Baptized with the Holy Spirit and
Fire
Baptism of the Lord: May
you live out your mission of sharing in the ministry of Jesus and proclaiming the Good News of GOD’s love for others.
The History
Channel once it spoke about the fact that from the time of Jesus’ being “found”
in the temple until His Baptism in the River Jordan by John the Baptist,
nothing is said of His life. The events of about twenty years of His life are
completely unmentioned. It seems that He spent those years helping in the
family business and preparing Himself for what He was going to be doing. The
turning point in His life was His Baptism by John the Baptist. It was a public
manifestation of His role as the Messiah, the Son of GOD.
We are reminded
as we recall our own Baptism, that like Jesus, we are being sent out on a
mission of proclaiming the Good News of the GOD’s love for others. This is our
calling and our mission. We must make known to others the message of Jesus and
the salvation He brought us through His death and resurrection. We, as sons and
daughters of GOD, must share the Gospel with others by “doing Good” and
allowing them to experience the grace that comes in and through Jesus.
Today we
continue our celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord and close out the
Christmas-Epiphany season. The Church celebrates four manifestations or
epiphanies. Today is the third of them. The first was Jesus’ manifestation at
His birth to the shepherds in the regions of Bethlehem (Luke’s Gospel). Last
Sunday (or on January 6), we celebrated Jesus being shown forth (manifested,
“epiphanied”) to the Magi (“wise ones”) as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. The
fourth epiphany is Jesus’ beginning His public life with the miracle at the
wedding feast at Cana (This coming Sunday – Second Sunday of the Year, “C”
Cycle). Today we celebrate Jesus being revealed to the world as He is baptized
in the River Jordan by John the Baptist.
First Reading, Isaiah
40:1-5,9-11: The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all mankind shall see
it
Commentary: The reading from Isaiah for today is
the joyful song which opens the second part of Isaiah. After the 70 years of
the Exile Israel is looking forward to the return to Jerusalem, aware that they
are soon to be released from their captivity. They have ‘served their sentence’
in Babylon and their sin has been forgiven. The Lord will lead them in joy
across the great desert as he led them across the desert at the Exodus, and
will manifest his glory again. For Christians, the excitement is that John the
Baptist picks up this message as he prepares the people for the coming of
Christ. The coming of the Lord to Jerusalem was never wholly fulfilled, and we
can see that the great fulfillment of this passage is in the coming of Christ to
his own. He came to Jerusalem, yes, but has the divine glory been yet
manifested? He brought the beginning of the kingship of God, but it is for us
Christians to show the glory and the love and the generosity of God to a world
that has not yet seen the splendour of his coming. This is the daunting
responsibility of those who bear the name of ‘Christian’, who see in Jesus the
manifestation of God’s reign.
Responsorial Psalm 104:1-4,24-25,27-30,
Bless the Lord, my soul! Lord God, how great you are.
GOD’s
magnificence in creating and sustaining earthly existence is proclaimed. It is
a joyful acclamation of GOD’s direct action in the creation, and maintenance, of
life. GOD has demonstrated great love in first bringing into being all of
creation. Yet GOD does not just sit back and let things develop on their own.
GOD continues to manifest divine love for all that is created by sustaining
life and allowing the Spirit to breathe into creatures and give them more life.
Second Reading, Titus
2:11-14,3:4-7: He saved us using the cleansing water of rebirth
Commentary: The phrase in this reading which
seizes the attention is ‘he saved us through the waters of rebirth and renewal
by the Holy Spirit’. Is it referring to Jesus’ baptism or to yours and mine? My
guess is that in the original letter, it referred to our baptism, but that, by
putting it forward on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Church is
referring it to Jesus’ baptism as the model of your and my baptism. We received
in our baptism the same re-birth as children of God and the same renewal in the
Holy Spirit as he did in the Jordan. The image of birth from the waters is a
fascinating one, and can be taken on many levels, the ocean as the great,
turbulent earth-mother from which all life derives, the source of life and
fertility for plants, animals, and humans, the ‘waters’ of each mammal’s birth.
By the waters of baptism, we are given a wholly new life as adopted sons of God.
In Luke’s account of the Baptism of Jesus, the coming of the Spirit is the main
focus. On us too the Spirit comes at baptism and empowers us to do all kinds of
good works beyond any human ability.
Gospel, Luke 3:15-16,21-22: 'Someone
is coming who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire'
Commentary: Luke does not tell us who baptised
Jesus. In Luke the story of John the Baptist ends with his promise of one who
will baptise with the Holy Spirit — then John is arrested. At the baptism
itself, all of Luke’s concentration is on the coming of the Spirit. Indeed, it is
hardly an account of the baptism at all, for the baptism is only a time-marker
for the coming of the Spirit ‘when Jesus, after his own baptism, was at
prayer’. Jesus’ mission begins with the coming of the Spirit. In the same way,
in Luke’s second volume, the Acts of the Apostles, the mission of the apostles
begins with the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. It is as though Luke wants
to show the importance of the Spirit from the beginning to the end of the Christian
life. And this is the case: in both writings, the part played by the Spirit
directs all the action. The same is still true in the Church today, though
often human stubbornness and blindness do their best to retard or impede this
leadership and guidance by the Spirit. Most of us are artists at blocking the
Spirit when the Spirit’s promptings are inconvenient.
Reflection: Do you want
to be on fire for God? John the Baptist said that the Messiah would "baptize
with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Fire in biblical times was associated
with God and with his actions in the world and in the lives of his people. God sometimes
manifested his presence by use of fire, such as the burning bush which was not consumed
when God spoke to Moses (Exodus 3:2). The image of fire was also used to symbolize
God's glory (Ezekiel 1:4, 13), his protective presence (2 Kings 6:17), his holiness
(Deuteronomy 4:24), his righteous judgment (Zechariah 13:9), and his wrath against
sin and evil (Isaiah 66:15-16). Fire can also be a sign of the presence and action
of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11-12 and Acts 2:3). God's fire both purifies and
cleanses us, and burns within us a passionate love, holy desire, and reverent fear
(respect and awe) of God and his word.
Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire: Jesus
came to give us the fire of his Spirit that we may radiate the joy and truth of
the Gospel to a world in desperate need of God's light and truth. His word has the power
to change and transform our lives so that we may be burning lights pointing others
to Jesus Christ. Like John the Baptist, we too are called to give testimony to the
light and truth of Jesus Christ. Do you want the Lord's power, grace, and love to
burn brightly in your life? Ask him to fill you with his Holy Spirit.
John preached a
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:3). Why did Jesus, the
Sinless One, submit himself to John's baptism? In this humble submission, we see
a foreshadowing of the "baptism" of his bloody death upon the cross. Jesus'
baptism is the acceptance and the beginning of his mission as God's suffering Servant
(Isaiah 53). He allowed himself to be numbered among sinners. Jesus submitted himself
entirely to his Father's will. Out of love, he consented to this baptism of death
for the remission of our sins. Do you know the joy of trust and submission to God?
Jesus' baptism - beginning of a new creation: The Father
proclaimed his entire delight in his Son and spoke audibly for all to hear. The
Holy Spirit, too, was present as he anointed Jesus for his ministry which began
that day as he rose from the waters of the Jordan River. Jesus will be the source
of the Spirit for all who come to believe in him. At his baptism, the heavens were
opened and the waters were sanctified by the descent of Jesus and the Holy Spirit,
signifying the beginning of a new creation.
Heaven will open for those who bow before the Lord: How
can we enter into the mystery of Jesus' humble self-abasement and baptism? Gregory
of Nazianzus (329-389 AD), an early church father tells us: "Let us be buried
with Christ by Baptism to rise with him; let us go down with him to be raised with
him; and let us rise with him to be glorified with him." Do you want to see
your life transformed in the likeness of Christ? And do you want to become a more
effective instrument of the Gospel? Examine Jesus' humility and ask the Holy Spirit
to forge this same attitude in your heart. As you do, heaven will open for you as
well.
The Lord Jesus is
ever ready to renew and refashion us in his likeness through the gift and working
of the Holy Spirit - and he anoints us for mission as ambassadors of his kingdom
of righteousness (moral goodness), peace, and joy (Romans 14:17). We are called
to be the "light" and salt" of his kingdom that radiate the beauty
and aroma of his mercy and goodness to those around us (Matthew 5:13,15-16). The
Lord Jesus wants his love and truth to shine through us so that many others may
find new life, freedom, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Ask the Lord Jesus to fill you
with his Holy Spirit so that you may radiate the joy of the Gospel to those around
you.
Lord Jesus, fill
me with your Holy Spirit and with the fire of your love and goodness. May I always
find joy and delight in seeking to please you in doing your will just as you have
delighted in the joy of pleasing your Father and doing his will.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The divine-human reconciliation, attributed to Hippolytus,
170-236 A.D.
"Do you see,
beloved, how many and how great blessings we would have lost if the Lord had yielded
to the exhortation of John and declined baptism? For the heavens had been shut before
this. The region above was inaccessible. We might descend to the lower parts, but
not ascend to the upper. So it happened not only that the Lord was being baptized
- he also was making new the old creation. He was bringing the alienated under the
scepter of adoption (Romans 8:15). For straightway 'the heavens were opened to him.'
A reconciliation took place between the visible and the invisible. The celestial
orders were filled with joy, the diseases of earth were healed, secret things made
known, and those at enmity restored to amity. For you have heard the word of the Evangelist,
saying, 'The heavens were opened to him,' on account of three wonders [the appearance
of the eternal Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together at the baptism]. At the baptism
of Christ the Bridegroom, it was fitting that the heavenly chamber should open its
glorious gates. So when the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and the
Father's voice spread everywhere, it was fitting that 'the gates of heaven should
be lifted up.'" (excerpt from THE DISCOURSE ON THE HOLY THEOPHANY 6)
Spirit-filled and spirit-willed: “The Holy Spirit descended
on Him in visible form like a dove.” —Luke 3:22
On this last day
of the Christmas season, we can receive in a new way the outpouring of the Spirit.
Like Jesus, we must go to our Jordan and meet our St. John the Baptizer. There’s
a person and a place that the Lord has chosen to be instrumental in lavishing His
Spirit on us (Ti 3:6). Like Jesus, we will have to deny and humble ourselves
to be at the right place at the right time (Mt 3:15). We will struggle within to “let it be done” to us
(Lk 1:38).
Let’s resist our
resistance to the Holy Spirit. The Lord wants to give the Spirit to us much more
than we want to receive Him. If we would only want the Spirit more than we want
our own way! Jesus, the Baptizer in the Spirit (Mk 1:8), is so quiet and gentle, “not crying out, not shouting,
not making His voice heard in the street” (Is 42:2). It’s so easy to brush Him off, stifle the Christmas
Spirit, and miss the opportunity of a lifetime. Yet, if we want to, we can hear
Jesus breathing on us the words: “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:22). The Spirit descends quietly as a dove (Mt 3:16), noticeable only to those who want to notice.
“My point is that
you should live in accord with the Spirit and you will not yield to the cravings
of the flesh” (Gal 5:16).
Prayer: Father, today immerse me in the Spirit.
“He saved us through the baptism of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
—Ti 3:5 “The voice of the Lord is mighty; the voice
of the Lord is majestic” (Ps 29:4). “In His temple, all say, ‘Glory!’ ” (Ps 29:9)
Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys: “God closes a door and then opens a window,” people sometimes say
when dealing with their own disappointment or someone else’s. That was
certainly true in Marguerite’s case. Children from European as well as Native
American backgrounds in 17th-century Canada benefited from her great zeal and
unshakable trust in God’s providence.
Born the sixth
of 12 children in Troyes, France, Marguerite at the age of 20 believed that she
was called to religious life. Her applications to the Carmelites and Poor
Clares were unsuccessful. A priest friend suggested that perhaps God had other
plans for her.
In 1654, the
governor of the French settlement in Canada visited his sister, an Augustinian
canoness in Troyes. Marguerite belonged to a sodality connected to that
convent. The governor invited her to come to Canada and start a school in
Ville-Marie (eventually the city of Montreal). When she arrived, the colony
numbered 200 people with a hospital and a Jesuit mission chapel.
Soon after
starting school, she realized her need for coworkers. Returning to Troyes,
she recruited a friend, Catherine Crolo, and two other young women. In 1667,
they added classes at their school for Indian children. Three years later, a second trip to France resulted in six more young women and a letter from King Louis
XIV, authorizing the school. The Congregation of Notre Dame was established in
1676 but its members did not make formal religious professions until 1698 when
their Rule and constitutions were approved.
Marguerite
established a school for Indian girls in Montreal. At 69, she walked
from Montreal to Quebec in response to the bishop’s request to establish a
community of her sisters in that city. By the time she died, she was called the “Mother of the Colony.” Marguerite was canonized in 1982.
It’s easy to
become discouraged when plans that we think God must endorse are
frustrated. Marguerite was called not to be a cloistered nun but to be a
foundress and an educator. God had not ignored her after all.
