The great commission

This Sunday, the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord.  With this celebration, we bring to a close the liturgical season of Christmas.  For the past number of weeks, we have been pondering various aspects of the miracle of the incarnation (something that we do well to contemplate all through the year), but the Baptism is kind of a commissioning that Jesus received.  It's also a commissioning that we all receive.  Perhaps this reflection will help:


The great commission
Some of those present may know of the Sister Adorers of the Precious Blood, a cloistered order of Religious nuns whose apostolate is to be close to God's people by their constant prayer for us.  Until just a few years ago, there was a convent of these sisters present in our diocese, and while I was serving as Associate Pastor at the Pro-Cathedral of the Assumption in North Bay, in the very early days of my priesthood, I had occasion to visit there from time to time.  In fact, I even spent a week there once, to complete my retreat in preparation for Ordination.  While I was there, one of the Sisters, Mary Francis was her name, was assigned to 'take care of me'.  She was the only one of the Sisters with whom I had contact through the week, with the exception of the 30 minutes each day that we would celebrate Mass together with the entire community.

A few months after my Ordination, I received news that Mary Francis had been diagnosed with cancer, and for the next year or so, I followed her progress, all the while remembering the care with which she 'watched over me' during the week I had spent with them.  At one point during the time of her suffering, I remember visiting with her in hospital.  She had been moved out of the convent because the need for treatment was too acute.  So it was that I found myself visiting one day, and in the midst of conversation, she said, 'Now, I am finally beginning to understand the true meaning of baptism'.  These words struck me as strange then, and they still haunt me to a certain level even today.  Why is it that even a woman who had dedicated her entire life to prayer and to the service of a loving God could only begin to understand the first of the sacraments as she was preparing for the end of mortal life.

Seventeen years have passed since that day, and I'm still not sure that I understand this mystery.   From the outside looking on, baptism seems like an easy enough thing: we pour water over the head of a child, we anoint with oil to seal the child with the promise of salvation, we speak words of blessing over the child and his or her parents, but do we truly understand the inner workings of this or any of the sacraments?  Perhaps even as we go through the actions, we are more like John the Baptist, who didn't understand himself why he should baptise Jesus, but Jesus knew that it had to be so: that the outward, visible signs and actions had to confirm what was being accomplished in the interior, spiritual realm, and this is what happens even today.

Baptism represented the beginning of Jesus' public ministry.  It is also the beginning of our relationship with God, and this relationship necessitates conviction, and action as we ourselves continue to evangelize the world around us.  For some of us it takes our entire earthly existence to understand this, but for all of us, baptism leaves us no choice but to love as Jesus did.  Loving is not always easy business.  Some people didn't want to hear what Jesus had to say, some people felt extremely threatened by his words, even as others found profound comfort.  It's still the same today.  There are some, perhaps many in our world who would much prefer to be left alone in their own worlds, where they could continue to be concerned about their own well-being and not have to think for a moment that their words and actions impact others. 

Even in a world of instant messaging and communication, there is still mystique about this life to which we are called.  When we hear of the 'natural disasters' that have been ravaging certain parts of our world, it's easy for us to send money to help the victims of floods in Northeastern Australia, yet there is an individualism that is bred by our increasing dependence on technology, an individualism that is a dangerous threat to the life of faith to which we are called.

As the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord, we too are reminded that the true meaning of this sacrament is a call to enter into relationship, not physical, vistble relationship, but spiritual relationship with the One who accompanies us.  This is a call to service, a call to continue the evangelizing work of Jesus who began it.  Sometimes we will enjoy this journey of faith, and at times we will find it very difficult, but we are all called to live it to the full.  How else but by faith could Peter have dared to speak out as he did in the house of Cornelius, to risk life and limb in order to speak his truth before the very people who could call down the wrath of suffering upon him, yet we have the recorded proof in the second reading today that he didn't shy away from it.  Jesus welcomed each of us with great joy on the day of our own baptism.  He and the saints, our spiritual companions, gently encourage us as we continue to live the life of faith each day.  They embolden us when we need to speak difficult words, they accompany us when we must live delicate moments, they comfort us when we must face troubling times, and they celebrate with us when we accomplish that for which we are purposed.