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Baptism of the
Lord
January 13, 2008
In the mid-1800's a terrible epidemic of leprosy broke out on the Hawaiian Islands. At that time modern medicine was still in the pioneer stage. As a result, authorities had no way to treat the contagious disease. To stop its rapid spread, they did something they hated to do, but felt they must do. They set up a leper settlement on the remote island of Molokai.
Hawaiians suffering from the disease were snatched by force from their families and communities and sent to this island. Patients were literally dumped in the surf and left to make their way ashore, seek shelter in caves or squalid shacks and cling to life as best they could. A young Belgium priest, Fr. Damien, was shocked to learn of the plight of these pathetic victims, so he volunteered to go to Molokai to minister to them.
Once on the island, he organized them into a community. Then he built a church, a hospital clinic, over 600 coffins, and began helping them in any way that he could. In the process of doing this, he identified with them completely. He worked with them, walked with them, ate with them, and buried them. He became like them in every way...short of sharing their tragic illness.
After five years of ministering to the lepers, Fr. Damien contracted their dreaded disease also. He continued to minister to them four more years, before the disease took his own life in 1889. Nearly a hundred years later, in 1995, Pope John Paul II beatified him. His feast day is April 15. The moving story of Fr. Damien fits beautifully with today's feast, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
To appreciate how it fits in, we begin by recalling that people often ask: "Why did Jesus ask to be baptized?" After all, St. Paul said, "John's baptism was for those who turned from their sins." (Acts 19:4) If Jesus never sinned, why should he ask to be baptized? John wondered the same thing. When Jesus asked to be baptized, John immediately objected, saying: "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?" Jesus answered him, "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."
It is right here where the Baptism of Jesus connects with the story of Fr. Damien. Fr. Damien came to Molokai not because he was a leper. He came because he wanted to help the lepers in every way he could. And in order to help them in every way he could, he chose to identify with them in every way he could. He ate with them, worked with them, prayed with them, and he suffered with them.
In a similar way, Jesus came to earth not because he was a sinner. He came to help sinners in any way he could. And so he identified with them in every way he could...short of sinning. Jesus lived with them, ate with them, prayed with them, and even allowed himself to be tempted like them. It was only natural, then, that Jesus should extend his identity with them to being baptized like them. Like Fr. Damien, Jesus eventually identified with them to the point of giving his life for them.
This brings us to our own baptism. Through it, we were grafted into the Body of Christ. Through it, we became members of Christ’s body and sharers in his mission of saving the world. In other words, through our baptism, we were called to use our unique God-given talents to work with Christ for the salvation of all people.
And so our baptism was the first step in the process of growing in Christ and learning to use our talents to work with him for the salvation of all...just as Fr. Damien used his talents for this purpose.
This raises an important question. How do we grow in Christ? How do we prepare ourselves to share in his work of salvation? St. Paul answers that question in 2nd Colossians: "Since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live in union with him. Keep your roots deep ion him, build your lives on him...So, then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."
In other words, we do this by imitating Christ. We strive to treat others with compassion, as Christ treated us. We strive to treat others with patience, as Christ treated us. We forgive others, as Christ forgave us. In short, we strive to imitate Christ who empowered us to do these things by sharing his own divine life with us in baptism.
Let us ask our Lord to help us live out our baptism as he lived out his. Arms of Jesus, lift us up when we fall. Voice of Jesus, lead us home when we stray. Blood of Jesus, wash us clean when we become dirty. Body of Jesus, feed us when we grow hungry. Heart of Jesus, make us one with you, for our hearts were made for you and will not rest until they rest in you.
At the end of Matthew's Gospel reading today we hear: And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Let us pray that through our baptism we will lead a such a life that we too will hear: "This is my beloved son or daughter, with whom I am well pleased."