BAPTISM OF THE LORD HOMILY – YEAR C 2025
Lk 3.15-16,21-22 Is 42.1-4,6-7 AA 10.34-38
Rhyme Bible: “Jesus is God’s Son” (Mt 3-4)
Now here we come to the paradoxical question of why Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, who had no illusions from the start that he was just a forerunner, preparing the way for Jesus’ public ministry of preaching, teaching, healing and forgiving, with compassion for all who were open to his message. As we well know, John the Baptist (JtB) gets a good go at this time of year, highlighted in Advent and then now after Christmas, as Jesus’ public ministry is on the horizon.
To my mind, a major difference, once Jesus was on the move, is that he was the itinerant preacher, going from place to place, with no limits to his outreach, a term so commonly used today, but where the initiative was his, but leading to many in trouble, through sickness or sin or state of mind, with no favourites, as we hear from Peter, before hitting the road to Rome, in today’s early Church reading in Acts of the Apostles.
But first of all, the people were coming to down by the riverside, where John had emerged from left field, calling those who sought repentance, and a fresh start in living the good and faithful life. Presumably, his hearers were primarily of Jewish background, but the mission of Jesus was clearly much broader, particularly from Luke’s perspective, being the Greek medico, before taking up discipleship as a follower of Jesus.
Luke is concerned with continuity, and it’s clear that John’s message was parallel, in preparation for Jesus, taking up the themes of Isaiah about the practical needs of people being met, in terms of responding to the cry of the poor, bringing hope to those who felt weighed down by life’s problems, and hoping for a better future. Baptism by John for Jesus was not a matter of repentance, but of God’s affirmation that His Spirit was with Jesus from the start.
We too, at the start of another year, have our own hopes and wishes for a better year, but with no guarantees! To a degree, it’s up to us to make a difference by accepting our situation and stage in life, acknowledging our limitations, but working on our strengths, in resolving to be Gospel people as his followers on our ongoing journey of life.
This leads me today to reflect on a faithful disciple, whose state funeral was held this week in Washington, as I refer to Jimmy Carter, one term American president from 1977 to 1981. One remarkable fact about his life was that, whatever the demands on his public life as governor then president and post-president, he maintained his commitment to being a scripture teacher every Sunday in his home town church of Plains, Georgia!
The funeral was a bit long at 2½ hours, but there was much to be said in between the hymns, songs and prayers. He made a promise on his campaign trail back in 1976 that he’d always tell the truth, and it would appear he kept to that promise throughout his public life, sometimes to his own detriment and loss of public support.
A good example was where he was well ahead of his time, warning of the limits of carbon based energy supplies from oil and coal, otherwise known as fossil fuels, the negative effects then called the greenhouse effect, later global warming and now climate change, emphasising the need to move towards renewable energy development, and that in the late 1970’s! He was seen by some as a prophet of doom and gloom, rather than, as his grandson put it, an early millennial, concerned about the future of the planet and its resources for future generations!
From a family perspective, he was a loving husband to Roslyn for 77 years, and loved father, grandfather and great grandfather.
The point was well made that his deep Christian faith is what grounded him, and motivated him, in whatever he did, throughout his long life of 100 years, both in his personal and public life.
Reverend Andrew Young (former American ambassador to the UN), now an old man of 92, spoke of his friendship with Jimmy, whose commitment as a white southern Baptist, was remarkable, in working to break down the injustices of past barriers of segregation and racism in general. On the world scene, he did what he could to bring leaders together to work for peace and nuclear disarmament. He had some success with bringing the hostilities of Israel and Egypt with the Camp David Accords, and we might wish such agreements could be more broadly established in today’s conflicted world.
In the 45 years following his presidency, he and wife Rosalynn set up the Carter Foundation, established to improve conditions around the world, its purpose described as helping “to improve life for people in more than 80 countries by resolving conflicts, advancing democracy and human rights, preventing diseases and improving mental health care.”
One can’t question that here was a man who actively lived out his baptismal commitment in word and action, leaving the world a much better place as a result of his presence in it, despite the enduring problems facing humanity in general today. As his grandson Jason concluded: “His life was a broader love story about love for his fellow humans and about living out the commandment to love your neighbour as yourself.”
We talk about Baptism as a lifelong commitment to living the Christian life, not just a social convention or excuse for a party or ticket to Catholic education. Whilst the weddings are down statistically, especially in church, parents’ and partners’ commitment to what Baptism for their children means, is still strong. As I mentioned earlier, last year we had 72 Baptisms here at St Therese’s for both of our communities, and the commitment statements made by parents are moving and sincere, in wanting to educate and lead their children in Christian faith in our Catholic tradition.
John the Baptist started the ball rolling and from the time of the early Church, Baptism has been the official means of welcoming into our faith communities, following the joyful arrival of new life into our families, something I’ve experienced personally in my own family with the coming of Charlotte and Charlie during the past year. So let’s celebrate the gift of life and of faith together! john hannon 12th January 2025