We commemorate the Baptism of the Lord
this Sunday. In the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, the Sunday for
the Baptism of the Lord is the end of the Christmastide. Yes, we the Catholics have an extended
Christmastide, an extra week from the Epiphany Sunday.
In a spectrum that begins with Advent
and ends with Christmastide, begins with the first Sunday of Advent and ends
with the Sunday of the Baptism of the Lord, Christmas is the peak of this
special season for deeper reflection.
During Advent, we were reminded how God’s
salvific strategic plan unfolded first through Mary and then through her son,
Jesus. It was God’s arrangement to
choose Mary to be conceived immaculately to begin His preparation to bring the
Messiah to this world in a human form, as Jesus, fulfilling the Isaiah’s
prophesy in Isaiah 7:14 and as said in John 1:14. And, God sent his messenger,
Angel Gabriel, to Mary to announce Mary’s pregnancy with Jesus (Luke
1:26-38). Then, Jesus was born into the
condition of material poverty in a stable in the outskirts of Bethlehem, only
recognized by the marginalized, shepherds.
It was Christmas.
From there, Christmastide began. Though
the birth of the Messiah in a human form, was rejoiced, we were also reminded
of the bloodshed that the birth of Jesus brought, with the memorial feast of
the Holy Innocent. King Herod committed
massacre of innocent baby boys in his frantic hunt for baby Jesus, because this
corrupt king of Judea found Jesus as his rival (Matthew 2:16-18).
The day that
followed Christmas was the memorial feast of St. Stephan, the very first martyr
for Christ. Thus, the Christmastide began with a stark reminder that the joy of
the birth of Christ and the coming of the Messiah also brought some bloodshed.
Of course, it is not all bloody thing to
characterize the Christmastide, as we also celebrated the feast of the Holy
Family to honor the love that the Holy Family exemplifies. We are inspired by
the way Mary and Joseph loved their baby, Jesus, as it gives us joy and hope in
raising a child even circumstances can be so difficult to have and raise a
child. Given the poverty of Mary and Joseph, Mary could have tempted to abort
baby Jesus…and Joseph could have gave baby Jesus for adoption by a wealthy
couple. But, they kept and raised Jesus through their unconditional and
uncompromising love.
So, the Magi from the East also visited
the baby Jesus, paying him a royal homage, suggesting that the baby born to
Mary and Joseph in poverty, has a kingly quality (Mathew 2:1-12). In fact, an
acknowledgement of a special quality in this baby born to a poor couple was
done not only by the Magi but also by Simeon and Anna in the Temple, as the
Gospel reading for the feast of the Holy Family (Luke 2:22-40) describes.
The Christmastide reminds us that the
consequences of the coming of the Messiah in human flesh, Jesus, the son of
Mary and Joseph, are both joyful and sorrowful.
They are joyful, because the Messiah has come to dwell among us to guide
us into salvation – as God prompted Moses to lead the Israelites to the
Promised Land beyond the Red Sea and the Jordan River from the oppression in
Egypt. But, they are also sorrowful, as there are some bloodshed sufferings
along the way of our salvation, echoing the eschatological tribulation before
the parousia (second coming) of the
Lord in Revelation – though those who are to shed their blood are those who are
with Satan and anti-Christ during the eschatological tribulation.
Now, to conclude the Christmastide,
Jesus has already grown up strong and become ready to begin his mission. He is now coming out of obscurity as he
stepped up to the riverbank of Jordan. Through his baptism, Jesus is no longer
just a son of Mary and Joseph, the Nazarean, but the Lord, the Son of God (to
which Jesus calls the Son of Man). This is when the good tiding that he brings
begins to become evident!
People often ask why Jesus had to be
baptized because he has no sin and he was born from the immaculate womb of
Mary.
To this question, we must remind that
the meaning of baptism is not just for cleansing but also for commissioning.
But, Jesus chose to be baptized like sinners were baptized by John the Baptist
for spiritual cleaning, out of his humility – the kind of humility of God, who
willfully took a form of human flesh, which is often associated with spiritual
corruption. Why? It is out of love – the kind of love that is not afraid to be
become vulnerable and weak. This is the
kind of love that is willing to suffer from consequences of the weakness in
human flesh. But, this is not just to suffer with us but in a way to lead our
suffering to salvation so that we can experience redemptive quality in our
suffering. Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 so well.
Through his baptism, Jesus was not only
born in human flesh but also is now dwelling among us completely, by taking up
what sinful men and women had to go through. This also signals that he will die
in the most humiliating way as a sinner – though he has no sin at all, out of
his redemptive love for us.
As we are ready to begin the Ordinary
Time in the liturgical calendar to follow not only the life of Jesus beyond the
baptism, with our focused attention to his ministry, and prepare for Lent, let
us once again reflect profound meaning of the spectrum of Advent and
Christmastide with the peak on Christmas.
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