Homily

The Cleansing of Sinners

Sunday, January 13, 2008, The Baptism of the Lord
Assumption Grotto Parish, Detroit

What are we to make of this, that the Eternal Word, Incarnate from Mary, was baptized? Why did he do that? What does it all mean? And what fruit can we derive for our spiritual lives?

For today in the Gospel we read of the baptism of the Lord at the hands of John the Baptist (cf. Mt 3:13-17). Last Sunday we saw his manifestation, his Epiphany, to the three Magi from the East, and the manifestation was threefold: in gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Today we see his manifestation to Israel, and the manifestation was threefold: in John the Baptist’s testimony, in the voice of God the Father heard by all and in the Spirit who appeared in the form of a dove.

This voice was foretold in the Psalm, “The voice of the Lord is up on the waters, The God of glory thunders, the Lord is over many waters” (Ps 29:3). And Jesus ascent from the waters was foretold in another Psalm, where it says, “He will drink from the brook by the wayside; Therefore He will lift up His head” (Ps 110:7) He drank from the turbulent waters of this life, bearing our sufferings and humiliations, and not only did he lift up his head from the Jordan, but the Church lifted up its head, who is the Christ, as high as the heavens.

The baptism of John was not like the baptism of Jesus. When the scriptures discuss being baptized “in the name of Jesus,” that expression does not describe the ritual words, which are not, “I baptize you in the name of Jesus,” but rather, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Rather, the expression differentiates the Lord’s baptism from John’s. John disposed the sinner to repentance by mere water. The Lord’s baptism brought sanctifying grace, and so it is a baptism not only of water but of the Holy Spirit.

We needed this baptism, because after the sin of Adam, we were objectively a damned race, hopeless and in the dark. Yet we long for God, and God longs for union with us. Who then, who, could overcome the infinite separation from God, the separation caused by sin? Only man should, in all justice, for man is the sinner and he has the burden of the debt. But no man could ever pay that debt. Unless that man were God. So the Lord, in his infinite mercy, built a bridge for us.

For if we are holy, it is only because of the Incarnation. In fact, this is the central idea of today’s homily: That the Incarnation is what makes us holy, and that this is shown in the Baptism of the Lord. And the explanation of this is as follows, after which I shall propose some applications for our spiritual life.

By justice, each one gets what he deserves. None of us, we who have fallen into sin, deserves heaven. Therefore, it would be unjust for God to admit us to Eternal Life. Yet God is not unjust. Therefore, if he is to save sinners, and admit them into Paradise, he needs to change sinners, make them different, take those who are unjust and justify them. Now, by our sins, two things have happened: we have become dirty or stained with sin on the one hand, and on the other we are empty of all justice.

So the first thing that the sinner needs is a cleansing. What type of water can cleanse the sinner? Certainly no material water, but only water which is made spiritual. And this is the nature of the water of baptism. For the water did not sanctify the Lord, but He sanctified the water. When the people of Israel crossed through the Red Sea to escape Egypt, the land of sin, and obtain the Promised Land, they feared the water, for if it came upon them it would kill them. But now the Lord goes into the water, and is encompassed by it; it is no longer a threat but a hope, it no longer kills but gives supernatural life.

The second thing that the sinner needs is to be filled with holiness, for he is empty of all justice. We became full of sin, so sad and selfish. This was never God’s plan. As a ball should be filled with air and not cement, so we should be filled with holiness and not sin. This is why the Lord says, “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” There is a “filling,” for the Greek word “to fill” is used where we translate “fulfill.” So the Lord in his mercy fills us with holiness, a mystery our minds can never understand.

So after this short contemplation of the baptism of the Lord, what applications can good souls find for their spiritual lives? I propose two.

The first application is for the Church at large. There are many who, in the Protestant fashion, feel that a Church building should be so designed so that the baptismal font is the most prominent feature in the place, when the tabernacle remains hidden. This is a distortion. For baptism is the beginning, yet its purpose is found only in the Eucharist. We are baptized into the Eucharistic Church, and prepared to receive the Heavenly Food which is the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Lord under the appearances of bread and wine. The dead cannot eat, but the living must; baptism gives spiritual life, so the spiritually dead should not receive the Lord, only those alive by sanctifying grace. Let us return to putting the tabernacle, as in this beautiful Church, where it belongs, not to put down baptism, but to manifest its real purpose.

The second application is more personal has to do with purification. The scripture reads, the Lord “was baptized.” Notice, the verb is in the passive. For there are many purifications to which we can submit ourselves actively, but we need another purification which we receive from God. So many souls make very little progress in the spiritual life, for they dread this purification. They are happy with their consolations, with their venial sins, with their pride and their possessions. Therefore, they fail to ask God for the greater freedom, they fear to, for they fear the cross. Such souls should ask God to be purified by the Holy Spirit, and made free from so many weights which keep them from flying to the heights of divine love.

In conclusion, let me summarize what was said in this fashion: in the Baptism of the Lord, Christ the Savior was manifested once again to the world. He transformed both the baptism and the water John was using, giving us the true baptism in grace and the waters of salvation. By doing so, he gave hope to sinners. This baptism is a purification, and every day we need to live up to this baptism by the purifications of the spiritual life, especially the interior ones which come from God. And after baptism, we need to live the full life of the Church, particularly by the posterior purification of Confession and the nourishment of frequent Communion.

May Mary, the mother of God, help us embrace these purifications and live up to the commitments of our baptism, for it was by her obedience that we received our Savior.