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Sunday, 13 January, 2013, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
CONSCIOUSNESS OF OUR SHARE IN THE DIVINE SONSHIP IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AS THE BASIS OF MISSION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ISA 42:1-4, 6-7; ACTS 10:34-38; LK 13:15-16, 21-22

Christmas celebrates the manifestation of Christ, who is also the Light in darkness, as the Messiah to the Jews. The feast of the Baptism of the Lord is a third in the series of manifestations, for today we celebrate Christ’s revelation of Himself as the Son of God. Indeed, all are called to share in the life of Christ through Baptism, which is an explicit acceptance, and profession of Christ as Lord.

Within this context, we can appreciate the reason why one of the most important recurring themes in the messages and writings of Blessed Pope John Paul II during his pontificate is the urgency of evangelization. This is partly because Catholics lack a sense of mission and evangelical zeal. We must never forget that the gift of Christ is not meant for us Christians only, but that we have received this gift on behalf of the world. Hence we have all received the call to undertake the obligation of mission. Indeed, to be a Christian is to be a missionary. If we are not missionary-minded, we are not truly Christians. However evangelization is undertaken not only so that Christ would be proclaimed to all men but also because the consequences of an indifferent attitude towards evangelization are far-reaching.

For without evangelization, not only will Catholics face the danger of becoming more and more an insignificant force in the world but they will also eventually lose their faith as well. This is because the world is becoming increasingly pluralistic, relativistic and secularized. As a result, there is no longer a Catholic ambience whereby we are protected by the Church and Catholic values. We are now living in a world in which the majority of people no longer believe in Christ and His Church. They do not subscribe to Catholic values and are sometimes even hostile to the faith and the universal values of the Church. In time to come, the world would be truly secular, without Christ and even without God, for all religions would be considered something private and not meant for the world. When we are godless, immorality thrives and we become a society without values and truth.

Hence, there is a real danger that our children might be born and raised in a secularized climate, and imbibing values that are detrimental to the fullness of life offered to us in Christ. The danger of not witnessing Christ to others will lead to a decadent society as Christian culture becomes less of an influence in the world. So if we are to protect Christian and true values, we must do it not simply by being apologetic in defending our faith, or worse still be silent about our faith and values. Rather, we must be proactive in proclaiming the truths of the gospel values to the world. If we do not proclaim aloud for others to hear and to know the truth, or if we fail to bring justice to the world as Isaiah tells us in the first reading, then we would be actually destroying ourselves.

Hence, for the sake of humanity and the world, we need to renew our Christian life and missionary consciousness. The feast of the Baptism of the Lord therefore would be an appropriate occasion for us to reflect on our Christian identity and mission.

How can we recover this missionary focus of our identity and faith? We must proceed by asking the source of Jesus’ missionary zeal. In today’s gospel, the baptism of our Lord makes clear that His mission flows from His Father’s love given to Him at Baptism. The baptism of Jesus is not only a theophany, a manifestation or revelation for us but for Christ Himself. It was not simply Jesus’ way to identify with us in our humanity, in our sinfulness, even though He Himself knew no sin. Rather, it was in that experience that Jesus became explicitly conscious of His divine sonship. Indeed, we are told that “when all the people had been baptized and while Jesus after his own baptism was at prayer, heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily shape, like a dove, And a voice came from the heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests with you.’”

The consequence of such experience of the Father’s love is obedience. This is not to be understood in a negative sense. Rather, obedience is based on conviction, not on external observation of the Father’s will. The obedience of Jesus to the Father’s will makes Him truly son because it manifests that Jesus is one with the Father in everything. Indeed, to be a son is to be obedient. Jesus’ obedience is His submission and docility to the Father so that He can act on His behalf.

At the same time, to be son is really to be the servant of Yahweh, as the first reading reminds us. Isn’t this what the prophet wrote, “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have endowed him with my spirit that he may bring true justice to the nations.” Sonship is therefore to be understood as servanthood, like the Father who emptied Himself for us by giving Jesus to us.

This experience of sonship is of course through the power of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, Jesus would not have heard the voice of the Father assuring Him, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests with you.’ Indeed, it was the Holy Spirit that gave Him power through anointing. This is what Peter says, “You must have heard about the recent happenings in Judaea; about Jesus of Nazareth and how he began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil.’”

So it is through the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus was able to do good. Such a power comes from a clear consciousness of sonship made possible by the Holy Spirit. It was Jesus’ total receptivity to the Holy Spirit that helped Him to be truly a son. Hence, Isaiah speaks of the Messiah as one who is endowed with the Spirit of God. John the Baptist describes Jesus as the Bearer of the Holy Spirit since He would be the One to baptize us “with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Yes, the Good News that we too are called to proclaim is that God has no favourites. Like Jesus, we are called to be the light of the nations and to proclaim Him as the Servant of the Covenant and the Son of God to the world. Through faith in Him, salvation is realized since “Jesus Christ is Lord of all men.”

Hence, today’s feast invites us to reflect more seriously on our baptismal calling, for only when we are aware of what it means to be baptized in Christ, can we then be more responsible in our mission. But we can be conscious of our vocation to the world and our obligation to be the witness of Christ only when we become more conscious of our identity and mission. The truth is that mission flows from our identity. A clearer consciousness of our identity as the children of God in Christ will lead us to act like Him and undertake upon ourselves the will of the Father for humankind.

But the real reason why many Catholics lack evangelical zeal is not only because we are not aware of our dignity and calling as Christians but also because we do not experience our sonship in reality. To know our identity in name and in fact is what will determine whether we will be committed to the mission entrusted to us or not. Unfortunately, many Catholics know their sonship in Christ only in name but not in fact.

Hence, it is not sufficient to reflect on our calling. It is equally important that we recover a conscious experience of the Holy Spirit, without which we can never come to a deeper realization of our sonship in Christ. Only through a renewed openness to the Holy Spirit and His anointing can we be given the same power to do good and proclaim the Good News like Jesus. Without a conscious appropriation of the Holy Spirit, we would neither be convinced about our identity nor be filled with the Spirit of Jesus to go about doing what He did, and proclaiming the kingdom of freedom, truth, love and justice. Thus, it is necessary that we implore Jesus who is the bearer of the Holy Spirit to baptize us with His Holy Spirit so that we too will receive that power to evangelize.

Yes, today as we begin the First Sunday of Ordinary Time, which is also the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we are invited once again to renew our baptismal vows. We are called to live out our identity as the adopted sons of God so that by living out the life of Christ, we become truly Christians not only in name but also in fact. As Christ bearers, we become the light of Christ in the world and bring all men into communion with God and with each other. In this way, the promise of a renewal of the Covenantal life is realized for once again, man live in perfect communion with God, with each other and find fulfillment in his life.

Written by Coadjutor Archbishop-elect, Msgr. William Goh
Spiritual Director, Catholic Spirituality Centre (CSC)
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