Baptism of Christ by Greg Olsen

For many people, whenever they hear that Jesus was baptized, one of the first questions that come to their minds is: why? Why did Jesus have to be baptized? If Baptism is the sacrament that cleanses us from sin and re-establishes us in relationship with God, why did Jesus, who was born without sin and was always in relationship with God, need to be Baptized?

Now obviously the answer is that Jesus did not have to be baptized for the same reasons that we need to be baptized. Jesus did not need to be baptized in order to have His sins forgiven. He did not need to be baptized to be re-established in relationship with God. The reason that Jesus was baptized was entirely different from the reasons we are baptized. Jesus was baptized in order that He could teach us by His example. He came into the world to be the way, the truth and the life for all believers. His baptism allows Him to teach us how we are to be reconciled with the Father and the manner in which we are to share in the Divine life that He came to share with us. As the Holy Spirit comes down upon Him at His baptism, it announces to us that we will be given this gift of the Holy Spirit when we are baptized. As the Father proclaims that Jesus is His beloved Son when He is baptized, we learn that through our own baptisms we become God’s beloved children and are to call upon Him as our Father through the graces of this great Sacrament. Jesus takes up His mission after His baptism so that we might understand that through our own baptisms we too have received a mission and are called to be Disciples of Christ through the celebration of this great sacrament.

It is because of how Jesus taught His disciples at the beginning of His mission through the example that He gave them that they were able to understand what He meant at the end of His mission on earth when He instructed them to: “Go out into the whole world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The reason Jesus sends His disciples out to baptize is to make disciples of all people. It is not often that we emphasize the fact that those who are baptized are to be disciples. To be a disciple means to be one who attempts to imitate and follow the example of the teacher. Before He begins His mission of sharing the Good News, Jesus is Himself baptized to show His followers that as a result of their own baptism they are also called to share in His work and His life. By His life and His example Jesus teaches all Christians how they are to live their lives by sharing in His mission. It is the work of all Christians to share in Christ’s work and mission.

About fifty years ago the Church celebrated one of the greatest councils in its entire history. The Second Vatican Council was a pastoral council that was charged with the mission of examining how the Catholic Faith could be lived in our modern age. One of the great accomplishments of this Council was to attempt to return to those who were not ordained the proper sense of mission and responsibility that belongs to all members of the Church because of their baptism. For many centuries people were under the impression that only priests had a role in the Church and that the role of those who were not ordained was to simply sit in the pews. The Council articulated the great dignity that belongs to all Christians because of their Baptism and the responsibility that this entails in the life of the Church. There are within the Church two types of priesthood. These two types are: the common priesthood of all the Baptized and the ordained priesthood of the clergy. The clergy, who make up the ordained priesthood, are to serve the faithful members of the common priesthood so that they may be built up into the Body of Christ and fulfill their mission in the world. Christ’s mission in the world is not to be lived only by the clergy, but by all of the faithful, as they are served by the clergy and built up to live their missions in the world. The goal of the Second Vatican Council was to challenge all Catholics to take an active and lively role in the life of the Church. The Council wanted all Catholics to understand that because of their baptism, like Jesus our teacher we all have a mission.

There are many different ways that a Christian can live his or her mission. Some of these ways depend upon our gifts, talents and the availability of time that we have at different stages in our lives. However, the idea that it is sufficient to simply sit in our pew for an hour on Sunday and think of ourselves as a good Christian, is not something that finds a lot of support in the documents of the Second Vatican Council. The Council invites all Christians to see their Faith and their Christian Community as a way of life and something important to be involved in.

Since I have come here to this wonderful parish people have consistently asked me one question. That question is: “How am I going to do it.” When I first arrived and the Paulist Fathers were leaving many asked me: “How are you going to replace the Paulist Fathers.” As I have begun to tell the parish council that Father Yaw will be leaving in July and getting his own parish, I have been asked: “How am I going to do it on my own.” My answer has always been the same—I am not going to do it on my own, we are going to have to do it together. Over the coming years my plan is going to be very simple. I am going to get up in the morning, have my breakfast and work a full day for you and the parish. Then I am going to go to bed and get a good night sleep when the day is over and I will take my day off each week. In order that our community can continue as a lively and vibrant community, I am also going to invite you to get involved, do your part and give up the idea that a priest has to be at every parish event. The only thing that a parish event requires to be successful is active and committed parishioners. From the short time that I have been here, I know that we have some good active parishioners who contribute a great deal to our parish. However, in every parish there are always a few who do all the work. I am going to invite us all to share the work and come together to keep this parish active and lively.

In order to do this, next weekend our parish will be having a Ministry Fair after all of the Sunday Masses. You will be invited to go downstairs after Mass and consider how you would like to get involved. So many people think that it does not matter if they get involved. It matters greatly. This past Fall the Archdiocese had a seminar for priests. The speaker was Father James Mallon. He presented the content of his book “Divine Renovation.” He told us that in his parish people were told that they had to join at least one parish group in order to be considered parishioners. I think he might have been exaggerating, but he actually claimed that he got death threats for making this demand. However, he also told us how his parish had begun to thrive. While I have no intention of insisting on anything, I would seriously ask you to consider getting involved in new and different ways. This fall when I asked people to consider becoming Ministers of Hospitality, twenty three people signed up, but only a handful came to the workshop. Slowly I am hoping we can move to a more active parish which is able to welcome and support visitors who come to our church and invite them to become a part of a busy and vibrant community.

The other proposal which I have for our parish, that I hope will change it significantly, is the plan to begin Eucharistic Adoration in the centre chapel on Ash Wednesday. We will start by doing this Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Once the chapel has become known as a place in the city where people can come for Eucharistic Adoration, we will move it into the church and try to keep the church open in the daytime. As we prepare for the Sisters of Life to move their outreach offices into to our parish rectory, this will allow the many who come to visit them to find in our parish a place where they can also stop in the busy city to pray before the Lord. In order for Adoration to take place, we need a constant presence of people who will sign-up to pray before the Lord at specific times during the day. This is to ensure that the Blessed Sacrament will not be unattended while exposed. If a few people would sign-up for an hour or two a week, we would easily have the number of people that are necessary. This ministry of prayer and praying before the Lord is the perfect ministry for someone who does not want to read or have a public role in the church. Jesus Himself prayed regularly and it is an important ministry in the life of the Church.

The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord not because Jesus needed to be baptized. We celebrate it so that we might be reminded that because of our baptisms we have a mission to follow the example of Christ. Because of our baptisms, we are invited to live as active members of Christ’s body, the Church. As we conclude this Christmas season at the beginning of the New Year, I would invite all parishioners to attend our Ministry Fair next weekend and consider how they are going to get involved. We need readers, ushers and people to get involved in many different ways. One way to take a step in the faith is to consider attending the Alpha programme which will be run in the parish. This is a great way to get to know other parishioners. For those who are shy, the ministry of praying before the Blessed Sacrament is one which will have untold consequences for our parish. Jesus was baptized to show us how to live our baptism. At the end of this Christmas season, the only thing that those of us who have been baptized need to do is follow Christ’s good example by embracing our missions. At the end of His mission on earth Jesus sent His disciples out to baptize and make disciples. It is now time to answer the call to discipleship.

Fr. Michael McGourty
Pastor—St. Peter’s Parish, Toronto