THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD

There are some things that happen only once in a lifetime, and because of that, we remember them forever. One of these moments in my own life was in 1968, the year I was ordained.

The ordination itself was memorable, but so was the reception afterward.  It was memorable because it was the first time I ever recall my parents quoting Sacred Scripture in public. Even today, I can still see them standing there, and I can still hear their words.

My father spoke first, as was customary in those days. What Jesus heard at His baptism is what my own father quoted at my ordination reception:

“This is our beloved son in whom we are well pleased.”

And then my mother stood up.  She pointed to my brother, his wife and their four children and said, “And this is our beloved son, his wife and our grandchildren in whom we are well pleased.”

After that, it was my father’s turn again.  He pointed to my sister and her husband and said, “And this is our beloved daughter and her husband and our grandchildren, in whom we are well pleased.”

It is heartwarming to hear parents call their children “beloved.”

When our mother transitioned into eternal life, Jackie, Tom and I prepared her eulogy together.  We all agreed that we had to paraphrase that same Scripture passage from the Baptism of the Lord: “This is our beloved mother, in whom we are well pleased.”

Five years later, when dad transitioned to eternal life, we did the same thing: “This is our beloved dad in whom we are well pleased.”

In today’s gospel, God called his Son beloved: “And a voice came from the heavens, saying ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’”

I firmly believe with all my heart, that God also identifies each of us as His beloved.

I wonder if this isn’t the most intimate truth that can be said about any human person: that you are beloved.  And I also wonder if this isn’t the greatest spiritual temptation we face:  to doubt that truth.

Do you understand yourself to be God’s beloved?

There are times when I define myself by what I do. When things go well and I am successful, I feel good about myself, and I can easily see myself as beloved by God. But when things don’t go right – when I fail or feel sad or gloomy – I struggle to see myself as beloved by God.

At other times, we may define ourselves by what other people say about us. When people speak well of you, you walk with your head held high. But when they criticize you or speak negatively, you can feel heartbroken and dejected. 

Many people define themselves by saying, “I am what I have.”

“I am young” or “I am healthy” or “I am educated” or “I am successful.” But when any of that begins to slip away, darkness can set in.

Defining yourself as, “I am what I do” or “I am what others say about me” or “I am what I own” only serves to silence the voice of God’s love that says, “You are my beloved.”

Say it quietly to yourself, “I am God’s beloved.” Say it again.  Now say it aloud with me, “I am God’s beloved.” You have just claimed the ultimate affirmation; the truest description of who you are.

Let these words sink in.  Let them vibrate and reverberate in the very core of your being.

Do not allow this faith-filled self-description to be drowned out by voices that shout, “You are no good” or “You are ugly” or “You are worthless” or “You are nobody.”

In a world filled with consumerism, materialism, and secularism, those voices can be very loud.  And if we listen to them long enough, they can lead us into the trap of self-rejection and forgetting our true identity.

Perhaps the greatest trap in life is not power, prestige or possessions, but self-rejection; doubting who we truly are. When we listen to the voices that say, “I am worthless” or “I am unlovable,” we allow power, prestige, or possessions to define who we are.

I remember giving a presentation once where nearly everyone was complimentary and very positive in their feedback except for one person. That single negative comment was the only thing I remembered. It could easily have trapped me into self-rejection.  It is at times like this that I have to take time to hear the voice of God saying to me, “You are my beloved.”

I believe our baptism invites us to remind one another of that truth, that we are God’s beloved. 

What does your baptism mean to you personally?

There are many things we like about being baptized.  We receive the removal of original sin.  We are anointed into eternal life with Christ.  We become children of God, one with Christ, and members of the Christian community.

But there are also parts of baptism we may not like quite as much.

First, we are baptized into the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. Baptism doesn’t shield us from sickness or sadness, illness or injuries, disappointments or discouragements.  Instead, it gives us the grace to face those realities as Christ did.

Secondly, baptism is a call to discipleship. We are commissioned to go out into the world and baptize others. And I’m not so sure we always like that very public aspect of our baptism.

Too many Christians think of baptism simply as a ritual to remove original sin and secure eternal life.  We often fail to recognize the responsibility baptism entails. Baptism calls us to be active participants in the life of the Church.

Baptism is not a trendy ceremony.

Baptism is not a magical trick to remove sin.

Baptism identifies who we are:

“You are my beloved.”