January 12, 2025

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

 

Today, we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord. When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan river, he affirmed his solidarity with us sinners in a public way. He became for us “God-with-us-sinners” in the flesh. His conception, his birth, his life and work with Mary and Joseph, his struggle with human weakness, his friendship with people including his enemies, all of which proclaimed his solidarity with us sinful men and women. Jesus wished to be completely in solidarity with us and so stepped into the Jordan river with self-admitted sinners to be baptized by John.

 

Our baptism brings us into solidarity with Christ and with him into solidarity with all people of God. As Jesus was being baptized, he was identified and affirmed as the beloved son of God and empowered with the Holy Spirit. This is what happens at our own baptism. We are identified and affirmed as “sons of God” and empowered with the Holy Spirit to live as sons of God and to fulfill the mission entrusted to us. To be identified as “Sons of God” means to be immersed into the very likeness of God, into the mystery of God’s life and love.

 

In Baptism we are washed clean, given a clean garment, a lighted candle and anointed priest, prophet, and king…. all symbolizing our character….an indelible character!!! We are identified, named, chosen, and sent to be witnesses of God’s “salvation, justice and peace” for the world. Just as other nations came to know God’s salvation, justice, and peace through Israel, today the world must experience the salvation, justice and peace of God through us and our church and our church institutions!

 

Israel was to be the sacrament of solidarity that God intended for all people. This  solidarity was to be accomplished by the establishment of justice on earth…...not merely “distributive justice”, one that metes out same measure to everyone, but a “substantive justice”, one that is attentive to “the full enhancement of human life” - one that would touch all aspects of human life, interactions and social institutions.

 

Today, we, God’s people, the church, the body of Christ must be and become the symbol, the sacrament of God’s salvation, justice, and peace. Justice has to do with right relationships…right ordering of all relationships. Justice is a whole network of relationships and not just “same measure to everyone.”  The basis of justice for Israel was the nations covenant with God. The basis of justice for us is our covenant with God in our baptism, our immersion into God’s life and love.

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To read more of this Sunday’s reflection, please click on the link below.....