesus. It was then, therefore, that he was anointed.
2. In the second reading today from Acts of the Apostles, also written by Luke, this fact is made more directly. There we find Peter’s speech in which he makes it clear that God anointed Jesus with the Spirit at his Baptism (Acts 10:37-38).

At this baptism/anointing Jesus’ identity is manifested and his mission gets launched. In the first Harry Potter book (or movie if you prefer), there is a famous scene in which Harry first gets his letter inviting him to attend Hogwarts. Up until this point, Harry lived a reclusive life. Although Harry had some inklings regarding his identity, it was not clear to him - and certainly not to the reader - who he really was. Once Harry received that letter, his life went off in an entirely different direction. We learn that Harry is a wizard and slowly but surely his mission plays out in the following books. This is analogous to what happens at Jesus baptism. Up until this moment, Jesus has been living his “hidden life”. His identity was known only to those closest to him. His mission of preaching and healing had not yet began. At Jesus’ baptism, his identity is revealed in a very public way. The heavens open and the voice of God announces that Jesus is his beloved Son. In the Old Testament, the kings of Israel, were understood to be a “son” of God (Ps 2:7; 2 Sam 7:14). At his baptism, Jesus, the son of a carpenter and no earthly king, is claimed by God himself to be his son. Jesus is God’s son in a new and different way than kings were since his anointing is different. Whereas kings were anointed with oil, Jesus was anointed with the Spirit. Whereas kings could fall out of favour with God, Jesus is the “beloved son, in whom I am well-pleased”. This statement is a clear reference to the book of Isaiah (Isa 42:1) which we heard in the first reading. There God confirms his love for his Servant, who has been given an important mission. As we read in the Gospel of Luke, immediately after his baptism/anointing Jesus, the beloved Son/Servant, leaves his hidden life behind and begins his public ministry.

In a way similar to Jesus, at our baptism, we receive our own truest identity and mission. Do you remember the day you were baptized? It was a day that forever change your life. At our baptism, we become forever linked to Jesus. As Paul says in Galatians, when we are baptized, we “clothe” ourselves with Christ (Gal 3:27). When we “put on” Jesus in this way, his identity and mission become our own. At our baptism, each of us becomes a beloved son or daughter of God in whom God is well pleased. Let that sink in for a moment. We receive a title that was reserved at one time for kings. It was a title given to Jesus and is now a title we get to go by. We are sons and daughters of God. In addition, at our baptism, the mission of Jesus becomes our own. We have been given a mission to spread the kingdom of God. Wherever we find ourselves, in whatever job, in whatever state of life, we are called to bring about the kind of world that God wants. One that is more just and loving. Since we have been clothed with Christ at our baptism, we become God’s sons and daughters and are given the mission to be the very presence of Jesus in the world.

Our baptism is extraordinary day in our lives. For this reason, Pope Francis has often encouraged us to remember and celebrate the day on which we were baptized. Do you remember the day you were baptized? If not, find out. Write it in your calendar or put it in your phone. Celebrate that day on which you were given a new and amazing identity and remarkable mission.

Year in Review

Mary Mother of God | Luke 2:16-21

A priest was about to baptize a baby. Turning to the parents, he says asked them, “what name have you given your child?” The parents proudly responded: Michael Jonathan Alexander Patrick Smith III. Hearing this, the priest turned to his altar server and said, “please bring a larger container - with a name like that, we’re going to need some more water!”  Usually, the name that a child is given is very significant. This is certainly the case in the Bible.

The name “Jesus” that Mary’s son is given is highly significant since it tells us something about his identity and mission. In the Gospel today, we hear the report that, after eight days, the child born to Mary was named Jesus, the name given to him by the angel Gabriel (Luke 2:21). The name “Jesus” is composed of two parts: 1) an abbreviation of God’s name YHWH, and 2) the  semitic verb (Hebrew: ישע‎) meaning “to save/rescue”. Therefore, In 1st c. Judaism, the name “Jesus” was interpreted to mean YHWH saves or YHWH helps. The name given to Mary’s child tells us the he is the one through whom God saves and delivers his people. Wherever Jesus is present, God is saving and helping us. Although Jesus no longer physically walks the earth as he did some 2000 years ago, the texts of the New Testament tell us that Jesus is still present to us in various ways: in the Sacraments (especially the Eucharist), in the Bible, in community, that is, our relationships with others, in prayer, and in the poor. Wherever Jesus is, God is with us, helping us.

[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

It is, however, all too easy to miss the ways that Jesus is present to us. As a result, we are often unable to appreciate how God is helping us each and every day. Think about these questions for a moment. At the end of the day, when you look back at all that has happened, is it easier to see the good that has occured or the bad? When you consider the relationships you have in your life, especially those closest to you, is it the positive or negative qualities of the person that most readily stand out? When you consider the possessions that you own, the car you drive and the place you live, what comes to mind first, the good things that you do have, or the things that other people have which you do not? I find that it is all too easy to focus on the bad things that happen in each day, the negative qualities of people I am close to and the things or opportunities that I do not have in my life. For example, the other day I saw a chrome Lamborghini driving down 41st street and, after wondering why anyone would pay to have their Lamborghini chromed, I started to think less of the car that I drove. This is a dangerous thing because, In reality, the car I have is a great blessing. I can easily forget the many blessings I have: the relationships in my life, the talents God has given me, the great comfort in which I live. It is through these blessings that Jesus is present to us each and everyday.

From Mary, we can learn how to reflect on our lives so that we can become more aware of the various ways in which Jesus is active in our lives. In the Gospel, we read that after the shepherds reported what the angels had told them about her child, she “pondered all these things in her heart”. It seems that Mary needed to take the time to reflect on who her child was, to better appreciate his mission. Taking the time to reflect on our own lives in order to better understand what Jesus is doing is an important trait of Mary that we should imitate. St. Ignatius of Loyola promoted a type of prayer called the examen. After the Mass, this prayer was the most important spiritual practice for this saint. The examen is somewhat different from an examination of conscience that we do before confession. In an examen, we take a moment to look back on our day and to see the different blessing we have received. These can be very simple things. Someone said something kind to us. We were able to help somebody. We read something inspiring in the Bible or spiritual book. In these simple blessings, Jesus is present to us. The more that we can become aware of these blessings, the greater sense we have of Jesus helping and saving us. From the Gospel, we see that for Mary this practice of prayerfully reflecting on what was happening around her was very important.

As an old year ends and a new year begins, we read in the media many “year in review” articles. The ten best movies of the year. The five most popular books of 2018. It might be helpful to do a short examen of 2018 in order to create our own year in review list. Perhaps we could call it, “my greatest blessing of 2018”. Creating such a list would help us grow in an appreciation of how Jesus was active in our lives in this past year. This would allow us to enter 2019 with a greater sense of hope and confidence in Jesus’ support. What is something that happened in this past year that you are particularly grateful for?

The beauty of imperfect families

Feast of Holy Family | Col 3:12-21; Luke 2:41-52

A quick search on youtube or google shows that there are a number of people who attempt to drive a car around the world (or a good part of the way!). A common factor among these adventurers is the terrible shape that their cars are in. Even if they start their journey with a new car, over time the vehicle requires numerous repairs. By the end of the journey, the car is often held together with little more than duct tape! In spite of this, with proper maintenance, the car often makes it to its destination. In addition, the owner of the vehicle even develops a real attachment to their worn-down car.

source

Each of our families are like flawed car used to drive around the world. All of us have imperfect families which are still wonderful and will get us to our destination: union with God. Every so often, someone will say something to me like this: “since you are a priest, you must have come from such an amazing and pious family”. To this, I try to offer two clarifications. First, I explain that although I love and am grateful for my vocation as a priest, it is not superior to other vocations. Second, I want the person to understand that my family is very normal. I love my family and I think my family is wonderful, but it is not perfect. We have struggles and need to work at things like all families. There is no perfect family. Even in the Gospel (Luke 2:41-52), we see that the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, had their struggles. The 12 year old Jesus goes to the Temple, without telling his parents. He causes them real anxiety. Mary and Joseph cannot understand their child. No family is perfect but it is the vehicle God has given us to reach our destination, union with Him in heaven.

In the second reading from the letter to the Colossians, Paul recognizes the imperfect nature of families at his time (Col 3:12-21). Was there any part of the reading that stuck out to you? Perhaps the part at the end where it states that wives should be “subordinate to their husbands”? To properly interpret this text, it is important to realize that in Colossians we have an example of a specific type of writing called a “Household Code” (Col 3:18-25). Such codes are found in other Greco-Roman writing (e.g. Aristotle) as well as elsewhere in the New Testament (e.g. Ephesians 5-6). Household codes, like that in Colossians, have a threefold structure that describes three types of relationships that were normative in a family at that time: wife/husband, children/parents and slave/master (which is omitted from the reading at Mass). In each of these three relationships, the duties of what was seen as the inferior in the relationship was always described before the superior. Wives are to be subordinate to their husbands. Children are to obey their parents. Slaves are to obey their masters in everything. In Colossians, Paul takes this current family structure, which is not Christian, for granted. He does not approve of it. Paul wants to show how this imperfect family structure can be gradually transformed because of faith in Jesus. In important ways, families have improved since Paul’s time. Slavery is generally outlawed. The relationship between husband and wife is understood as an equal partnership. It would be wrong to use Colossians as an argument to re-establish what was a broken family structure. Hopefully, no Catholic would use Paul’s Household as an argument for slavery. Hopefully, no Catholic would use Paul’s Household as an argument for a patriarchal marital relationship. In Colossians, Paul takes an imperfect family structure for granted.

Paul wants to show how our relationship with Jesus can slowly transform this existing family structure. If the family is the flawed car, Paul is trying to demonstrate what kind of maintenance and care is required to get the car to its destination, perhaps in a better shape than it started off with. Paul gives a long list of behaviours that should be found in a Christian family: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness. It is important to note how practical Paul’s advice is. Faith in Jesus should concretely affect daily family interactions. We can at times lose sight of this connection, as the following story illustrates. After Church one day, a young girl named Anna was driven home by her dad and mom. When they got home, her mom prepared a meal for the family. As was usual, Anna’s dad complained about the food and then went on to say grace, asking God to bless the food. Anna was confused and asked her dad, “daddy, does God hear us when we pray?” Her dad responded, “of course, Anna, he hears us every time we pray.” “And,” Anna asked, “does he hear everything we say the rest of the time?” “Yes, every word,” her father answered. To this, Anna innocently blurted out, “then which does he believe?” Faith in Jesus should impact daily interactions in the family. How we speak to one another. The patience we show. This behaviour has the ability to gradually transform families and, like a car which is given the proper maintenance, get us where we we to go: heaven.

Living in a family is like driving a far from perfect car around the world. Things break down. At the same time, our families are an incredible gift. With proper maintenance, especially showing patience and kindness in everyday interactions, our family can make it to its destination, union with God. Like those adventurers who grow attached to their long-suffering cars, we come to see that our imperfect families are actually a thing of beauty. Like those driving around the world in a clunker of a car, in a family we share wonderful experiences. We give thanks for our families today and pray that we never stop maintaining them.