The Baptism of the Lord [January 13, 2019] Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Lk. 3:22)

One of the greatest joys of being a deacon is to baptize babies and little children. The joy is not simply springing from touching the cheeks of a cute little baby or be part of festive parents, but it is something deeper. In fact, my experiences with baptism are not always pleasant. I remember at my first baptism in Sto. Domingo Parish, Metro Manila, when I began pouring water upon the baby’s forehead, the little girl suddenly burst in tears and cried aloud. I realized the water has touched the baby girl’s eyes. I was shocked and almost paralyzed not knowing what to do next. The good thing is the parents were able to handle the situation well. As the little baby calmed down, I apologized and continued the rite. Traumatizing!

After that experience, the baptisms I minister do not seem to be any better. In Manaoag, Pangasinan, I could baptize 15 or more babies in each baptism. Often, with so many people jampacked in a small room, and with many babies crying, the experience, far from happy, could be stressful and forgettable for everyone including myself. So, where do I get the joy of baptizing babies?

It is springing from the Church’s understanding of baptism itself. Baptism as the sacrament instituted by Christ Himself as a means for us to receive the grace of salvation is not only Biblical and upheld by earliest Christian testimonies, but it is spiritually liberating and joy-engendering. Surely, we need one semester or more to discuss the biblical foundation and theology of baptism, and this is not the place for such discussion. Thus, allow me to share one of the reasons why baptizing is one of my most joyous moments as a deacon, and it is not far from our Gospel today.

Today we are celebrating the Baptism of the Lord, and our Gospel ends with an extremely rare revelation of God the Father in Jesus’ life. This reveals two things: First, Jesus is the Son of the Father; second, He is not only any son, but Jesus is also the joy of the Father. It is not just any rare revelation, but it is a revelation of joy. Yet, this joy is not surprising for it is natural for a father to be delighted in his newly born baby because he sees the best of himself in the baby. It is a joy of fatherhood.

One of the greatest gifts of baptism is our spiritual generation. It is true that in baptism, nothing much changes in our physical aspects, except our heads are getting wet. But, when the water of baptism touches our foreheads and the Trinitarian formula is pronounced, our souls are changed for eternity. We are not just the children of humanity, but wonderfully the children of God. And as we emerge from the baptism, our Father in heaven sees us, recognizes us as His own and says, “You are my beloved children, with you I am well pleased.”

It is my greatest privilege to share this spiritual fatherhood. As I minister baptism, I spiritually beget these little babies as my children, the children of God. As a young father rejoices in his baby, so I take delight in every newly spiritually born baby. I do not have my own children, and yet I am blessed to become a father. As looking forward to priestly understand, we understand why we call a priest “father” because he is indeed a father to his spiritual children. He begets his children in Baptism, he nourishes them in Eucharist, he leads the youth into maturity in Confirmation, he unites the love among them in Marriage, he brings back the stray in Penance, and he heals the sick in the Anointing. It is the joy of fatherhood.

Deacon Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP