Jesus was manifested to reveal to us that we are called through our baptism to participate in the Divine life and love of God Himself.

Baptism of the Lord January 9th, 2011

This Sunday, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, marks the end of the Christmas season. It is also the last of the three feasts, which celebrate three manifestations of our Lord, Christmas, Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord. And at each of these three manifestation of Jesus there is testimonies given by reliable persons to the fact that Jesus is the invisible God made visible in the flesh; in other words, that Jesus is the Son of the Living God…God Himself become man.

On Christmas, Jesus the mighty one was made manifest in the flesh when he became visible to the entire world as a humble, poor, defenseless little child. This manifestation of God in the flesh was testified by an Angel who said to poor shepherd “for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Then on epiphany, this savior was revealed and manifested as the light of the nations. This was testified by the adoration of the three wise men and their gifts all of which pointed to the divinity of the Christ child. And then on this great feast day, the Baptism of the Lord we really have the greatest manifestation of Jesus because of Who it is who testifies to the identity of Jesus. And who testifies is not angels, nor wise men, but God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Theirs’ is obviously the definitive testimony of the person of Jesus Christ because it is the definitive testimony of God Himself.

These three manifestation of Jesus to the world testify to the truth of the incarnation: that in the person of Jesus Christ, God came in the flesh, that Jesus is the Son of God become Man, the invisible God became visible as one of us. But these testimonies were given not only to manifest to the world who Jesus is, but in the light of Jesus’ identity who we are as well; to manifest our great calling and vocation as baptized Christians. Jesus was manifested to reveal to us that we are called through our baptism to participate in the Divine life and love of God Himself.

At Christmas, Jesus the love of the Father came down from heaven to earth in order to raise us up to the love of heaven and unite us to the Heavenly Father. This is what the incarnation of Jesus, that is His coming in the flesh, is really all about. The divine came down from heaven as a man in order to lift men up to the divine. St. Leo the Great put it this way, "The Son of God ... joined himself to us and joined us to himself in such a way that the abasement of God to the human condition became a raising of man to the heights of God."

Our Holy Father pointed this out in Rome last Wednesday during his weekly audience with Pilgrims of Rome. Benedict declared that Christmas must be rescued from an "overly moralistic and sentimental mask. He said that "The celebration of Christmas does not propose to us only examples to imitate, such as the humility and poverty of the Lord, and his benevolence and love for men," he said. "But it is rather an invitation to allow oneself to be totally transformed by him who entered into our flesh."
Christmas is an invitation to a total transformation wrought by participation in divine nature of God, which because of Christ’s coming we can enter into and participate in here and now. And so, Benedict says that when we celebrate Christmas we don’t just remember the birth of Jesus and his incarnation, but we experience a mystery present to us here and now, a mystery to experience and be transformed by here and now.

Our Holy Father points out the fact that in the liturgical celebrations of these holy days of the Christmas season we live in a mysterious but real way the entrance of the Son of God into the world and we are illumined once again by the light of His brilliance. Benedict said that each celebration of this Holy Season is an actual presence of the mystery of Christ and in this mysterious presence is prolonged the history of salvation.

And so, our Holy Father said that God's manifestation has its purpose in our participation in divine life, in the realization in us of the mystery of his Incarnation. This mystery is the fulfillment of man's vocation. Man is called to share in the life of God, not just in heaven, but even now here on earth.

On this feast of the baptism we discover that Jesus didn’t receive baptism for his sake, for He was God without sin, but Jesus was baptized for our sake. By his own baptism he imparted to the waters of baptism the power not only to wash away sin, but to rebirth or regenerate the Children of men in to the Children of God, partaking in the divine life and love of the Family of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Each one of us, through the waters of our baptism made holy by Jesus own baptism, have now become adopted Sons and daughters of the Father being able to call him Abba, or daddy. The baptism of Jesus manifest that we are children of God and so we are! We hear this so many times, we say the Our Father so many times, that we can easily become complacent to what it really means to be a Child of God-image we are children of the almighty and all-powerful God-Creator of all things!

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

Just as the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and produced in her the God-man-Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit now descends on the Church and produces in her maternal womb, which is the baptismal rite, the rebirth of the children of men into the children of God. By the waters of baptism God fills each one of us with his own supernatural love and by doing so he raises our human love to a divine level and imparts to us divine life, eternal life.

We are not only reconciled to Him, we now have new life, which is a share in his very life. We become divinized, we become like God, we share in His divine love and life, and so share in His own eternal happiness. We are also empowered to share that love and life with others around us by living our baptismal promises.

Through our baptism, we are also members of God’s family on earth, the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ. As a result, our baptism opens up for us the sacramental graces we need to be nourished in order to grow and reach maturity. Fed by Jesus’ own body and blood in the Holy Eucharist at Holy Mass, which makes present for us the birth of Christ and all the mysterious of Christ life, we begin to be transformed more and more into His image and likeness, and thus begin to already here on earth share in His Divine glory.

O’ Christian soul realize you dignity, realize your great worth and realize you great responsibility to live like the child of God that you are. St Leo the Great put it his way, “Recognize O Christian, your dignity, and, made participant of the divine nature, be careful not to fall again, with unworthy conduct, from such greatness into primitive baseness.'"

It is possible for us to lose the graces of our baptism and so lose our friendship and eternal life with God. If we are children of God we must not commit any acts that go against our adopted divine nature. When we purposely, intentionally and with full knowledge commit serious sin, mortal sin, the divine life within us actually dies. And lesser sins, although not destroying, damage this life and so our closeness to God. God the Father has chosen us His beloved Sons and daughter, and so we must choose Him by our love for Him by avoiding anything that offends Him and doing those things that please Him.

At our baptism we were given an incredible gift, but one in seed form. It is up to us whether that seed, the seed of eternal life and happiness dies within us or whether it grows to the maturity of holiness and eternal life forever in union with God and the saints. Lets us ask God for forgiveness for our failures to live our baptismal promises. Let us implore the mercy of God by making frequent use of the Sacrament of Confession, which restores us to our original state of baptismal purity if we have lost it through mortal sin, heals it if we have damaged it with venial sin and strengthen us to live more deeply our baptismal promises.

Let us turn to our Blessed Mother for help. Blessed Mother, Queen of the Angels, please help us to become like children because children are poor and humble. And when we are poor and humble we can then truly adore and love Our Heavenly Father and Jesus his only Son whom He sent to redeem us all in order to be united with them both, the Father and the Son in the Love of the Holy Spirit. O God, creator of our souls, Father of our soul, we adore you we love you, help us to love you more, fill us with your love; we are your children, help us to be with you both now and forever. Amen.