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13TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (C)

  1. In the Rite of Infant Baptism, one of the godparents lights a candle from the Easter candle and holds it for the newly baptized. The celebrant then says to the newly baptized – who could very well be sleeping or crying or fussing – “Receive the light of Christ – Walk always as a child of the light.” Our Opening Prayer at this liturgy reflects this baptismal theme: “Father in heaven, the light of Jesus has scattered the darkness of hatred and sin. Called to that light as your Son’s disciples, we ask for your guidance.”

  2. On June 24th, we celebrated the Feast of the Birthday of John the Baptist. It’s interesting to note that St. John is the only saint, along with Our Lady, who has a feast day for his birthday and one for his death. John’s birthday falls on the 24th of June at the time of the summer solstice. Why is that date chosen when we really don’t know when John the Baptist was born? The New Testament tells us that John was born six months before Jesus. Of course, we don’t know when Jesus was born. The Feast of Christmas was selected for the 25th of December to replace a pagan feast that was celebrated on that day. St. Augustine points out an interesting bit of information – the summer solstice is the longest day of the year; the winter solstice, when Jesus was born, is the shortest day of the year. As a result the days get shorter after the 24th of June and the days get longer after the 25th of December. This accords with what we read in John’s gospel with the saying of John the Baptizer – “He (Christ, the Lord) must always increase; I must decrease”.

  3. Strange as it may seem, John’s baptizing of Jesus created some difficulties for the early Gospel writers and preachers. Does the soldier baptize his king and leader? Does the servant baptize her lord? Why is the sinless Christ baptized by John whose grace was the grace of Christ and who came preaching a baptism of repentance? Mark’s Gospel recounts the event but offers no explanation why Jesus submits to a baptism meant for sinners. Matthew in his Gospel introduces a dialogue between Jesus and the Baptist prior to the baptism in which John professes his unworthiness but gives way when Jesus commands him to proceed. To quote St. Gregory the theologian – “The Baptist protests; Jesus insists. John says – I ought to be baptized by you. John is the lamp in the presence of the Sun; the voice in the presence of the Word, the friend in the presence of the Bridegroom; the greatest of all born of woman in the presence of the first-born of all creation.”

  4. What did his baptism mean to Jesus? What does our baptism mean to us, his disciples? On Jesus’ part, his baptism meant the acceptance of the mission his heavenly Father gave him to be God’s suffering servant for the world’s salvation. Thus he began his saving mission by being numbered among sinners – for he was to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He set himself to fulfill his Father’s will and saw in his baptism a foretaste of his death on the cross. In turn, God the Father responds to Jesus’ acceptance of his mission by anointing him with the Holy Spirit and with power – with the power to give that same Holy Spirit to those who follow him.

  5. What about ourselves? Our baptism configures us into the image of him who willed to share our humanity. Baptism is the sacrament of the risen Christ’s dying and rising for our salvation. Baptism, then, is the sacrament of our dying and rising in and with the risen Christ. Baptism means our commitment to live the Lord’s paschal mystery for the on-going salvation of the world. We are to be dead to sin and selfishness – but alive for God and neighbor.

  6. Deep truths come center-stage when we honor John whose ministry introduced the world’s redeemer. The first concerns Trinitarian life. Our Catholic way of life is nothing other than our sharing in the life proper to our Three-Personed God. What a remarkable exchange we celebrate. In the beginning, before all ages, the Word was God; that Word became a man to save the world. A second truth concerns Jesus. He who was the Son of God became servant for our sake – servant, first to his Father and then to us his brothers and sisters. Does it not follow, from our baptism, that we who have been baptized are servants also – first to God but then to our sisters and brothers – and servants as well to the world. And what does our world need? It is a dark world in need of light, a cold world in need of warmth, a warring world in need of peace, a violent world in need of reconciliation, a confused world in need of guidance, a sinful world in need of mercy. In brief, our world and everyone in it are in need of God. Our role, not unlike that of the Baptist, is to point the way to Jesus, who alone can bring us to God.