Baptism of the Lord Homily

We get to say “Merry Christmas” one last time on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Although popular culture refers to Christmas Day as the end of the Christmas Season, Christmas Day, December 25 is actually the beginning of this short liturgical season. Common Christian culture debates the length of the Christmas season with many arguing there are twelve days of Christmas (no doubt, hearkening back to the popular Christmas Carol, enumerating the Twelve Days of Christmas), with others looking to December 6th (one of the customary dates the Church has marked the Solemnity of the Epiphany or “Three Kings Day”) as the last day of Christmas. Some even continue the Christmas celebration all the way to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2.

With the 1969 revision to the Roman Catholic Liturgical Calendar, the Christmas Season is recognized through the 3rd Sunday after Christmas Day. It is marked as the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

The Gospel passage from Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22 ends after Jesus own baptism with a voice from heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” For my homily I reflect on Baptism as a salvation event for each of us. Jesus humbled himself to become a man.He wanted to share in our humanity. He insisted he be baptized so that we could relate to Him. We are made in God’s image and likeness, therefore, “…may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in out humanity (from the prayer of the deacon at the Mass).

We are each created in God’s image and likeness. So when we so what Jesus did, became baptized, and follow God’s commandments in obedience, we become more human. Conversely, when we sin, and choose to disobey God or otherwise dismiss Him, we become less human.

Make it a goal to do what Jesus instructed, to baptize all in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And in the end, hope for those very special words that mean everything, “You are my beloved son/ you are my beloved daughter, with whom I am well-pleased.”

Peace in Christ,

Deacon Tom Gotschall

The Deacon Dad