A Light for the Nations: Reflections of the Readings for the Baptism of the Lord, Cycle A

If you haven’t already read the readings you can find them here.

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
Psalm 29
Acts 10:34-38
Matthew 3:13-17

This weekend I will take down my outdoor Christmas decorations as the Baptism of the Lord marks the end of the Christmas season according to my St. Joseph Sunday Missal. Many of the houses in my neighborhood have already removed theirs but a few are holding out until the coming weekend. We will then enter a brief period of “Ordinary Time” (ordinary because the weeks are numbered in an ordinal fashion) leading up to Lent beginning with Ash Wednesday on February 18th.

Once again we get descriptions of the many characteristics of the Messiah from the prophet Isaiah, the Chosen One, in Whom God is well pleased. The Messiah is a “light for the nations,” again showing His coming for the whole world, including the Gentiles. The long-awaited one will establish justice on the earth. People are waiting for His teaching. In recent years we have seen a resurgence in people seeking God and the Truth. The Truth is a person, Jesus Christ.

In the lead up to Christmas we learned of Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 9:5): “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.” And as Isaiah often noted that His coming was also for the Gentiles, we see this theme again repeated in today’s readings.

In words which Jesus will use with His disciples and in His response to John the Baptist’s followers, Isaiah talks of releasing prisoners and opening the eyes of the blind. While Jesus removes physical blindness His real goal is to open the eyes of the spiritually blind. This was true for when He walked the earth and is still true today. And, as Isaiah implies, Jesus later declares Himself the New Covenant.

In the responsorial psalm, we are told to give glory and praise to God. His voice thunders “over the waters,” which we will also hear about in today’s gospel reading and gospel acclamation, “The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered.” In what could be taken as an admonishment about the way some people dress today when going to mass, the psalmist tells us, “Give to the LORD the glory due his name; adore the LORD in holy attire.” The Lord is King, enthroned forever, and deserving of worship and praise. In return, “The Lord will bless his people with peace.”

In the second reading from Acts, the true mission of bringing Christ to the world, including the Gentiles, is made manifest to Peter at the home of Cornelius, a Roman soldier. Cornelius was, however, a God-fearing man, and had prayed for greater knowledge of God. In a vision he was told to seek out Peter, “Send someone to Joppa to invite Simon known as Peter to come here.” Cornelius told Peter, “So I sent for you immediately, and you were kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to listen to all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

At this point, Peter recognizes that God does not hold back from those who fear Him and seek Him, a lesson for our time as well. Peter then gives a brief summary of the mission of Jesus and “how He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” Peter and the disciples with him recognized the power of the Holy Spirit that was visible within Cornelius and his family. Peter “ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” This is the first post-Resurrection example we find in Scripture of the conversion and baptism of a Gentile. Although Paul is credited with being the apostle to the Gentiles, Peter (as is fitting with his role as leader of the apostles) implements the first conversion of a Gentile and his entire family (relatives and close friends, children included).

Last week we read about the manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles through the visit of the Magi (wise men from the east). This week that manifestation is made publicly to the followers of John the Baptist and others seeking repentance. At first John wants to deny baptizing Jesus as he considers himself in need of baptism at the hands of Jesus. Nonetheless, Jesus’ baptism is part of God’s plan of revelation and salvation, so Jesus insists, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

As Jesus comes up from the water we hear God’s voice along with a visible manifestation of the Holy Spirit. “After Jesus was baptized, He came up from the water and behold,
the heavens were opened for Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’”

Putting these readings into the context of the Liturgical Year they are appropriate for this time of the year (Lent is fast approaching), the next segment from Matthew’s gospel tells of Jesus being led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Following that Jesus went to Galilee and began His salvific mission, preaching the kingdom of God. “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (Matthew 4:17)

Baptism is the first step in reconciling ourselves to God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) tells us that “Baptism is the sacrament of faith.” During the Rite of Baptism, “The catechumen or the godparent is asked: ‘What do you ask of God’s Church?’ The response is ‘Faith!’” (CCC 1253).

With the grace of baptism, our faith can develop. It took three years for Jesus to complete His public ministry and even then the faith had not fully developed in His disciples. It took another manifestation of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost to move things along. And even then, as we see from today’s reading from Acts of the Apostles, the faith was still developing. In the same fashion, our faith needs to be nourished and developed through our continual seeking for God and His plan for us. The Catechism tells us we have a “permanent need for ... inner conversion” (CCC 1888). It’s not a “one and done” situation. Like the physical growth of our bodies, our faith needs to be fed and exercised on a daily basis.