Homily on Baptism of the Lord 1/8/2017

EPIPHANY: Baptism of our Lord

Around 600AD, St. John of the Ladder explained that “repentance is the renewal of baptism,” because in baptism we die to sin and are raised to new life in Christ.

The Incarnation means that God has divinized our humanity so life in Christ is called “Theosis.” Paradoxically, we are already one with Him even as we are slowly being made one with Him. Sin hinders this process. Epiphany celebrates Jesus manifesting the love Light of God to the world. We remember that this same Divine love light is in us!

The Incarnation makes every moment of human life sacred. Jesus’ baptism makes baptism holy. Jesus shares in our struggle. Jesus needed the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s power in Him and us. When Jesus was baptized, the Father said that He was a beloved, pleasing son. We are also beloved sons and daughters; we too must please Him. It is the gift of salvation, the gift of sanctification—theosis—which saves and creates mortals into God’s children. Like us, Jesus had pain, struggle and temptation. Jesus was overworked and underappreciated, He was used by others and ignored, He was asked to give when exhausted, interrupted and imposed upon regularly. He felt alone in a world where no one really ever understood Him and almost everyone betrayed Him. He understands our feelings and He understands our worst moments. He is like us.  Unlike us, Jesus always loves, trusts and obeys the Father, He did not sin. We have the same vocation, but when we sin—because of doubt and fear, because of cold hearts and selfishness—we can repent and renew our baptism. Again and again each day, repentance is the path of theosis.

The baptism of Jesus sanctifies us because we are baptized into Him.   Isaiah and Acts clarify our life calling.

Isaiah 42 speaks of a “Servant of God.” The servant is corporately the entire nation of Israel, but He is also a man.  Jesus is the perfect Servant. Like Israel, the whole church and each individual member, share in the same mission. We are called to be gentle heralds, carrying The Light of Christ into the world. The images of blindness, prison and darkness symbolize The Enemy (satan, sin and death). The Triune God is holy light which already shines among us. In Isaiah, God declares, “the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare.” The Apocalypse use the same language to describe the Last Day when once and for all God saves and recreates the world.

Jesus is the Light of God shining among us, but remember He shares in our frustrations and disappointments. He rescues us, by being us! He even dies to redeem death, and rises to being eternal life. This is the Good News Peter shares. “No one,” he says, “not even Gentiles, is outside of God’s love. Anyone who truly desires God is included.”

That is our message. Jesus heals. Jesus forgives. Jesus saves. Jesus died and rose, and is with us today.  He speaks in the Word and loves us in the Eucharist. Even if His light seems muted, it still shines on even the darkest day. And it shines brightest when we repent, renew our baptism and faithfully are His light to the world.