The Baptism of Jesus, the Baptism of us as well

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Gospel Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

The people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
"I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

After all the people had been baptized
and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,
heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him
in bodily form like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven,
"You are my beloved Son;
with you I am well pleased."

We are still celebrating Christmas. Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus, the official end of the Christmas season. This year we’ve not had 12 days of Christmas but rather 19. Many times the feast of the baptism of Jesus is celebrated the Monday after epiphany but this year it is celebrated on Sunday so we have a whole extra week of Christmas, so Merry Christmas!

Last Sunday we celebrated the feast of the Epiphany, Epiphany meaning showing. Every time we make Jesus known, every time we proclaim his word, celebrate his sacrament or do a good deed in Jesus’ name it is an epiphany, it is a Manifestation of Jesus to the world.

Last Sunday’s feast of the Epiphany focused on the Magi from the East. What was important wasn’t the gifts or how many there were; the important thing was that they were foreigners. The Magi represent the outsiders, they represent the wider world, and they represent us. By their mere presence they proclaim that Jesus isn’t for a chosen few or a select group, rather Jesus is called to be known to all, Jesus is the savior of all.

Today’s feast of the baptism is another epiphany, another time that Jesus was made known to the world. But this time it isn’t magi from the east, or shepherds from down the street. The announcement isn’t made by Angels. The announcement made today is made by the Trinity herself. The Father and the Spirit proclaim and tell us who Jesus is. Like the proud father in the hospital waiting room God the father and God the Spirit are handing out cigars and proclaiming to all that Jesus is born, that Jesus is their beloved son with whom they are well pleased.

The baptism is the end of the Christmas season but it is also the beginning of ordinary time. It is the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. In Luke’s Gospel after the account of the baptism Jesus goes into the desert to prepare for his ministry, he then goes to Nazareth to begin his ministry, a ministry of proclaiming the Good News, curing the sick and driving out demons. Baptism is not so much the end of Christmas as it is the beginning of ministry. Jesus was baptized as he began his ministry; we too are baptized to begin our ministry.

So today we reflect upon our own baptism and we remind ourselves of our baptismal call. We share in the baptism of Christ we share in his ministry as well. What is our ministry? How do we live out our baptism? They are many ways to live out our baptismal calling but what we are all called to do is really the same. We are called to make Jesus known. We are called to continue to create epiphanies so that others might come to know Jesus as well.

Last year the Basilica is celebrated 150 years: 150 years of making Jesus known in the world, but most especially here in this part of Minneapolis. I like the story of how before the church was founded the people had to cross the river to go to mass. It reminds me of our mission in Coari, Brazil. Our Church there sits on the banks of the Amazon River, the part that is called the Solimoes, River. I remember the people crossing the river in their canoes and small boats to come to mass on Sunday, just as the people of North Minneapolis had to do. The parishioners of the Basilica all live out their baptismal calling in different ways, but as a parish community you all share a common calling.

Think of those 150 years and the many ways that St. Mary’s Basilica makes Jesus known in the world today. I think how many times I have passed the basilica, the last time just last night coming home from a concert in St. Paul. This Church is truly epiphany proclaiming to all that Jesus lives and reigns.

As I said, I come this weekend to preach on the Redemptorist Foreign missions, so yes there will be a second collection this weekend. But I would like to tell you a bit about the mission of the Redemptorists in the Amazon River valley of Brazil. To tell you how we Redemptorists are making Jesus known to the people in the jungles of Brazil and to ask for you help.

The magi came from the east following a star. They didn’t know it but the star was the light of Christ, it guided them as they made their way through the world. In the sacrament of baptism we receive a candle that is lite from the Easter Candle. That candle symbolizes that unlike the Magi we are not called to follow stars, we are called to be stars, to be the light of Christ in the world today. We share the light of Christ especially with those who live in darkness and bring light and hope to their lives. We must take the grace of baptism that is a gift and become a light for all.