By Francis Gonsalves, SJ –
The Baptism of Our Lord – January 13, 2019 — Year C
Readings: Is 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts 10: 34-38; Lk 3:15-16, 21-22
“You are my Beloved Son, with you I am well pleased!” (Lk)
Three Scriptural Signposts:
1. The first reading from Isaiah is a message of hope to a suffering people in Exile. Purged of hope on account of their loss of identity, king and temple, Prophet Isaiah puts them face-to-face with a prefiguration of God’s Anointed One, who is: “My [Yahweh’s] servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations.”
The hallmark of God’s Servant-Messiah or ‘Christ’ is that he will be THE ANOINTED ONE, i.e., full of the Holy Spirit. This is further substantiated in the same reading: “… a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.” … Hearing these words, one will be reminded of Jesus’ Mission Manifesto in the synagogue: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind” (Lk 4:18-19).
- The Gospel passage according to Evangelist Luke—which is the ‘gospel of the Holy Spirit’—describes the Baptism of Jesus within a Trinitarian framework with the heavens being opened and the Holy Spirit descending upon him in the form of a dove. The voice of the Father: “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased …” not only functions to reveal Jesus’ identity—as approved from heaven in his state of being God’s beloved Son—but also stresses his being THE ANOINTED ONE, thereby introducing his mission and indicating the ‘servant-form’ that the Missio Dei will take.
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The word ‘Baptism’—from the Greek ‘baptizo’—means to be dyed, to be immersed, or coloured. The mention of God’s Spirit in the first and third readings gives reason to stress the role of the Spirit in giving each one of us our baptismal identity as ‘Christians’. Out of the three main symbols used at every Christian Baptism—water, fire, oil—it would help to focus today on the anointing by oil which makes each one of the baptized an ‘anointed one in THE ANOINTED ONE: CHRIST’. Such an identity is empowering for Christians, today. It is an identity that has been downplayed and needs urgent revival.
Possible Link of the 2nd Reading:
“Jesus Christ is Lord of all!” proclaims Peter in today’s second reading. Notably, the ‘Acts of the Apostles’ carries forward Luke’s narrative on the salvific work of Christ, where, launching out from the Pentecost (Acts 2), we see not only the socalled ‘conversion’ of Jesus’ disciples but many baptisms performed in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. This reading could help us, in India, to broaden our horizons and mission by holding that: “The Spirit blows where it wills” (Jn 3:8). And, if Jesus is Lord of all, then the members of His Body, the Church (anointed ones) must strive to serve and save all women and men. Our baptism is truly ‘catholic’ – literally meaning ‘universal’ – precisely because it opens us out to all peoples and must respond to all human problems.
Three Texts from Catholic Tradition:
1. Origen (185-254 AD) in his ‘Commentary on John’ [6:17]: “We next remark in passing that the baptism of John was inferior to the baptism of Jesus which was given through His disciples. Those persons in the Acts (Acts 19:2) who were baptized to John’s baptism and who had not heard if there was any Holy Ghost are baptized over again by the Apostle. Regeneration did not take place with John, but with Jesus through His disciples it does so, and what is called the laver of regeneration takes place with renewal of the Spirit.”
- St. Basil the Great (329-379) in the 10th ch. of his ‘On the Holy Spirit’: “How is it that we are Christians? Through our faith, would be the universal answer. And in what way are we saved? Plainly because we were regenerate through the grace given in our baptism. How else could we be?
And after recognising that this salvation is established through the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, shall we fling away “that form of doctrine” (Romans 6:17) which we received? …. For if to me my baptism was the beginning of life, and that day of regeneration the first of days, it is plain that the utterance uttered in the grace of adoption was the most honourable of all. Can I then, perverted by these men’s seductive words, abandon the tradition which guided me to the light, which bestowed on me the boon of the knowledge of God, whereby I, so long a foe by reason of sin, was made a child of God? But, for myself, I pray that with this confession I may depart hence to the Lord, and them I charge to preserve the faith secure until the day of Christ, and to keep the Spirit undivided from the Father and the Son, preserving, both in the confession of faith and in the doxology, the doctrine taught them at their baptism.”
- Pope Francis on Baptism in the Holy Spirit: “Grace should be answered with gratitude, and how better to express our thanks than by spreading the Good News of our encounter with him? The oil of gladness has been poured out on us; we represent Christ, his Word and sacrifice. It is simply not enough that we keep him to ourselves. It is imperative that we receive, reciprocate and share God’s love. We were made for this purpose and it should be as natural to us as flight is to a bird.
Contextual Concern: Exactly 20 years ago on January 13, 1999, former PM of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, went to the Dangs District, south Gujarat, and instead of sympathizing with the victims of the persecutions against Adivasi Christians, he announced a ‘National Debate on Conversions’. This was followed by many campaigns of ‘gharvapasi’ in Gujarat, and later, elsewhere. Will anti-Christian campaigns diminish our enthusiasm to proclaim the Good News? And baptize others?
In Lighter Vein: A Jesuit priest was administering baptism to a boy, aged about four. Following the rubrics of the Rite of Baptism, the priest asked the boy’s parents, “What do you ask of God’s Church for your son?” Pat came the parents’ reply: “Admission to your school, Father!” Jesuits are seldom overenthusiastic about baptizing kids aged four before the academic year begins; for, baptism ensures admission into Catholic schools. However, Jesus’ baptism was for another admission: namely, God’s ‘admission’ that you and me are his sons / daughters of whom, hopefully, He is pleased.
Fr. Francis Gonsalves is a Gujarat Jesuit, former Principal of Vidyajyoti College, Delhi, and currently Dean of Theology at Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune. He is also the Executive Secretary of the CCBI Commission for Theology and Doctrine. He has authored many books and articles and is a columnist with The Asian Age and The Deccan Chronicle national dailies.