The feast of the Baptism of the Lord commemorates a pivotal change in the life of Jesus. It concludes the 30 hidden years of his life in Nazareth and inaugurates the three years of his public ministry. Baptism made a difference in the life of Jesus.
In the liturgical life of the Church, this feast marks the end of the short Christmas season and begins the long cycle of Ordinary Time, a time of spiritual growth. The festive gold and white vestments of Christmastime give way to the green vestments of growth that is hoped for in Ordinary Time. Baptism makes a difference in the worshipping life of the Church.
The Baptism of the Lord continues the epiphany of Jesus to the nations. On the feast of the Epiphany, the Christ Child is revealed as King of the Nations. On the feast of the Baptism, the mature Jesus is revealed as Son of God. Baptism makes a difference in the manifestation of his identity.
The baptism of John was not the Sacrament of Baptism, but it was the prelude to it. It was merely a symbol for repentance and the washing away of sins. Jesus, of course, did not need to be baptized because, being perfect, he had no sins to be washed away. Nevertheless, he chose to be baptized to give us an example that we do indeed need to repent and be cleansed of our sins. In the fifth century, Saint Maximus of Turin said: “Christ is baptized not to be made holy by the water, but to make the water holy for us.”
In his letter to Titus, Saint Paul calls Baptism the “bath of rebirth” (3:5), which makes us “heirs of eternal life” (3:7). He says the grace of the sacrament trains us “to reject godless ways … and to live temperately, justly and devoutly” (2:12). Baptism makes a difference in our lives.
Mikhail Gorbachev, who paved the way for the dismantling of the Soviet Union some 30 years ago, was publicly an atheist, but he was sympathetic to the free and open practice of religion. When he was an infant, his mother had him baptized secretly. Gorbachev relates that she had an icon of Jesus or one of the saints in every room of the house, while his father had a picture of Lenin or Stalin in every room. When he had a lengthy meeting with Pope John Paul II, Gorbachev told him all about that, to which the Holy Father replied, “Baptism makes a difference!”
This year, the year of grace of Our Lord 2022, let us resolve that our Baptism will make a real difference in our lives, too.
Father Edward Kolla is a retired priest of the Diocese.
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