The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord: Time to Shift Gears for an Extraordinary Journey with Christ

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the conclusion of the Christmas Season in the current liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. We began a liturgical year on the First Sunday of Advent, which was also the beginning of the Advent Season. Then, what came after the Advent Season was the Christmas Season. As the Advent Season has prepared us for Christmas, now the Christmas Season with the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord and the Solemnity of Epiphany has prepared us for the Baptism of the Lord.  

As we recall, we began our journey to find Christ at his arrival as we began the Advent Season. Anticipating the journey in search of Christ to be arduous, we were reminded not to fall drowsy but to remain vigilant. As we were on this Advent journey, punctuated with four Sundays of Advent, we met John the Baptist on the Second Sunday and came to know him more on the Third Sunday of Advent. Then, on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, we were reminded of Gabriel’s Annunciation to Mary about her virgin conception (Cycle A, B) and Mary’s Visitation to Elizabeth, who recognized the child in Mary’s womb as Christ (Cycle C).

Christ was born of Mary in the fullness of time. However, this event, a long-waited arrival of Christ in this world, was not recognized by the world, except for the shepherds who kept the night-watch of their sheep. Then, the Magi found Christ after a long journey from afar in the east. After this, Simeon and Anna discovered Christ as Mary and Joseph brought him to the Temple to dedicate him to the Lord. These discoveries of Christ by the shepherd, the Magi, and Simeon and Anna are some points of reflections during the Christmas Season, while Christ was still in obscurity.

Finally, the time came for Christ to come public, when he was 30 years old and came to the Jordan River, where John the Baptist were baptizing people, while they were wondering if John the Baptist could be the Christ (Luke 3:15). This indicates that even those who came to John the Baptist to be baptized did not recognize Jesus as the Christ – until he came to be baptized himself.

During the Advent Season, we were already introduced to John the Baptist and are familiar with his mission: To prepare the way for Christ to come. Now, Christ has come public to meet John the Baptist for his baptism so that he can fully dwell among us. Can you afford to miss witnessing Christ now?  If you listened to John the Baptist, who was preparing us for the public appearance of Christ to begin his Messianic mission, you sure will not miss.

By now, even though we missed to find Christ at this Nativity in Bethlehem, or did not follow the star to find him as the Magi did, we can find and make a personal encounter with Christ in his Trinitarian theophany at his Baptism (Matthew 3:16-17//Mark 1:10-11//Luke 3:21-22). This way, we can journey with him for the rest of the liturgical year as we begin the Ordinary Time in the liturgical calendar, upon the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  This also mean that we can be with him during his 40-day-and-night fasting in wilderness (i.e. Matthew 4:1-11), during the Lenten Season, upon Ash Wednesday, to prepare for the Paschal Season between the Resurrection and the Pentecost, for our full apostolic commission.

Baptism of Christ, St. John Altarpiece by Giovanni Bellini, c. 1500-02

In fact, we will journey with Christ all the way to the Parousia at the eschaton, going beyond the Paschal Mystery, as we will go on with the risen Christ during the Paschal Season, and continue on with him even upon his Ascension, because he dwells in us in the Spirit, as Paul explains in Romans 8:8-9, as he was in Paul (Galatians 2:20). We are able to journey with Christ, because he has promised to be with us until the eschaton (Matthew 28:20) and has instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, which is his body and blood, at the Last Supper (i.e. Matthew 26:26-29).

In making a rear-view mirror kind of review on our journey up to the point of the Baptism of the Lord, ever since the First Sunday of Advent, the below are some major points of reflection.

Annunciation:

With Mary’s pregnancy by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35, cf. Matthew 1:20), the Logos-Theos became flesh of Christ to dwell among us (John 1:14) and to fulfill what God said in Genesis 3:15.

Visitation:

While the flesh of Christ was still growing in Mary’s womb, John the Baptist in Elizabeth’s womb and Elizabeth recognize his presence and rejoiced (Luke 1:39-45).

Nativity of the Lord:

When Mary gave birth to him in the stable, Christ was no longer hidden.  Prompted by the angel’s announcement the shepherds ran to the stable and witnessed this first theophany and praised the Lord (Luke 2:1-20).

Epiphany:

Following the star, when the Magi from the east found Christ while he was still an infant, theophany was made to the Gentiles for the first time (Matthew 2:1-12).

Presentation of the Lord:

When Jesus was brought to the Temple for dedication, as Mary’s the 40-day purification upon giving birth to Jesus was over, Simeon and Anna recognized him as Christ (Luke 2:22-38 ).

Baptism of the Lord:

When he was about 30-year-old (Luke 3:23), Jesus came to the Jordan River and was baptized, with the Holy Spirit descending upon him and the Father in heaven claiming him as His beloved, making this event a Trinitarian theophany (Matthew 3:13-17//Mark 1:9-11//Luke 3:21-22). As John the Baptist foretold of this public appearance of Christ (Matthew 3:11-12//Mark 1:7-8//Luke 3:16-17), Christ come to the public scene and was no longer in obscurity upon his baptism to begin his public ministry, which climaxes with his death on the Cross and the Resurrection.  

Before encountering Christ at his Baptism, we journeyed to find him, unless you are like the Shepherd, who found him at his Nativity or like the Magi, who paid homage to infant Jesus, or like Simeon and Anna, who recognized him as long-waited Christ when he was brought to the Temple for dedication. Now, all of us, the faithful, have found him, as Christ is no longer in obscurity. we thereby begin our journey with him, going through the rest of the Paschal Mystery and beyond, as we are to begin the Ordinary Time. 

On the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we are encountering Christ in theophany as Christ is being baptized by John the Baptist, as the Holy Spirit is descending on him, and the Father claims him as His beloved Son. Now, we must reflect what it means to us.

If baptism were simply to cleanse our sins, then, Christ would not need to be baptized. Nevertheless, he chose to be baptized, just like us. It means that he was to dwell among us (John 1:14) and to embark on his public mission, for which he came to this world as God incarnate (John 1:1, 1:14) through Mary’s Immaculate womb (Matthew 1:18-25//Luke 2:1-21). Because he did not carry on his mission alone but recruited disciples (Matthew 1:12-22//Mark 1:14-20; Luke 5:1-11; John 1:35-42), even after he Ascended, as he called Paul (Acts 9:1-19), we heed the calling from him, as we stand ready to follow him, upon our encounter with him at his baptism.

Fr. William DeBiase, OFM, who was my pastor at the Franciscan Chapel Center in Tokyo, where I was baptized and confirmed, has said in his Baptism of the Lord reflection, “Christianity is not about how much we know but how deeply we are involved with Christ”, to juxtapose our respective baptismal call to Christ’s baptism. Fr. William reminds us that the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is a great opportunity to reflect the meaning of our own baptism, so that this solemnity becomes an opportunity not only to encounter Christ in his theophany but to draw ourselves closer to him to become deeply involved with him as we are ready to journey with him as his disciples. This way, Fr. William, said, the Ordinary Time is not just an ordinary time for us, as our life with and in Christ is not an ordinary life.

In celebrating the Baptism of the Lord, in our encounter with Christ in a Trinitarian theophany, and recalling our own baptismal call, let us shift gears from our searching-for-Christ Advent-Christmas mode to journeying with Christ mode. Now, let us go forward with our Lord for meaningful extraordinary life, though it may mean to carry our daily cross!