Sometime ago l attended mass for a priest who was celebrating his 25th ordination anniversary. In sharing his experiences he said during the past 25 years he had been invited by the faithful to celebrate with them various masses for weddings, house warming parties, birthdays, graduations, retirement and many others except one kind of celebration, that is, a baptism anniversary mass. That got me thinking, and I am sure we all get thinking.
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us reflect on this event as we draw our minds and hearts to relate the Lord’s baptism to ours. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church we learn that, ‘The baptism of Jesus is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his mission as God’s suffering servant. He (Jesus) allows himself to be numbered among sinners; he is already “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”. Already he is anticipating the baptism of his “bloody” death’. Through his infinite love and mercy, Jesus accepts a human baptism. He did not need it for himself but for us. At our baptism, we were created anew, inaugurated into the family of God, the Body of Christ, and made heirs of the Kingdom of God.
The mission of Christ mentioned as inaugurated by his baptism is the redemption of humanity. Our response to the call of Christ’s love is what complements this redemption and leads us to salvation. At baptism we renounce the evil one, satan, and all his influence. The waters of baptism which purify us, and our declaration to renounce sin do not make us immune to sin or temptation but give us sufficient grace not to fall in sin, and should we fall, that we rise and move in the direction of the light of Christ. Continually we must hear Christ calling us to his love. We must see him picking us as we tumble and fall.
In 1992, at the world Olympics in Barcelona, athlete Derek Redmond made history not for the purpose of the competition in which he participated but for the resilience he displayed. Having spent months, investing money, time, mental energy and his all in preparation for a hundred meter race, he met with tragedy. A few steps after taking off from the starting line, he sprained his leg and fell to the ground. His competitors did not stop. They left him ailing on the ground. Derek was down, but, he was not done. He picked up himself and started limping towards the finishing line. Seeing his son struggle this much, his Father jumped from the terraces into the track, helped his son limp to the finishing line. Olympic officials approached the two persuading them to discontinue and go off the track since the race was over. They denied. Derek’s father waved them off. He knew his son was no longer worried about winning but about completing his task, reaching the finishing line. Derek made it to the finishing line. Though he did not touch any medal in his hand for winning, he touched hearts of many spectators by his resilience. He remains an inspiration till this day. Not many remembered who came first, second or third in that race but they remember Derek.
It is our resolve and determination not to sin which will win for us the glory of God. It is our desire for eternity, our finishing line, which will allow Christ like Derek’s father to come and pick us when we fall and help us to move on to glory. When you and l fall, we are just down but not done. We ought to rise and move to glory. May the celebration of the Lord’s baptism awaken in us the spirit of determination and resolve to renounce sin so that we may be made daughters and sons pleasing to God our father as He was so pleased by His Son Jesus Christ our brother and redeemer.