Homily for the Baptism of the Lord

This homily was preached by Fr Nicholas King SJ

Scripture readings: Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11; Titus 2:11-3:7; Luke 3:15-22

Today is a pivotal moment; for it marks the end of Christmas, and the beginning of something new. We have been long in the purple and white of advent and Christmas; today we wear white, but tomorrow we plunge into what is called “ordinary time”, when green is once more the liturgical colour. And inevitably we find there both comfort and discomfort; and the demand is for us to respond in faith to what God is saying to us. Whatever it feels like, God is waiting for us even in that “ordinary time”.

You can see this in today's readings. in the first reading, addressed to the people of Israel exiled in Babylon, there is an invitation to “comfort”; but it is not going to be an easy comfort. For they are being invited to make the long journey back home to Jerusalem, after 50 years away, across thousands of miles of dry desert: so the voice cries: “Prepare a way for the Lord”; there is clearly uncomfortable work to be done, with mountains to be flattened, and valleys to be filled in. But the prophet is “up for it”, and sings to them, “go up to a high mountain, you who bring good news to Sion”; and it concludes with a beautiful image of God, who is “like a shepherd, feeding his flock, gathering the lambs in his arms.” We should feel the joy of this, as well as the discomfort. And we should be heartened by knowing that God is waiting for us all the way through our life's journey.

So the key thing is to keep our eyes on God. And that is what we get in today's psalm: “bless the Lord my soul, Lord my God you are very great… you make the winds your messengers”; and he looks happily at what God has done: “how many are your works, O Lord!”, and the poet knows that we exist only because God gazes upon us: “when you open your hand, they are well satisfied; but take away their breath and they return to the soil”. All the way through our human existence, God has been waiting for us and accompanying us on our life’s journey.

Our second reading, from the letter to Titus, carries much the same message: “What we have to do is to give up everything that does not lead to God”. And we need to know that “the grace of God which brings salvation to all the peoples has appeared”. So we rejoice at the gift. The gift is a costly one, however: “he gave himself on our behalf, to ransom us from our iniquity, and to purify a chosen people”. So you and I need to have a God-sent confidence in the mission we have been given; even though we know that it is not going to be easy.

Now look at the gospel; and the first thing we notice is that Luke gives only the very barest details of the story. What does he tell us about the mission of Jesus? Well, it says it starts “today”; and what does he tell us about our mission? There are various elements here: firstly, the question of who we are talking about: is John the Baptist the expected Messiah? Well, the reader of Luke's gospel knows that Jesus and Jesus alone is the Messiah; but somehow God has clearly sent John. And what does he do? The Baptist points firmly away from himself (which is our task also): “the Stronger One than me Is coming”. Not only that, but he's going to “baptise in the Holy Spirit and in fire”. This is of course has us looking ahead to Pentecost, when we shall see the Holy Spirit and fire at work. So God is waiting for us indeed.

And there is more: for next we hear the account of Jesus’ baptism. Once again notice how little Luke tells us: simply that the people had been baptised (and “the people” in Luke's gospel are almost always those who are open to God’s project). Then we discover, almost in a throwaway line, that Jesus too has been baptised; not only that, but (as so often in this gospel) Jesus is “praying”. And the praying is a real encounter with God: for, while he was praying, “heaven was opened”. And then two things happen: the Holy Spirit makes his appearance, as Luke puts it, “in bodily form” (other gospels speak of a “dove”). That is what you and I long for, of course. Not only that, but there is also a voice: The voice comes from heaven; and therefore it is the voice of God, so we listen carefully. And it says something of immense importance: it will stay with Jesus throughout his mission; and the voice is not addressed just to Jesus but also to us. That is what we are longing to hear from the God who is waiting for us: “you are my son, the beloved”. So you must today hear God say: “You are my son/you are my daughter and I love you.”

if we can do that, then our mission will not seem quite so impossible, for all of us here are God’s beloved daughters and sons.

That is what we must remember as we approach our mission; God is indeed waiting for us and God is loving us. And that is what makes it possible for us to go into ordinary time.