Jan. 12, 2020: Baptism of the Lord

Jan. 12, 2020 Baptism of the Lord

When we meet someone new, often we want to know what people have said about them, who their parents are, where they come from, which neighborhood they live in, and what they do for a living. I came across a quote that takes a different perspective about who we are:

“You are not what you do. You are not what you have. You are not what people say about you. You are God’s beloved son and daughter. This is your only true identity.” 

Our identity comes from God who has created us and sent us here on earth. Why did God make you, the old Baltimore Catechism asked. “God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.” Our identity as sons and daughters of God is a gift of our baptism. We share in a mystical way the baptism that Our Lord received from his cousin John the Baptist. As a representative of all of humanity, Jesus humbly entered the River Jordan to be baptized by John. As he emerged out of the water, Holy Spirit descended upon him from heaven, and God confirmed Jesus’ identity: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” When we are baptized, we too have been filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit, endowed with every grace from heaven and empowered to fulfill the will of the Heavenly Father. Our vocation in life is nothing other than to fulfill our baptismal commission by the Holy Spirit--not to do our own will, but to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit in obedience and love. 

We are well aware that our worldly attractions and attachments distract us from fulfilling God’s vocation for us in this world. Take for example, most of us in South Louisiana are quite wrapped up with what’s happening on Monday than what’s happening on Sunday (you’d expect that coming from a Texas Longhorn… however, I will be wearing an LSU T-shirt on Monday… I haven’t converted yet.. I’m trying to go along to get along).  As God’s sons and daughters with whom God is pleased, we are sent to bring forth God’s truth, peace, and justice to the little corners where we live. 

A parishioner shared an experience of getting a knock on her house door one afternoon. When she opened the door, a young woman from the neighborhood was standing, visibly troubled. She explained that recently she found out that she was pregnant, and her family wanted her to terminate the pregnancy. The young woman believed that her neighbor would offer her a different perspective. For the next several afternoons, the parishioner shared the Gospel with the young woman of the preciousness of life, God’s plan for her and her baby in her womb, and having faith and trust in God. The young woman departed, and the parishioner prayed for her. Some months had passed, and the parishioner hadn’t heard from the young woman until one afternoon when she heard a knock on the door. When she opened the door, there stood the young woman cradling an infant baby. The young mother was so proud to show the neighbor her infant son. It was the fruit of two women answering the promptings of the Holy Spirit to follow God’s will even when the circumstances were challenging.   

The opportunities to accomplish God’s will for us are present everyday  throughout our lives. God has equipped us with the grace of the Holy Spirit to accomplish His will. Are we truly open to fulfilling His will, are we fearful of the opportunity, or are we resigned to expect someone else to accomplish His will? 

We are leaving the season of Christmas and entering the Ordinary Time. It’s not a time of coasting but a time of action, to live out what God has called us to do. Jesus didn’t wait for the world to come to him; he went  to the world. He then sent Peter, Paul, and his Apostles. Now he is sending us into the world. It is a great privilege to be sent by Jesus; let us not be slowed down by distractions of the world. Today and everyday, Jesus is empowering us with the same Holy Spirit that filled him at his baptism. May we be attentive to all that the Holy Spirit prompts us to do.