The Baptism of the Lord
Reading I
Is 42:1-4, 6-7
Thus says the LORD:
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
upon whom I have put my spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
a bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
R. (11b) The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Give to the LORD, you sons of God,
give to the LORD glory and praise,
Give to the LORD the glory due his name;
adore the LORD in holy attire.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters,
the LORD, over vast waters.
The voice of the LORD is mighty;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The God of glory thunders,
and in his temple all say, "Glory!"
The LORD is enthroned above the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as king forever.
R. The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Reading II
Acts 10:34-38
Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered
in the house of Cornelius, saying:
"In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him.
You know the word that he sent to the Israelites
as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all,
what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him."
Gospel
Mk 1:7-11
This is what he proclaimed:
"One mightier than I is coming after me.
I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
and was baptized in the Jordan by John.
On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open
and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.
And a voice came from the heavens,
"You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."
COMMENTARY
The reading from Deutero Isaiah speaks of a servant in the likes of Moses, David, and all Israel, a “chosen one” who fulfills the role of Davidic king and messianic king. He is commissioned to bring forth justice (mišpāt), a legal decision ratifying and executing the divine will. Except in rare cases, this power was reserved to kings, priests, and local magistrates. The servant has still other qualities, for he imparts teaching (tôrậ), a task never done by kings but only by prophets, and priests.
The endowment of God’s Spirit is important for any extraordinary redemptive work, and was promised to the messianic king and would later be given to the entire messianic community. The NT applied this endowment to Jesus. The servant accomplishes his mission quietly. The descriptions of the servant as not breaking the bruised reed nor quenching the smoldering wick indicate a gentle respect for others, even a detection of strength in their weakness.
The core of Peter’s speech found in the second reading is from the Old Testament: “God shows no partiality” (Deut 10:17). As Paul does in Rom 2:11 and Gal 2:6, Luke applies this statement to God’s accepting not only Jews but Gentiles who act rightly. God is not an unjust judge. He will not favor an unjust Jew over a just Gentile, but in every nation the one who fears God and acts uprightly is acceptable to God.
John the Baptist has only one function in the Gospel of Mark, and that is to point to Jesus as the Messiah. John recognizes that one more powerful is soon to come after him. Although Jesus will be baptized by John, it is clear that even John knows his subordinate role. As Mark’s narrative unfolds, he will present John the Baptist again (6:14-29). There by his death at the hands of King Herod, John will fulfill the role of pointing to Jesus’ death, just as here his baptism with water points to Jesus’ baptism with the Holy Spirit.
What John’s preaching points to, God himself confirms. Although Jesus comes from Nazareth to be baptized by John in the Jordan River, Mark makes it very clear that it is God himself who blesses Jesus. It is God who rends the heavens, sends his Spirit upon Jesus in the form of a dove, and says: “You are my beloved Son. With you I am well pleased”.
REFLECTION
I have lost count of how many persons I have baptized, but I have not forgotten the expression on the faces of the parents, godparents and the baptized. Although I have mostly baptized infants, and less frequently children ages 3 and above, I have also been privileged to baptize adults, including a 75 year-old man. Most baptisms today are done by infusion (pouring of the water over the head), but on occasion and whenever possible, by immersion in a pool.
Every year for the Easter Vigil celebration at our parish the catechumens, including children, are lead one after the other into our Baptismal pool, where I am waist deep in water waiting for them. Many of the catechumens that are immersed in the pool have told me that there are no words to describe what they experience during those brief moments when they are submerged in the water, but their faces speak for them.
I personally do not remember my own baptism since I was only 21 days old when my parents had me baptized. My parents, however, made sure that my baptism was not reduced to just that one special moment, but rather would permeate my entire life. In other words, they wanted for me to “live” my baptism and not just “be” a baptized person, and believe me there is a difference.
By virtue of our baptism, we are all called to live our life following in Jesus’ footsteps, but what exactly does this mean? To answer this question, we need to take a closer look at the person of Jesus Christ. Obviously, it’s impossible to do this in any detail in such a short reflection, but we can get some idea of what living life as Jesus is like. Jesus’ life was quite and simple until he began his public life, and this he did at the moment of his baptism. Once baptized, he was immediately led by the Spirit out into the desert to be tempted. His public life was wrought with conflict and controversy and concluded with his suffering and death. He never wavered from the truth despite the risk. He did not look for faults in others but rather made it clear that we are all more valuable to God than the entire universe. He offered forgiveness to everyone, including those who did not ask for it. Through it all he remained faithful and patient and never lost sight of what was important – the Kingdom of Heaven.
As baptized persons, we are called to live in the same way. We cannot just assume that because “we were baptized one day” that that’s it – there’s nothing else for us to do. God’s grace is given to us at baptism, but if we don’t make use of it – if we allow all the worldly things to pile on top of it – it may one day be very difficult for us to find. Just as Jesus, we can never loose sight of the Kingdom. Our lives need to be lived in such a way that those who see us can actually see Christ through us. If we can do this, if we can become a reflection of Jesus Christ, then we can truly live our baptism.
Biblical Sources: New American Bible; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Seitz, C. (ed.) Knight, G.A.E., “Servant Theology: Isaiah 40-55; Stuhlmueller, C., “Creative Redemption in Deutero-Isaiah”; The Collegeville Bible Commentary; Hengel, M., “Acts and the History of Earliest Christianity”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary
Reflection: Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa