Jan. 9, 2022 Baptism of the Lord C
Jan. 9, 2022 Baptism of the Lord C
“Your greatness is measured by your horizons,” an artist once said. How grand is your horizon? A convert to Catholicism said that he has seen the widest and the most grand horizons of all–the Space. Michael Hopkins has been to space many times as a member of NASA and SpaceX program. Yet he believes that there is a horizon even larger than the space in which he spent many months working. He said, “When I see the earth from this vantage point (in Space), it’s just breathtaking, and when I look down, I see the canvas of God’s creation in all its beauty. [Yet] our God does not remain far above us in the heavens; our God lives among us through his Son Jesus who comes to us as flesh and blood.”
When we were born on this earth, our horizon was very narrow, for we were destined never to depart from this earth–For we are dust, and to dust we shall return. (cf Gen 3:19). It was through our baptism that our horizon opened up. When Jesus was baptized by John in River Jordan the heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove and the voice of the Father was heard, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” By the gift of the Holy Spirit, our baptism immersed us in the death and resurrection of the Lord in which our old self died and we were born anew in Christ as daughters and sons of the Heavenly Father. St. Paul wrote eloquently, “God saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.” What is even more astounding is that our baptism permits Christ to live in us. Every moment Christ calls us from within, to join him in collaboration to build the Father’s kingdom. He gives us a choice: will you join me?
As we begin the new year I encourage everyone to rewatch the mini series “The Chosen,” for it is like a visual bible study in which we encounter Jesus personally. We see him truly as a human person who spoke, joked, laughed, loved, prayed, and cried. In Season 1 we encounter Nicodemus, a very learned and distinguished spiritual man who is both practical and curious. He was drawn to Jesus because he witnessed Jesus performing miracles.
Nicodemus went one night to speak to Jesus. Nicodemus said, “Only someone who has come from God can perform these miracles… What have you come here to show us?” Jesus replied, “A kingdom that a person cannot see unless he is born again.” “Born again? A conversion? Returning to the womb of my mother?” Nicodemus asked. Jesus replied, “Truly I say to you, unless one is born of the water and the Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. That part of you must be reborn to new life… I did not come to deliver people from Rome. I came to deliver people from sin, from spiritual death. God loves the world in this way, that He gave His only Son. And whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life… God sent His Son to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already.”
In many ways we see ourselves in Nicodemus. What Jesus was asking of Nicodemus was to step out of the darkness and into the light. Interiorly we feel the attraction to what Jesus proposes to us–the hope of a new life in the Holy Spirit and living out our baptismal call. Yet, we feel what Jesus is asking of us is too demanding, for we have to change our ways, togive up our sins, and to step out into the light of Christ. Think of all the choices we’ve made in the past–decisions we thought were smart, comfortable, and safe. If we recalled those heart wrenching decisions, we may remember that the Holy Spirit stirred us to a particular action and yet we chose what was stagnant and safe.
Our faith cannot be like an outdoor water fountain in which the water has been shut off for a while. Slowly algae builds up and other things grow to choke the spout. The water of baptism is then no longer life giving, meaning we do not keep our baptismal promises. Every moment, we must draw to the fount of Mercy, that is to turn to the Father and His Son, for the water of baptism to be life giving again. Our Heavenly Father is longing for our faith to be alive, not stagnant or dead. We can be refreshed again by turning to Jesus, to resolve to follow Him again as a disciple. We must have a plan.
At a recent That Man Is You presentation, the speaker asked the participants whether they had a plan. “Do you have a daily plan, a weekly plan, a monthly plan, and a yearly plan for your spiritual life?” Without a plan to take care of our spiritual health and follow Jesus, we will not accomplish what God is asking of us this year. As someone said, “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that our aim is too low and we reach it.” Take a moment to mentally jot down what you will commit to do daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly to be a follower of Christ. Morning & evening prayer with scripture, daily Rosary, daily act of service to others, Sunday Mass, monthly confession, and yearly retreat can all be part of your plan to be an intentional disciple of Jesus. In essence we need to “walk the walk,” that is to look to the horizon, think about where we need to go, and to cope with the weariness that comes from living out the plan. And it’s not going to be easy. “Your greatness is measured by your horizons.” Let us aim to be sons and daughters of God the Most High. Let us live out our baptismal promises by putting Jesus first place in our lives.
