January 9, 2000 -- Baptism of the Lord - B

Makkiyad - Kerala - India

H O M I L Y

The narrative of the Baptism of Jesus by John, as we have it in Mark, is extremely sober. All the nonessential elements are left aside. Only the fact that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized is important. The why and the how are not mentioned. Jesus is identified by his hometown as a definite, historically existing man; and over this historical Jesus are then uttered these unprecedented words by the voice of God: "You are my beloved Son". And this scene of revelation is portrayed in the symbolic language of the Old Testament: the opening of the heavens. The exact expression is "the heavens are rent"; and it clearly points to the prophecy from Is. 63,19, that we have heard often in the Advent liturgy: "O that thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down..." This coming down of God is now accomplished in the manner of the Spirit descending on Jesus.

The second reading, from the first Letter of John, blends together several references to the water. When it says that Jesus came "with water and blood and the Spirit", it refers to the water in which Jesus was baptized, and also to the water of faith of which Jesus spoke when he said "come to me all you who are thirsty, and I will give you living water", which, of course was a clear allusion to the text of Isaiah, that we have in today's first reading: "Oh, come to the water all you who are thirsty; though you have no money, come!". And John refers also to the water that came out with the blood from the open side on Jesus on the Cross.

The rite of baptism was a rite of conversion. The Gospel says that everyone came down from Jerusalem to be baptized by John. So, when Jesus comes from Galilee also to be baptized, he identifies himself with the crowd of sinners who need conversion, leading us all to repentance and conversion.

Then the expression coming from the Father: "You are my beloved son in whom I have my delights" clearly refers to the prophecy of Is. 42,1: "Behold my servant, my chosen one, in whom my soul delights"

We should also pay attention to the words of John the Baptist saying: "Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am... I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." This expression "someone is following me" is a clear indication that Jesus not only came to be baptized by John, but made himself his disciple for some time. This is very important for us monks and nuns, because by following John and being baptized by him, Jesus assumed the ascetical and monastic movement to which John belonged; so much so that we can consider this moment of the baptism of Jesus as the real beginning of Christian monastic life. The early Christian ascetics and monks will continue in their Christian lives that movement assumed and transformed by Jesus. That transformation is what the baptism in the Holy Spirit means.

The prophet Ezekiel had foretold the final times of history when the Spirit of God would bind human beings in a lasting community: " I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean... A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes... You shall be my people and I shall be your God" (Ezek. 36:25‑29).

This is the Spirit that we have received in the day of our baptism and confirmation -- the Spirit that can transform us into a loving community that is a witness to Christ's love for humanity and the same Spirit that makes of all the believers the large and beautiful community called the Church.

Armand VEILLEUX