Baptism of the Lord (2024)

Introduction

Homily

Baptism of a cat: Johnny’s Mother looked out the window and noticed him “playing Church” with their cat. He had the cat sitting quietly and he was preaching to it. She smiled and went about her work. A while later she heard loud meowing and hissing and ran back to the open window to see Johnny baptizing the cat in a tub of water. She called out, “Johnny, stop that! The cat is afraid of water!” Johnny looked up at her and said, “He should have thought about that before he joined my church.”

I hope you’re not afraid of water, because there will be some—after the homily, during the renewal of Baptismal Promises.

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My dear Brothers and Sisters, it is the time to say Goodbye!

Of course goodbye to the Christmas season today.

Even though we might keep our Christmas decorations up a little longer, today’s feast—the Baptism of the Lord—officially marks the end.

But is it really the end?

Maybe, instead of an ending, it’s a new beginning.

And I’m sure we all love new beginnings, right?

Think about how exciting and uncertain it feels when you move into a new house, get a new car, or buy new clothes.

Still, cars don’t change that drastically from one year to the next.

Fashion updates don’t usually bring a radical transformation to your entire wardrobe.

Even new electronics, while updated, don’t often turn our world upside down.

But what if there were a change so big that it truly rocked our world—a newness we never even imagined, that positively transformed our lives?

Who would want that?

Raise your hands!

Our Second reading today reminds us that something has happened.

St Paul says to Titus (Titus was the first bishops on the island of Crete):

“[God] saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, which he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior.”

What He is talking about here? It is about Baptism!

Baptism basically does 3 things:

It frees us from Original Sin. Original Sin means that we are born in a state of non-friendship with God. Baptism restores us to that friendship.

If we’ve committed any personal sins, God forgives those through baptism.

- I read about the Roman Emperor Constantine who, though “converting” to Christianity in 312, put off his baptism until near his death in 337.

We become members of the Catholic Church and are able to receive the other sacraments.

This means we are a new creation.

We are in a new relationship with God.

What kind of relationship?

The gospel we just read tells us.

After Jesus is baptized, the heavens open and God the Father says to him: “You are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased.”

Those words are addressed to all those who have been baptized.

“You are my Beloved son… You are my Beloved daughter.”

God’s name for us is “Beloved Son” or “Beloved Daughter.”

I decided to explore the meaning of the word “beloved” a little deeper.

God calls Jesus His Beloved, and He calls you and me the same!

But what does it mean? Just being loved?

The word HERE in Greek is AGAPETOS – and is coming from the word we possibly heard a lot - agape which means unconditional love.

So AGAPETOS means unconditionally loved.

I’m sure If the Lord would talk to you, that would be His First Words: MY AGAPETOS.

Someone would say, How do you know it Father?

Maybe you just make it up.

Of course I do not know for certain.

But at least it is how Blessed Mary said when She appeared to Juan Diego in Guadeloupe: My Beloved Son.

We would say: My Agapetos.

Agapetos mean worthy of love.

We are given a new relationship with God that gives new meaning to every moment of our lives.

You are Beloved ONE - meaning Worthy of God’s LOVE — it is a call not due to anything you or me done; we have not earned it.

It is a pure gift from God! Just recall the moment when you fall in love - it was just like that.

This Mass is a moment unlike any other. We receive Jesus Christ, truly present in the Eucharist.

And He comes because He wants to be with us.

He desires a relationship with us—one that heals our hearts and answers the deepest longings within us.

We can receive Christ in the Eucharist because we have been baptized.

Let’s take a moment to remember that today. Let’s remember that we are baptized.

Baptism is not some magical ritual that turns our lives into a Hallmark story or a superhero movie.

Yes, life can hurt, we will feel pain and disappointments, yes, we will face unfairness and injustice.

But through our baptism, we know that God is with us, walking with us and bringing meaning to everything we face.

Pope Francis often asks people, “Do you know the day of your baptism?”

Do we know ours? It’s a day worth celebrating!

Please, Take the time to look it up.

Find out the date you were baptized—it’s the day God began calling you His beloved son or His beloved daughter, in whom God is well pleased.