Dec 25, 2021
Christmas and Families (Feast of the Holy Family)
You’ll agree with me when I say that the most ideal celebration of Christmas for Filipinos, and perhaps for other cultures too, is to be with our families on this great festivity. I bet many have shed tears on Christmas day because they are away from their beloved families. “Many” could mean millions of Filipinos… those working abroad, for instance.
A friend’s post on her facebook account made me realize this most remarkably. She said something like this: “This Christmas is gonna be all work for me here in this foreign land. I miss home. I miss watching everyone decorate the house… with Christmas tree… with lanterns… with mistletoes… I miss cooking for noche buena. I miss my palangga. I miss papa and mama. I miss friends dropping by and share the spirit of Christmas. I miss the carolers that come one after the other. I miss home. Terribly. But this Christmas is gonna be all work for me.”
There is indeed a profound link between Christmas and family. After all, the first Christmas is a family affair—the birth of God into a human family. The holy family has an indispensable role in the fulfillment of the prophetic promise that God is going to be among us, God-with-us, even if the world turns a cold shoulder to God’s initiative.
The “Panunuluyan” or “Posadas” reenacts the journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem for the census decreed by the King. In this reenactment, one is easily led to see how the holy family ended up in a manger. The world has been too preoccupied with other concerns to have room for the child to be born. This prefigures the world’s rejection of Jesus and all that he stands for.
Here’s then the central role of the holy family: even if the world rejects God, the family of Joseph and Mary guarantees the provision of the warmth which the chilling baby Jesus needs to survive. The holy family is Jesus’ security. The Holy family ensures the fulfillment of God’s promise in Jesus. The Holy Family accepts, nurtures, and supports Jesus’ vocation and mission in contradistinction to the mockery and derision that Jesus receives from the faithless world.
Today’s gospel (Lk 2:41-52), which is the account of the losing and finding of Jesus in the temple, dramatizes the supporting role of the family of Jesus in relation to his calling. Jesus stayed in the temple listening and asking question, and maybe, even discussing among the teachers; while his parents were worried searching for him for three days! When finally his parents found him and slightly chided him, he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Do you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
Another translation puts it this way: “Do you not know that I must be in my Father’s business?” This means that Jesus was beginning to be aware of his identity and calling. He has to be about what the Father has sent him for. While Joseph and Mary did not understand Jesus’ remark, they nevertheless continued to support Jesus as he grew in wisdom and age.
The holy family is indispensable for the birth, the growth, and vocation and mission of Jesus who became one of us. This holds true then to the role of our families in our lives. We need our families in order to survive and to become persons with meaningful purpose in life. Without a sound family to support us, we can hardly realize our potentials and fulfill our calling.
On this Feast of the Holy Family then, it is fitting to assess our own families. How have our families measured up to their task of forming us into becoming responsible persons? Our families are surely imperfect. But what can still be done to make our families work as the “cradle of life and love” and as the community within which we grow in wisdom and understanding of who we are and what God wants us to do in life?
Our families today are undeniable facing crisis and innumerable threats: To name just a few: High rate of divorce in many nations, stronger assertion of independence of spouses, single-parenting, weakening of parents’ authority, step-parenting, non-marital unions, and particularly for us Filipinos, the breaking of our families because of financial necessity that forces parents to work abroad leaving their growing children to guardians.
There is no one answer to these problems and it is not my purpose to offer one. Maybe the gospel today is a wake up call. It raises the question. It reminds us of the irreplaceable role of our families and therefore challenges us, each of our families and our family ministry, to look seriously into these situations which undermine the health of our families.
When the world rejected Jesus, it is his human family who accepted him, nurtured him, and supported him in what he was called to do. The world continues to be cruel especially for us today and for our children. This is the question we have to face: Where should our children run to for shelter, for understanding, for strength, and for direction if we have allowed our families to disintegrate?
Dec 18, 2021
Getting Up Close and Personal (4th Sunday Advent C)
I’ve watched Bruce Willis’ film Surrogates. Since his Die Hard in 1988, I have been a fan. I’ve seen through the thinning and graying of his hair. So I was kind of shock to see a young and perfectly fit Bruce Willis as Agent Greer in the early scenes of Surrogates. But the movie unfolded and revealed that what I was seeing was Greer’s surrogate—a mechanical representative of the real person. The movie explores a future in which humans live in isolation while only communicating with their fellow man through robots that serve as social surrogates and are better-looking versions of their human counterparts. In other words, this is a future when mechanical interaction substitutes the excitement of getting up close and personal.
This seems farfetched at first glance. But a keen observation of how we interact today would reveal such substituting as already happening. Not with surrogates though.
In a restaurant, I’ve watched four fellows seated at one table. For the most part, they were silent because each was busy sending text messages. Isn’t it alarming that they have one another yet they prefer to ignore one another’s presence in favor of a mechanical interaction with somebody out there who, most probably, ignores the company of his own friends too?
Another phenomenon that reveals this is the ‘facebook addiction.’ It is not uncommon now to see people spending most of their time interacting through these internet social networks. A mother recounted to me her bewilderment at her observation that her children dislike playing with other kids. They hole up in their rooms and interact instead with cyber friends via the internet.
Once, a mixture of amusement and feeling of alarm overtook me when someone asked me if I would do counseling by texting! Imagine! I was even advised to enroll to ‘unli-texting.’
Today’s gospel recounts the Visitation—Mary visits Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-45). The event is charged with so much joy. Even the infant in Elizabeth’s womb leaped for joy at Mary’s greeting. It is in this event too that Mary herself utters her Magnificat, saying: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit exults in God my savior.” (This is read in the succeeding verses though).
I would like to submit that today’s gospel reading is a good reminder that while technology increases our efficiency in communications, among other things, it cannot substitute the joy brought by the old fashion personal presence and encounter with real people—as in the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth.
In the light of the visitation, the joy generated by such a personal encounter may be understood in two levels: as the joy of caring and as the joy of celebration.
The Joy of Caring. Mary travelled (for four days, according to scholars) in order to take care of her cousin Elizabeth who in her old age was about to give birth to John. Mary’s visit to Elizabeth displays the deep and loving concern that bonds those whom God calls. In demonstrating this loving concern, joy is a natural product. There is joy in serving and caring for one another even though and precisely because this requires personal self-sacrifice and self-giving. I think, this is what is threatened when people settle with the convenient mechanical interaction.
The Joy of Celebration. The people of Israel has been longing for the Messiah to liberate them. There is so much suffering and oppression. Their only hope is the coming of the Messiah. Mary and Elizabeth know what’s going on. They both carry in their womb the fulfillment of the hope of Israel. Their joy then is the joy of celebration. Mary’s visit is meant, more than just to serve her cousin, to celebrate with her the fulfillment of their hope and to share with each other their faith in God’s faithfulness.
The joy of caring and of celebration of hope and faith is at the heart of such a meaningful personal human encounter between Mary and Elizabeth. This is what is lacking in an easy, “safe,” and convenient mechanical interaction of today’s technological era.
I am realizing how little time I have spent visiting families. To care and to celebrate with them. I would have brought more joy to people’s lives and to my own, had I been more up close and personal with people.
How about you? Would you prefer the easy, convenient, mechanical interaction to a real and personal encounter with people and friends? Well, since we all desire true joy in life, it is good to listen to this advent message of joy: the joy of caring and the joy of celebration which can only be had by not being afraid of brushing elbows with real people and getting involve in and identifying with their hopes and prayers.
May our Christmas reunions, with family or with old and new friends, be our own way of doing the visitation. May it all generate much joy as we come together and care for one another and celebrate God’s faithfulness in our lives. Amen.
Dec 11, 2021
The Advent Secret (Gaudete Sunday C)
Do you want to know a secret? How can one truly attain joy? Check this out: JOY means J-esus first, O-thers next, Y-ourself last. Let this “advent secret” be our reflection today, the third Sunday of Advent known as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means rejoice. It is from the Latin word gaudium which means joy.
How can we truly rejoice? How can we sing with conviction the popular song that we fondly croon as Christmas arrives-- “Joy to the World”? Let’s try to unravel the secret.
Jesus First. Our hearts are always searching for that which gives joy. Often we look for it in the wrong places and in our passing fancies. We strive hard to gain almost everything the world has to offer: power, honor, riches, pleasure, and what not. Experience will tell that these cannot guarantee a joyful life. We may have gained the whole world but may still feel lost all the more, still wondering about this unexplainable restlessness inside. Great theologians have given an explanation to this: We are created with an inherent orientation towards God. Our hearts are deeply longing for God. Hence, unless Jesus is first in our prioritizing in life, we will never attain joy completely. There will always be a gaping hole in our hearts.
John the Baptist proclaimed the coming of Jesus and God’s Kingdom. In today’s gospel (Lk. 3:10-18), he points to Jesus as the Messiah. “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming…” (v. 16). For John, Jesus is first. John is only the precursor. He does not claim for himself the honor and reverence proper to the Messiah. “I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals” (v. 16). John’s life is at the service of Jesus. He humbly prepares for Jesus’ coming. His whole life points to Jesus. Jesus for John is first.
In this advent season, do we long for Jesus? Should we not re-examine our priorities in life? Do our lives point to Jesus as John’s life did? If our lives do not have joy despite our successes, great are the odds that it is because Jesus does not figure first in our priorities.
Others Next. The joy of having Jesus in our lives has practical implications. Such joy invites us to reach out to others. We are confronted with this question: “What ought we to do?” The crowds asked John the same question, “What then should we do?” (v.10). John’s reply indicates a moral obligation towards others. To the crowds, he gave the instruction to share their clothes and food to those who have none; to the tax collector, to refrain from collecting taxes more than what is prescribed; to the soldiers, to stop extorting and accusing others falsely (v. 11-14).
The world today is teeming with poor and hungry people. Yet the few filthy rich people are wallowing in luxury! Graft and corruption too has become a culture in almost all institutions and politico-economic systems. Abuse of power, be it by public officials or by military around the world, continue to wreak havoc on the life of peoples. John’s message has never been more relevant than today. For this world to find joy, it needs transformation. John’s call is for us to become agents of this change by taking seriously our moral obligation to take care of one another in solidarity and in the spirit of justice and love, respecting each other’s dignity with a special concern for the downtrodden.
Can we truly sing “Joy to the World”? Won’t it be just a wishful thinking? How have we been accomplice to the perpetuation of the suffering of many? Can we then make this season of advent a time to be truly concerned about the needs of others? After all, the joy of having Jesus compels us to share it with one another in solidarity.
Yourself Last. Another clear implication of having Jesus as the priority of our lives has to do with our very own selves. Another question confronts us. After asking “What should we do?” we need to ask, “What should we become?” Being last in the priority does not mean we stop caring about ourselves. No. It means we stop being self-centered which is the root of the world’s misery and, ironically, of our own desolation too. “What should we become?” is a question that compels us to discern God’s intention for our being. Instead of being self-centered, we need to find the center of our being. It is only when we are in touch with the core of ourselves that we know who we really are and hence capable of celebrating true joy—one that runs deep and not just the cheap thrill of our superficial ego trips.
John the Baptist knew who he was. Hence, he saved himself from the illusion of usurping for himself what belonged to the true messiah. With joy he served and died as the humble precursor for that was what God called him to become.
In this season of advent, let us unmask our self-centeredness and courageously embrace our real vocation.
Again to have joy, deep, deep down in our hearts, we have to work on this advent secret: Jesus first, Others next, and Yourself last.
Dec 4, 2021
Preparing for True Christmas (2nd Sunday Advent C)
I was in a mall for some things I needed. A very familiar song was wafting in the air and caught my attention: “People making list, buying special gifts, taking time to be kind to one and all…” I suddenly missed Michael Jackson. Also, something inside of me was awakened. I began worrying about goodies and stuff to buy as Christmas presents for my family and friends! Then all of a sudden I was made aware of the many attractive gift packages already displayed in every nook and cranny of the mall. I checked them out and they were beckoning me… enticing me… whispering to me… “Buy me.” When I mustered all the remaining courage to resist, a beautiful saleslady approached me. I was afraid she might whisper too. Luckily this time my remaining wits got me off the hook. I managed to quickly compliment her. “Miss, it’s a beautiful hat you’re wearing, huh.” It was Santa’s red hat.
I remember a missionary friend stationed in China. Once he told me how surprised he was to discover one store in the midst of a communist and Buddhist society selling Christmas decorations and stuff. He entered the store. Curiously he looked for a “Belen.” There was none. He approached the store owner and asked for it. “What’s a Belen?” the store owner asked (of course in mandarin). “It’s a manger where Jesus Christ is born.” “Sorry, we don’t have it. Why don’t you buy this stuff instead; I think this is the reason behind Christmas celebration, isn’t it?” The store owner was pointing at the image of Santa Claus and the cute reindeer pulling his sleigh.
This is the problem when we cut short the season of advent. We are bound to fail to heed the voice in the desert shouting: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” We lose sight of the Lord Jesus Christ and all he stands for. We unwittingly welcome Santa Claus and his reindeer instead.
Hence, preparations for Christmas become a matter of putting up external decorations, installing intricate series of lights that beguile us enough to forget the shooting up of our electric bills afterwards. Moreover, preparing for Christmas means shopping! So we demand bonuses as our right, only to spend those in buying things we falsely believe to bring home the spirit of Christmas.
If we don’t take Advent seriously, we uncritically fall into the trap set by the commercial traders who are all too happy to turn this great feast into a materialistic perversion.
I find resonance in the words of the Columban Missionary, Fr. Shay Cullen, in one of his articles: “Many people wrongly measure themselves by what they own, possess and control rather than measuring themselves by their commitment and action in doing good for others. Christmas has become the worship of prancing reindeer and an obese man with a beard rather than the heroic self-sacrificing Jesus of Nazareth and all he stands for.”
We need to recapture the true meaning of Christmas, lest we all condone its degeneration into another of those consumerist festivals. Would you be happy to revise Christmas and call it “consumeristmas” instead?
We see then the import of Advent. The season calls for authentic preparation: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (Lk 3:4-6).
These are words of the prophet Isaiah which the gospel of today links with John the Baptist’s proclamation of a baptism of repentance. The prophets and John were incessant in their reminder of the need to prepare for the Lord’s coming. They called for repentance.
Hence, preparation during advent, for the people of this generation, is not so much about possession of new things or participation in the consumerist festival. Precisely, it is turning our back to this materialistic propensity. This is the meaning of repentance. It is turning towards Jesus and embracing his values. This is how we prepare the way of the Lord.
Again, in the words of Fr. Shay Cullen:
“Jesus brought into the world a whole new way of viewing the purpose and meaning of human life. It is a challenge for us to choose to serve others, to forget self and worldly ambition, throw aside the perverting desire for wealth, power, riches and to live with simplicity, compassion and care for those in dire need and not do it for a reward in this life or the next. Jesus called for the world to turn from oppressing and exploiting the poor and the weak and to do good, oppose evil ambitions, war, violence and the violation of people's rights.”
Such is what Christmas truly stands for.
So this second Sunday of Advent we may do well to prepare the way of the Lord by examining our uncritical attitude towards the consumerism that’s scandalously undermining the true meaning of Christmas. Well, in simple and direct terms, this means less shopping and buying unnecessary things; but more time for interior readiness to embrace the Lord and serve Him in one another especially in the poor of today.
How have you celebrated Christmas before? Was it Christ-centered or Santa Claus-inspired? Which festival would you want to participate in? Christmas? Or Consumeristmas?
Nov 20, 2021
Allegiance of the Heart (Christ the King B)
Nov 1, 2021
Love and Imperfections (All Soul’s Day)
Jul 24, 2021
The Lonely God of Miracles (17th Sunday Ordinary B)
Jan 23, 2021
Change of Heart and Mind (3rd Sunday Ordinary B)
Jan 16, 2021
Gratitude for our Giftedness (Santo Niño)
“We look forward with gratitude and joy to March 16, 2021,
the fifth centenary of the coming of Christianity to our beloved land,” the
bishops said in their July 9 letter. “We remember with thanksgiving the first
Mass celebrated in Limasawa Island on Easter Sunday March 31 that same blessed
year. We remember the baptism of Rajah Humabon who was given his Christian name
Carlos and his wife Hara Amihan who was baptized Juana in 1521. Our eyes gaze
on the Santo Niño de Cebu, the oldest religious icon in the Philippines, gift
of Ferdinand Magellan to the first Filipino Catholics that same year. Indeed
the year 2021 will be a year of great jubilee for the Church in the
Philippines.”
To prepare the faithful for this year, the bishops announced
“a nine-year journey for the New Evangelization,” with a different theme for
each year: Integral Faith Formation (2013), The Laity (2014), The Poor (2015), The
Eucharist and the Family (2016), The Parish as a Communion of Communities
(2017), The Clergy and Consecrated Persons (2018), The Youth (2019), Ecumenism
and Inter-Religious Dialogue (2020), and Missio ad gentes [mission to the
nations] (2021)
This year then is dedicated as the Year of “Missio ad
Gentes”, the Latin for “mission to the nations”. And we have as an over-all theme during this
500th anniversary celebration—“Gifted to Give,” which recalls the
mandate of Jesus: “What you have received as a gift, give as a gift” (Mt 10:8). This “giftedness” had motivated the
missionaries over the centuries to share the gift of faith to us. This same
experience of giftedness should also inspire all of us today to engage in
mission.
Given this context, the Feast of Santo Nino this year takes
on a very special flavour and poses a great challenge to our devotion. In the
light of this theme, “Gifted to gift”, let me suggests three invitations for
all of us: Gratitude for the gift of faith, Growth in maturity of Faith, Becoming
a Missionary in Sharing the gift of faith.
Gratitude for the gift of faith. Today’s second
reading (Eph 1:3-6, 15-18) should inspire us to be grateful because of the
faith we received. St. Paul writes: “Therefore, I, too, hearing
of your faith in the Lord Jesus..., do not cease in giving thanks for you,
remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in
knowledge of him” (v.15-17).
Our devotion to the child Jesus has to nurture our gratitude
for the gift of faith. The feast of the Santo Niño is particularly significant
to us Filipinos because it was the image of the child Jesus that was first
instrumental to the introduction of Christian faith to us. When we dance
the sinulog step, we recall the joy of Hara Amihan,
wife of Rajah Humabon, the ruler of Cebu in 1521, as she danced
upon receiving the image of the Santo Niño as baptismal gift from Magellan.
We are celebrating the 500th anniversary of
the Christian faith this year! How can this realization not move us to
heartfelt thanksgiving? Let our celebration of the Feast of the Santo Niño,
then, express our gratitude to God for the gift of our faith. Gratitude
is a sign that we just don’t take our faith for granted but we appreciate it
and we are conscious of its value and influence in our personal and communal
lives. Gratitude for the gift of faith is recognizing the gratuitousness of God
in loving us sinners. When we thank God for the gift of faith, we thank Him
because we have Him in our lives. Let our devotion to the child Jesus remind us
of this.
Growth in Maturity of
faith. Since the first Holy Mass and
baptism in 1521, the seed of Christian faith has blossomed into a strong and gigantic
tree of faith. This year, there are 80+
million Catholics in 16 Archdioceses, 72 Dioceses, 7 apostolic vicariates, 1
Military Ordinariate, and 2,127 parishes!
What a blessing! Yet we continue to take on the challenge of cultivating
a mature Christian faith by purifying our popular piety. Popular piety may have led some people to
flock to the image of the Santo Niño for its supposed ‘lucky charm,’ or
‘miraculous powers.’ While it’s a function of faith to trust in God’s
providence to answer our human needs, it is bordering onto fanaticism to assign
the divine power to the image of a divinity. While we love the image of the
child Jesus, for whatever reasons, it is perhaps a form of fixation to see the
person of Jesus only as a child.
Our devotion to the Santo Niño has to help us encounter the
whole person of Jesus. In Luke 2: 41-52,
the incident of the losing and finding of Jesus reveals that, as a child, Jesus
is already concerned about his relationship with his Father. “Why are you looking
for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” His concern as a child to be in His Father’s
house tells a lot about Jesus’ commitment to do his Father’s will. When we see the child Jesus asserting the
utmost importance of doing His Father’s work, it should not be difficult for us
to see that this is the same person who reaches out to serve the poor, the
destitute, and the oppressed. He is the
teacher who teaches us to love one another and instructs us to forgive as the
Father in heaven forgives, i.e., seventy times seven times. He is the same
person who agonizes in the garden of Gethsemane as He chooses the path of
self-sacrifice that His Father’s design may be accomplished. The child Jesus
whom we love so much is the Jesus who has saved us through his total obedience
unto death on the cross and His glorification in the resurrection.
Beyond the excitement of dancing the Sinulog steps, our
devotion to the Santo Niño has to lead us to the joy of mature discipleship and
the challenge of being his witnesses in this changed and increasingly
secularized milieu.
Becoming a Missionary
in Sharing the Gift of Faith. “The Christian faith arrived and prospered in
our land through the dedication and heroic sacrifices of thousands of men and
women missionaries from various parts of the world. They treasured the gift of
faith they had received and desired to share this gift with others. As the
theme chosen by the Catholic Bishops‟ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for
this fifth centennial notes: all Christians are “gifted to give.” This
“giftedness” motivated generous missionaries over the centuries; it must also
enflame the hearts of all of us today to engage in mission here at home and in
other countries (mission ad gentes). Indeed, this is part of Jesus‟ mission
mandate to his disciples: “What you have received as a gift, give as a gift”
(Mt 10:8). We pray for a missionary renewal of our Church—both at home (ad
intra) and beyond our borders (ad extra) during our celebration of the 500
years—and into the future! (excerpt from CBCP Pastoral Letter, BECOMING
MISSIONARY DISCIPLES).
We are challenged to a heightened awareness of and
commitment to our 3-fold mission: prophetic, priestly, and kingly. Let us be
missionary in the family, in our neighbourhood and BECs, in our parishes,
offices, institutions we are serving either in private or public service, in
our businesses and even in the market place.
We recall the challenge of Pope John Paul II during his 1981
visit to our Church: “I wish to tell you of my special desire: that the
Filipinos will become the foremost missionaries of the Church in Asia.” This is
a clear invitation to engage in missio ad gentes!
May this year of Missio ad Gentes bring us all into a deeper
commitment to becoming missionaries. As Pope Francis exhorts: “Every Christian
is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in
Christ Jesus: we no longer say that we are “disciples‟ and “missionaries,‟ but
rather that we are always “missionary disciples‟” (EG 120).
Jan 9, 2021
Identity and Mission (Baptism of our Lord B)
(grabbed from http://elcaandy.blogspot.com) |
Where does our identity lie? Is it in the clothes we wear? Or more precisely to the point I would like to make, where does our Christian identity lie? Is it in the Christian name we carry? Is it in the documents we bring along with us? Perhaps the baptismal certificate? Or in the fact that we are present in the festive church activities like the Misa de Gallo perhaps? Or later, holy week activities?
Several years ago, I participated in the tabulation and analysis of the result of the survey done in Mindanao in preparation for the Mindanao-Sulu Pastoral Conference (MSPC). And one of the significant observations that came out of the survey was the phenomenon which had been brought out by PCP II already in 1991-- the phenomenon of nominal Catholicism. Nominal. Nombre. Name. In other words, Catholics in name only! These are baptized Catholics. They are baptized but, alas, not evangelized. They bear Christian names and documents but they have not allowed the euangelion--- the gospel-- to shape their lives. No wonder, the Philippines enjoys the dignity of being the only Christian country in Asia, while all at the same time topping the ranks of the most corrupt ones!
The Feast of the Baptism of our Lord today allows us to realize that there is more to baptism than just receiving a name and that if we just all understood the meaning of our baptism and we live by it, we would not be confronted with this phenomenon of nominal Catholicism. Let us then examine the event of the baptism of our Lord and see what it teaches us as regards our own baptism and identity as Christians.
In today’s gospel (Mk. 1:7-11), Jesus was baptized by John and a voice was heard from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (v. 11). This is a confirmation of Jesus’ own discernment about who he is. In Mark's gospel, which does not have Jesus' infancy narrative, it is on Jesus' baptism that Jesus' divine sonship is manifested for the first time. His baptism. therefore, is the moment of revelation about his true identity. On his baptism, Jesus confirms that He is the Son of God.
Connected to this identity is his mission as the Messiah. On this same event of his baptism, Jesus was anointed by the Spirit who descended upon Him like a dove (v. 10). He was anointed as the Messiah who would bring the good news of the Kingdom of God. In Luke's gospel, after Jesus' baptism, Jesus would stand in the synagogue and proclaim that the Spirit of the Lord is upon him and anointed him to bring good news to the poor. To give sight to the blind, to set the captives free… (Lk 4: 18).
Jesus baptism reveals to him both his identity and his mission. My dear friends, our baptism is a baptism after that of the Lord’s. Hence, like the baptism of our Lord, our baptism confers us with identity and mission. In baptism, we become sons and daughters of God in Christ. What a great dignity! An identity that will always be there whether we are on vacation or not. Have we lived up to such greatness of dignity? Do I show in my way of living the fact that I am God’s son or daughter?
Connected to this dignified identity is the Christian mission. Our baptism confers us with the threefold mission of Christ--priestly, prophetic, and kingly missions. As priests, we are sent to sanctify our families and communities through our prayer and worship, As prophets, we are sent to proclaim with joy to the whole world the Good News of God’s love and to denounce with courage the destructive influence of evil. As kings, we are sent as humble servants to journey with the poor, to help provide for the deprived, and to work for the empowerment of the oppressed. Have I embraced my mission with joy and dedication?
Today we start the first week in ordinary time. I think this is the real challenge: Our baptism has to be lived out not just in the peak moments of our Church life. We have to be faithful to our identity and mission day after day! And this is because our Christian faith does not take a leave. Christian faith is not contained in papers. Christian faith is a lifestyle. It is a way of life--whether we are at work or we are enjoying our peace and quiet in some exotic place.