May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
He enters the waters of the Jordan so that he can give us the
waters of eternal life. The baptism of
the Lord Jesus brings to completion the hidden life of Nazareth. From this moment until the day when he is
taken up into the glory of the Father, the Lord Jesus is publicly teaching
and publicly revealing the Kingdom of God.
From the moment of his baptism, he is announcing the promise of life
forever in the glory of the Father. The
Lord Jesus enters the waters of the Jordan so that he can give us the waters of
eternal life.
The Spirit that hovered over the waters at the dawn of
creation descended upon the Lord Jesus at his baptism. The voice of the Father, by which all that is
visible and invisible was created, announced the identity of his Son. In the presence of the prophet John the
Baptist, the incarnate Word of the Father and the fullness of the revelation of
God to his people, was revealed. In the
waters of the Jordan and in the presence of John the Baptist we hear that Jesus
is the beloved son of the Eternal Father.
In the waters of the Jordan and in the presence of John the Baptist, we
see the Spirit of God descend in the form of a dove and consecrate the Lord
Jesus for the mission of salvation. The
Lord Jesus enters the waters of the Jordan so that he can give us the waters of
eternal life.
Long before the profession of faith by Peter, and even before
the demons cry out in terror before the face of the Holy One, at the waters of
the Jordan, the identity of the Lord Jesus is clear. He is the beloved Son. Long before the Sermon on the Mount, the
cleansing of the Temple, the last supper with his disciples and his suffering
on the cross, at the waters of the Jordan the mission of the Lord Jesus for
salvation was foretold. From this
moment, the Lord Jesus is publicly teaching and publicly revealing the
Kingdom of God. The Lord Jesus enters
the waters of the Jordan so that he can give us the waters of eternal
life. At the baptism of the Lord Jesus
his identity was proclaimed and his mission was foretold.
At my baptism and at yours, our identity was proclaimed and
our missions were foretold. When were
baptized into Christ Jesus we became beloved children of the Most High
God. The Father claimed us in his
Son. We became heirs of the Kingdom and
we received the Holy Spirit. We were
washed in the river of salvation and we drink from the springs of eternal life
which flow through the city of God. We
were anointed with the oil of gladness and consecrated for our particular
mission in the divine mission of salvation.
The Father has claimed us. The
Spirit has sent us. Let us begin again
our journey with the Lord Jesus. Amen.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
