Prophet Isaiah speaks of the servant of God who comes to heal the brokenness of the world. He will not break an already crushed reed but he offers comfort and a new way of looking at life through change of attitudes, change of mind. In his baptism by John the Baptist, Jesus manifests that he is this servant of God who is God with us, God’s beloved Son, that we may walk freely with God and join Christ to set the world on fire, with the fire of the Spirit, with his love. On Christmas day we celebrate God becoming one like us, a human being and in his baptism Jesus, though sinless, made himself one with sinful humanity. In Jesus God comes to hold us close to his heart, change and uplift what need to be redeemed. This is a day to recall our own baptism; it was a gift and a calling, gift of faith to transform life and a calling to serve others with the gifts given to us.
Sr. Joyce Rupp shares a story: ‘I was visiting my cousin and as I was leaving and getting into the car, I heard my name called. One of my cousin’s children, four year old Thea, running toward me said: ‘I made a gift for you” and she held out a small square post-a-note with nine squiggly lines drawn across it. I said thank you and did not understand what the lines meant. Thea then explained: ‘I can’t do words but I can draw’. Then she added, ‘you like oceans, don’t you?’. Thea gave me the beauty of the ocean and a piece of her loving spirit. She didn’t have what she needed, couldn’t yet put into words what she hoped to convey, but found a creative way to express and offer a gift. Her words ‘I can’t do words but I can draw’ made me think; I can make the best of what I do have, instead of grumbling about what I do not have’. The greatest gift we have is the light of Christ entrusted to us in our baptism that we may live and share that light with a loving spirit.
A heavenly voice was heard at Jesus’ baptism, inviting all to listen to the voice of Christ, to make his good news the program of life. In creation God’s voice said, let there be’ and creation came to be. Everything is made new when we listen to the voice of Christ. Christ, God’s beloved Son said, I have come to do my Father’s will; we become beloved of God when we seek to do God’s will, which is revealed to us in the life of Christ; the Spirit moves in us as he moved Christ to his baptism and speaks to our concerns, doubts, disappointments that we may return to the joy given to us in baptism. Spiritual exercise of Ignatius of Loyola recommends three things to do this new year to live our baptismal calling: 1. give others the benefit of doubt; interpret, ask questions but not condemn others; seek dialogue, correct with understanding and kindness. Admit, I could be wrong. 2. Resist desolation; we are tempted to crawl into a cave, never to come out when feel down: this is time to pray, seek divine consolation even with tears; there is comfort in God. 3. Follow God’s will without conditions: often we are tempted to control God; trust and try to ground life in God.
Let us be a ‘walking’ church, ever discovering new ways to love and not a walled one; celebrate togetherness in faith, new encounters; the stops we make to rest on the way are moments of prayer, to gather energy from the grace of God and the walking itself is our love for others, sharing our gifts and talents to build the kingdom of God.