January 12, 2020

Feast of the Lord’s Baptism

The Baptized: Indelible Characters in the Church

Msgr. Thomas Gervasio

I think our deacons would agree that one of the joys of our ministry is administering the Sacrament of Baptism. Although they can be distracting, crying [and screaming] infants don’t annoy me at all. If a baby should cry while I pour the water, I tell the parents that it is a sign that their son will become a priest or that their daughter will become a Sister. You can imagine how they love that!
 
Today is the Feast of the Lord’s Baptism. There is of course a difference between Jesus’ baptism and our own. The Sacrament of Baptism washes away all sin. Jesus had no need of John’s baptism of repentance but he submitted to it in order to identify with sinful humanity, i.e. with us. He would sympathize with our weaknesses and bear the burden of our sins to the cross.
 
But there IS a connection of the Lord’s Baptism and our own. At the Jordan, the Blessed Trinity was revealed visibly and audibly, and Jesus was anointed for his public ministry. At our baptism, the Blessed Trinity is also revealed, but mystically, and anointed with Chrism we begin our mission as Christ’s disciples. Baptism is the essential, foundational event of our Christian life. And yet most of us cannot recall the date, the place, the minister of the sacrament, or even our godparents’ names! Let’s consider two effects of Baptism.
 
The first is that we are sealed with an indelible character. We might call it a permanent identity that remains with us even into eternity. It remains even in a person who may lose the state of grace. This character configures us to Christ. This means that my life is not my own. If I am configured to Christ then the way I live is determined by the Gospel and not popular opinion. This can cause a tension within us since we cannot always accept the values of the world.
 
Pope Benedict said, “Instead of following the spirit of the times, we must witness to a spirit of non-conformity. We have lost the sense that Christians cannot live just like everybody else. Today, more than ever the Christian must be aware that he belongs to a minority and that he is in opposition to everything that appears good, obvious, and logical to the spirit of the world. Among the most urgent tasks facing Christians is that of regaining the capacity to oppose many developments of the surrounding culture.” [Ratzinger Report, pp. 114-115]
 
Another effect of Baptism is that it joins us to the Church. A Catholic is not a “lone-ranger.” Christ founded a community which we call the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. It is Christ’s “Mystical Body” and his “Bride.”

How well we know that it is made up of people who are weak and sinful, but we must also remember that the Church also has a divine nature. “The Church is a very human organization but it is also the garden of God’s grace,” wrote Fr. Henri Nouwen. [Bread for the Journey, Oct. 22] It is easy to dismiss the Church when one focuses on her human dimension alone. Those who do, ask: “Why stay?” I like the reply Bishop Robert Barron: “In the end we are not Catholics because our leaders are flawless, but because we find the claims of Catholicism both compelling and beautiful. We are Catholics because the Church speaks of the Trinitarian God whose very nature is love; of Jesus the Lord, crucified and risen from the dead; of the Holy Spirit, who inspires the followers of Christ, up and down the ages; of the sacraments, which convey the Christ-life to us; and of the saints, who are our friends in the spiritual order. This is the treasure; this is why we stay.”
 
What a tremendous gift—Holy Baptism! May we be faithful to our mission and rejoice in being within the garden of God’s grace!