HOMILY OF BAPTISM OF THE LORD: YEAR C
HOMILY THEME: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
BY: Bishop Anthony Ewherido
Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11/ Titus 2:11-17; 3:4-7/Luke 3:15-16,21-22
Our first reading, from beginning of the second major part of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, is a message of consolation to a people who were in desolation and distress, having been disappointed by series of failed leaderships, corruption, and failed relationship with God that amounted to rebellion against God and the covenant they had with God, the consequences of which were hardship and the threat of extinction.
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In the midst of such self-inflicted distress, the Lord, the offended one, looked at them with pity and sent word that their suffering would come to an end. The last verses of the reading are very encouraging and reassuring even today, “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” All this is what is encapsulated in the gift of the Immanuel, Jesus, to us. In its original historical context, Isaiah’s message of hope went to a people, who have been in exile and, in the prophet’s view, having served out their sentence for 70 years (as Jeremiah 29:10 indicates) under the Babylonians. Now they looked forward to a return home. Just like the Exodus experience from Egypt to the Promised Land, they looked forward to God’s mercy that would redeem them from Exile and restore them to their homeland. Biblical history, however, points to the fact that such a respite was not to come for a long time, and not in a permanent manner. Ultimately though, Isaiah, here, also celebrated and anticipated Jesus’ arrival on the scene as the end of human strife, despair and grief, because Jesus is the source of true comfort, compassion and deliverance. These he accomplished, not only in the Incarnation, that is, by his birth, but also by his very life, passion, death and resurrection, thus giving us the hope of eternal life. At his baptism, the Father’s acknowledgment was addressed to Jesus reassuringly as he faced the onerous task and mission ahead of him. When that same voice would speak later at the Transfiguration, the acknowledgement of the Son by the Father would be directed to us with the imperative: “Listen to him.” Our own baptism made us Children of God, Christians, that is, disciples, and members of the Church. As such, we must listen to and obey Jesus, as we “reject godless ways and worldly desires,” live “temperately, justly and devoutly,” and with the hope of eternal glory, as we continue his mission in our time. Even though the gospel lacks the details that we have from Mark and Matthew, Luke’s significant addition that Jesus was in prayer when the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended on him, and the Father acknowledged him, opens the door to the habitual prayerful lifestyle that Jesus wants us to emulate. Like Jesus, we must be people of prayer. As we read from Luke during this year, the call to prayer will be a recurring decimal. Let us heed it, for, if Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, powerful as he was, prayed, who am I not to pray. It is in prayer that we ask, seek and knock; and entering into prayerful conversation with God daily fuels our journey through like in a significant way.
Lord, keep us faithful to our baptismal promises. Amen.
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