{"id":932,"date":"2013-01-14T15:12:47","date_gmt":"2013-01-14T20:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/?p=932"},"modified":"2013-01-14T15:12:47","modified_gmt":"2013-01-14T20:12:47","slug":"baptism-of-the-lord-homily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/baptism-of-the-lord-homily\/","title":{"rendered":"Baptism of the Lord – Homily"},"content":{"rendered":"

Baptism of the Lord, Year C <\/a>
\nIsaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
\nTitus 2:11-1, 3:4-7
\nLuke 3:15-16, 21-2
\nJanuary 13, 2013<\/p>\n

Today we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus.<\/p>\n

Baptisms are always something to celebrate.\u00a0 Baptisms are occasions of great joy.\u00a0 As I say this, somebody might be thinking, \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Why should baptisms always be joyful? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Well, let\u2019s think about what happens at baptism.\u00a0 We are set free from Original Sin.\u00a0 When baptized as adults, all our sins up to that point are forgiven (certainly forgiveness of sin is a good thing).\u00a0 In Baptism, we are reborn into eternal life, becoming children of God in a new and profound way, and becoming members of our faith community.\u00a0 And we receive the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

I think all of these are wonderful things.\u00a0 But it begs the question \u201cWhy did Jesus need to be baptized?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus had no sins as the Son of God.\u00a0 He already shared in eternal life as the eternal Son of God.\u00a0 He didn\u2019t need to be \u201creborn\u201d and already enjoyed unity with the Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity.<\/p>\n

Jesus did not need to be baptized for himself.\u00a0 In his own baptism, Jesus accomplished three things.\u00a0 First, he set an example for us that we do need to be baptized.\u00a0 Secondly, he made holy the waters of Baptism for us.\u00a0 Lastly, he took the Baptism of John and made it something more incredible and full of grace.<\/p>\n

John\u2019s Baptism was seen as having one central purpose, the forgiveness of sins.\u00a0 That is no small purpose.\u00a0 We need forgiveness for our sins.<\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t berate John\u2019s Baptism.\u00a0 John knew his baptism was insignificant compared to Jesus.\u00a0 He said himself \u201cI am baptizing you with water \u2026 He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.\u201d \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Jesus adds the Holy Spirit (Thanks be to God!), rebirth, and adds an initiation component, as baptism makes us members of God\u2019s family.<\/p>\n

In Jesus\u2019 own life, his baptism did mark a new beginning.\u00a0 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he began his public ministry of preaching, teaching, curing, and driving out demons.\u00a0\u00a0In essence Jesus began his ministry as priest, prophet, and king with his baptism.\u00a0 Jesus is the priest in his Crucifixion, freely sacrificing his own life for us.\u00a0 He is prophet as a preacher and teacher of the faith.\u00a0 He is king, not as a ruler with power, but as one who serves.<\/p>\n

Through Baptism, we are all called to do the same.\u00a0 In the baptismal ceremony, right after we are baptized with the water, we are anointed priest, prophet, and king with the Sacred Chrism.<\/p>\n

How in the world are all of us supposed to be priest, prophet, and king?<\/p>\n

We share in priesthood by being willing to make sacrifices in our own lives for the good of others.\u00a0 For example, what does a parent willing give up for their children?<\/p>\n

We can all be prophets\u00a0in sharing our faith.\u00a0 This doesn\u2019t have to be about teaching the extensive doctrines of the church.\u00a0 It begins by telling people that our faith is important to us.<\/p>\n

We are all kings not in ruling over people but in serving our needs.\u00a0 And none of these should be one-time events in our lives.<\/p>\n

Living as priest, prophet, and king is part of who we are, who God calls us to be. \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 We can all use our gifts to make the Kingdom of God known to all.\u00a0 A teacher does it in teaching the students not just facts but what it means to be a good person.\u00a0 A lawyer can do it by advocating for what is right rather than just seeking to win a case to make money.\u00a0 A business person does it by following ethic principles and being concerned more with the people affected by the work of the company than profit.<\/p>\n

All this being said, I would like to take a moment to focus on a particular calling in life.\u00a0 This week we celebrate National Vocations Awareness Week.\u00a0 We should always be praying for all of us to know what God is calling us to do but during this week in particular, we are called to pray that God call forth people to serve as priests, deacons, and religious.\u00a0 We also pray that those called by God have the courage to respond yes. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It can also be a time to think about people around us who God may be calling to become a priest, deacon, or religious.\u00a0 We might pray for the strength to tell them we think God might be calling them.<\/p>\n

I truly believe it is God who calls me to be a priest.\u00a0 It is God who makes it possible for me to do what I do as a pastor and a priest.\u00a0 There is no way I could do what I do without God\u2019s help. \u00a0 \u00a0 That being said, beyond God\u2019s call itself, one of the things that was essential to get me to say yes was other people who told me that they thought I should think about becoming a priest.<\/p>\n

So pray!\u00a0 Pray that we all know what God is calling us to do and pray for those called to the priesthood, diaconate, and religious life, and pray that we support them in their calling.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Baptism of the Lord, Year C Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 Titus 2:11-1, 3:4-7 Luke 3:15-16, 21-2 January 13, 2013 Today we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. Baptisms are always something to celebrate.\u00a0 Baptisms are occasions of great joy.\u00a0 As I say this, somebody might be thinking, \u201cWhy?\u201d Why should baptisms always be joyful? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Well, let\u2019s …<\/p>\n

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