Reflection/Homily:
Feast of the Baptism of our Lord Year A (January 12 2014)
Theme:
The Value of Christian Baptism
Author: Uwakwe Chibuike
Today’s feast, the
Baptism of our Lord was originally one of the three Gospel events marked by the
feast of Epiphany. In the Western Church, it was later overshadowed by the
visit of the Magi before Pope Pius XII in 1955 instituted it as a separate
liturgical commemoration of Christ’s baptism. The Baptism of Christ is a great
point of Theophany because in it the great mystery of the Blessed Trinity is
made manifest. The Gospel reading (Mathew 3:13-17) confirms the manifestation
of the Blessed Trinity at the Baptism of Jesus. God the Father is revealed in
the Voice which confirmed the Sonship of Jesus, God the Son is revealed in
Jesus who was baptized and God the Holy Spirit is revealed in the Dove which
descended on the Son. This manifestation of the Trinity thus becomes the origin
and destination of our Christian worship because all our prayers begin and end
in the name of the Blessed Trinity.
An interesting aspect
of our reflection today is on the necessity and importance of Christ’s baptism.
Would Christ’s ministry not have been successful without receiving John’s
baptism? We know that John’s baptism is different from the baptism Christians
receive today. John’s baptism was only the baptism of repentance and was not
mandatory for all Jews. The baptism Christians receive today is a Christian
ritual for cleansing and incorporation into the family of God. So Christ had no
atom of sin, he had no need for cleansing and was already the son of God. But
he had to receive baptism in order to identify with the people and confirm his
oneness with them in their longing for God. His baptism is also a confirmation
of his incarnation, proving that he has not only taken our flesh but has also
come to live among us and do the things we do. He thus, approved baptism as a
means to God and God used it to commission his public ministry with the
anointing of the Holy Spirit.
