HOMILY FOR THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD IN YEAR B

1.Is 42:1-4,6-7

2.Acts 10:34-38

Gospel: Mk 1:7-11

                            The Test of True Love

We are told a story of a wealthy man who had a double tragedy. His wife died in childbirth and the boy that she gave birth was mentally handicapped. He hired a nurse to take care of the child. The nurse raised the child like her own son. However, the boy died in his early teens. Heartbroken, the rich man died soon after. The man's will could not be found and so the state decided to put the man's estate and belongings for sale. 

The old nurse had very little money and there was one thing she wanted more than any other- a framed photo of the boy she had nursed and loved. No one else wanted the picture, so she got it for just one dollar. She took the picture home and began to clean it up. As she did so, a piece of paper fell out from the wooden frame. It was the rich man's will. It stated that all his wealth and estate would go to anyone who loved his son enough to buy his picture. The sales were halted and everything was returned to the nurse, whose dedication to the boy was happily rewarded.

From today's gospel we are being reminded that because of God's love, by baptism into Christ we became sons and daughters of a large family, the family of God. God became our brothers and sisters. Each time we say that special prayer of God's children, the Our Father, we are in effect saying that God's children everywhere are our brothers and sisters. Just as it is hypocritical to say we love a parent without loving his or her child, so it is hypocritical to profess love of God without equally professing love for all of God's children.

What does baptism mean? The meaning of baptism can be found in the four letters of the word RICE. R stands for Rebirth. In baptism we are born again by water and the Holy Spirit. We are cleansed from original sin and become sons and daughters of God in a special way. I stands for Initiation. At baptism we are initiated or admitted into full membership in the church, the community of the children of God in the word. C is for Consecration. In baptism we consecrate and dedicate ourselves to seek and to spread the kingdom of God. We commit ourselves to be servants of God, to do God's will and serve God with our whole lives. And E is for Empowerment. At baptism the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and empowers us, equips us, gives us the moral strength to say no to evil and to live as God's children that we have become.

These four effects of baptism can be divided into two categories, namely the passive effects( what we receive from God and the people of God), namely, our commitment and dedication to a cause to spread the kingdom of God. One challenge people have about today's gospel is to understand why Jesus needed to be baptized. An understanding  of the " rice" of baptism as we have tried to explain can help.

Looking at the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan, we find that Jesus did not need a rebirth since he was from all eternity the only begotten child of God. He had no original sin to be cleansed from. Did Jesus need initiation? Yes. Being human, Jesus needed to associate and to identify with the community of men and women who were dedicated to promoting the cause of the kingdom of God. Bear in mind that when it comes to serving God, no one is an island. We need to interact with other children of God. We need the community of faith just as Jesus did. We need the church.

Empowerment : the Holy Spirit is the power of the Most High. The Spirit that descended on Jesus at his baptism strengthened and empowered him. It was at His baptism that " God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; and he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil"( Acts 10:37-38). Consecration : Baptism for Jesus was a moment of self-consecration, a moment of self dedication. For him it was a commitment to do whatever was necessary to promote the cause of the kingdom of God on earth.

We read that soon after  Jesus' baptism, John was arrested and the Kingdom of God needed a new leadership. When Jesus heard it he went up and took on the task, in this way implementing the commitment he made at his baptism to promote the kingdom of God. We can see that for Jesus baptism was not just a question of what he could receive but very much a question of what he could contribute to the cause of the Kingdom of God on earth. One of the united states of America president, John F. Kennedy he said, " Ask not what your country can do for you, rather ask what you can do for your country" this saying can also be applied to our relationship with God and the Church.

Are we ready to promote the Kingdom of God? Are we ready to consecrate and dedicate ourselves wholly to the service of the Kingdom of God just as Jesus did? If not, what are we doing to support those who have consecrated themselves to doing  this work in the name of us all? Let us today with Jesus renew our baptismal commitment to bear witness to the Good News of the Kingdom of God in word and in deeds.

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