January 10, 2013       Daniel Daring        Daniel's previous reflections

You are my beloved daughter – Baptism of the Lord
                Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

            Since I cannot recall the experience of my baptism, being baptized as an infant, I interviewed someone who was baptized when she was seventeen. Before the celebration took place, she joined that particular church for some time and attended the classes of catechism. Her conduct of life was also being evaluated. The celebration was simple. In the midst of prayer worship, together with other catechumens she was brought to a small pool, immersed in the water and baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Emerging from the water, she cried, overwhelmed with joy that could not easily explained. She knew that she had received something that could not be compare with anything else.
I was also interested in knowing how she understood her baptism. She said that it was a sign of her conversion. She was explaining that she realized that she was a sinner and needed God in her life. She called it repentance.When she was being immersed in the water, she knew that she was dying to sin and when she came out of the pool she came as a new person.

            What is baptism? The basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to other sacraments. We are freed from sin and reborn as sons and daughters of God. All of these and much more.
I personally call it the sacrament of freedom, and often connect it with the experience of Israel in Egypt. Suffering terribly, they cried to God for help and He began to lead them to freedom. They were chased by the Egyptian army. They entered the waters of the Red Sea and emerged as free people, while the army drowned. The significance of that event for our lives can be easily established. Egypt represents the power of sin that tries to destroy our lives, and we need God's mercy to be set free. Water cleanses us. Sin is destroyed by the water and we emerge as free people. And then we begin to walk in God's presence.

Yet the most touching significance of this sacrament is expressed in the statement: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). Jesus was being assured of the love of the Father at the beginning of the mission that would change the world. The Father was delighting in Him and poured out the Spirit to empower Him for the task He was going to do. Because of that, Jesus was not only able to accomplish His mission, but also to pass on this experience to others by baptizing them with the Spirit and fire.

            I think that we need to recover the significance of baptism for our lives. We need to realize that we are sealed by the presence and power of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The Trinity has entered our lives. Our baptism, in a special way, unites us with Christ. We are in Christ, as Paul often reminds us in his letters. It is the power of his life, death, and resurrection that transforms us.

 Finally, our relationship with God is marked by love. He is the Creator of us all and the Giver of all we have. He is assuring us of His delight in us. I find particularly this fact important. The words of love and affirmation are vital to child's development. Any child who strives to affirm his/her own identity and self-worth without having heard that affirmation from parents faces extremely difficult task. It often leads to resentment, bitterness, and even failure. The same can happen in our life of faith. By imagining God as a stern parent, who only watches for our mistakes and then scolds us, we develop negative feelings towards Him, which may even lead to the abandoning of our faith. On the other hand, if a child is loved and constantly pampered with the words of affirmation, s/he will grow into a mature person able to succeed in life.

 It is also true when it comes to our faith. If we are able to internalize the words, 'you are my beloved son/daughter, in whom I am well pleased,' we build our relationship with God on love and trust. We try our best to please Him, but we also know that He is doing His best to help us to succeed. His guidance and protection is always available to us and if we fail from time to time – who does not? – we know that He is there to embrace us, console us, and help us to learn a lesson from our mistakes.

            Lord we beseech you today,  
            May we have a vivid awareness of how
            precious we  are in Your eyes.
            May You take possession of our lives.
            May You set our hearts on fire and give us the Spirit,
            thus enabling us to work for a change in the world.
            May You be always with us. Amen.