The Baptism of the Lord [C]
January 9, 2022
Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

Jesus’ Baptism is the starting point of Jesus’ public ministry. This explains why the Church always opens the ordinary season of the liturgical years with the story of Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan. However, the question that I often face is ‘Why did Jesus need to be baptized?” If Jesus is God and sinless, why did He has to undergo John’s Baptism of repentance?”

The Church answered this question a long time ago. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The baptism of Jesus is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his mission as God’s suffering Servant. He allows himself to be numbered among sinners; he is already “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”. Already he is anticipating the “baptism” of his bloody death… [CCC 536].”

To elaborate more on the Church’s teaching, Jesus’ Baptism shows His solidarity with us, sinners. Though He was not a sinner, He shared the lot of sinners. During the Incarnation, Jesus takes upon Himself our weak and limited human nature. Yet, it does not stop there. He also shares our suffering and death. Jesus’ Baptism in Jordan anticipates His true ‘baptism’ on the cross. Once again, this shows to us how God loves us to the end. When Jesus loves, He gives it all.

From here, we discover that why we are baptized is not because this is a long family tradition imposed upon us, but it is our participation in the Baptism and life of Christ. If Jesus’ Baptism is a sign of His solidarity with weak human beings, our Baptism is the sign of our unity with our brothers and sisters, especially those suffering. If Christ’s Baptism is anticipation of His Suffering and Death, our Baptism is our death to old life and selfishness. If Jesus’ Baptism is a sign of His sacrificial love, our Baptism shall propel us to love God and our neighbours totally.

Some of us got baptized when we were little children, and perhaps, we do not recall what happened. We do not get the feeling, and because of that, we want to repeat the whole process with more dramatic effects. Some wish to be submerged into a deep pool, and some want to be baptized in the Jordan River. Some only accept their Baptism as something good if they feel the sudden rush of the Holy Spirit. Yet, the sacrament of Baptism is not about our feelings; in fact, it is not about us. True Baptism makes us Christians, ‘little Christs’, and we are called to live like one. What matters is not how we feel about our Baptism, but how we live our Baptism.

The Church teaches us that sacramental Baptism is once and for all. When we are baptized, all our sins are forgiven, we are transformed into God’s children, and we become parts of Christ’s body, the Church. Baptism begins our salvation, but it does not end there. What is even more important is how we live our Baptism, how we participate in the life and mission of Christ, and how we love as Jesus loves.

Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP