Homily: Baptism of the Lord
“Live a Life in the Spirit”
January 11, 2003
by Fr. William Holtzinger

For many of us who were baptized as infants, we cannot remember the event. However, for our parents, I bet it was a wonderful event.

(Invite others to describe the emotions or events of the baptisms of which they’ve been part)

Last week, we celebrated a baptism during the 5:30 Mass. The father was so proud that after I introduced the new little baby as a new Christian, the father lifted his son up high -- way above his head -- so that all could see him. It brought tears to his eyes an mine too. As a priest, it was an awe inspiring moment. It made me wonder what it would be like in the years to come for him and his son. Would their love for each other continue uninterrupted? Would the anxieties of work, marriage, and the influence of the world corrupt their bond? I concluded, yes. But, at the time, I let it go and just enjoyed the moment. Yet, I couldn’t help but see how this father’s favor rested upon his son. What a moment.

We hear in the Scriptures how the Father spoke of his Son, Jesus. Jesus was his beloved. He was the one for whom the Father would empty himself. The Father gave Jesus his greatest gift -- Himself -- the Holy Spirit. Again, what a moment! But this was not just for Jesus. Note that Jesus did not need a baptism of repentance. He was perfect and without sin. Yet, by his going through the baptism, Jesus joined himself to us and thus we were joined to him. It was a gift that marked Jesus’ start in ministry just as our baptism marks our beginning of ministry in the Church.

Again, I must wonder how many of us truly connect with the event of our baptism. Let’s look at another connected event: confirmation. This Sacraments is the second part of our baptism. In both events, the Holy Spirit comes upon us, just as it did for Jesus. But, how many of us could actually remember our confirmation? Some do. But, most do not. What happened? Or maybe I should be asking, what didn’t happen? Maybe we do remember our confirmation, but have we been different since then? Or was it more akin to graduation. “Yeehah! Now I am an ‘adult’ Catholic and can chose not to go to church.” What!?

Jesus’ baptism was an event called a “theophany.” It means “God-showing” or “God Appearing.” In the event, all three persons of the Trinity are present. The Father speaks, the Son gets wet and receives, and the Holy Spirit descends and fills Jesus. The result of this appearance was transformative for Jesus. For the first time, as best as Scriptures reveals, the Trinity is made known in an explicit way. Jesus now goes without delay to the desert to be tempted and to triumph over Satan. Some biblical scholars also have pondered that this was the moment of Jesus’ full understanding of is own identity and mission. What is clear is that he was driven. The event of his baptism foreshadows what ours can be. Again, as babies we cannot remember. But through Confirmation, we had another chance to open ourselves to God’s indwelling.

So since these events, have we truly opened ourselves to the Spirit’s indwelling? Or has the world overtaken us and killed the flesh-house of our lives so that God has no room? We can know by looking for the fruits. What fruits we might ask? Paul in Gal 5:22 lists some of them:
• love;
• joy;
• peace;
• patience;
• kindness;
• goodness;
• faithfulness;
• gentleness;
• self-control.
Are any of these more present since our baptism or confirmation? Another way to sense the presence of the Spirit is by examining one’s heart. What motivates us the most? Is it God’s will or our own? What do we seek most with our inner most heart? Is is to be with God or anything else? You see, living in this Spirit is a right ordered living. This is where the world can frustrate our lives as Christians. We must admit that TV, movies, politics, music, books while being great tools for good have also become great tools to create our culture of death.

The life of the Spirit is a two-pronged approach. We must constantly reject those things in our lives and in the world that are evil, deadly, or numbing to our faith. Second, we must humble ourselves and invite God into our every day lives. Being a good person is not enough. We must desire that our lives be cleansed and refilled. The good news is that this pouring of the Holy Spirit is like a bottomless Pepsi. It is constantly refillable and can sometimes even overflow. But, for many of us, such a thought is rather scary. What does a life in the Spirit mean for my current lifestyle? The quick answer is “change.” We will change. But that is the scary part. Many of us like things just the way they are. We would prefer to stay in our luke warm space with the thermostat at a comfortable 70 degrees. Yet, by the act of rejecting Satan and inviting God in, all kinds of shaking up can happen. Here are some of the ways these fruits may make themselves present in a life in the Spirit:
• We may come to have a deep burning desire of God and our neighbor. Celebrating Mass will not be a chore, a clock-watching event, a guilt-relieving act, but a true form of worship and devotion. It may be a moment of consumation with God who is love in-the-flesh.
• We may find a new satisfaction in life, a new joy with what we have and not be overcome by what we want.
• We might be more at peace with the failures or deaths in our lives knowing that God’s mercy is more than sufficient.
• We may be more kind to those who drive us crazy.
• We may find that we have a greater desire to do what is right instead of what we can get away with or what the law allows.
• We may find ourselves more loyal to our spouse and be less tempted to have wandering eyes or substitute our need for intimacy with a romance novel. Our faith in God might be enkindled and strengthened. The Eucharist might become a key and pivotal act in our whole week.
• We might be able to treat our children with more gentleness.
• We may be able to give over our need to control those things that make us fearfully anxious or overwhelmed by lust.

If we reject sin and profess our faith, if we give up on our need to be in control and give ourselves over to Christ we can reconnect with our baptism and confirmation. We can be on fire and excited for our Lord. People will notice that we walk and talk with a profound sense of hope and joy. These are not fake attitudes, but fruits of the Spirit.

So today, reconnect with the grace that was once made available to each of us at Baptism and Confirmation. Please stand now and let us renew our baptismal promises. Let us reject Satan and profess our faith in God who loves us and wants us to live in the Spirit with him.