Baptism Of The Lord, Year C

Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11
Titus 2:11-14,3:4-7
Luke 3:15-16,21-22

Let us reclaim our baptismal grace. Let us come back to God.

Last week, we marked the end of the Christmas season with the Feast of Epiphany. For those of us who have followed it faithfully, it was a long reflective journey. We started our reflection with the season of Advent; continuing on to Christmas itself; followed by the Feast of Holy Family; and finally we concluded with Epiphany last week. But for many of us, the Christmas season is a very busy time of the year. There were family gatherings to arrange, gifts to wrap, house to clean, trips to plan, etc. etc. In the midst of these activities, it is not surprising that many of us have neglected the spiritual significance of the Christmas season. Hence this week, as we finally take a rest from the hustles and bustles of Christmas, God invites us to refocus on our life and our faith. And even if we have missed out on the spiritual aspects of Advent and the Christmas season totally, it is never too late. God is still here, waiting for us.

The First Reading this week is set in the context of the Babylonian conquest of the Israelite kingdom of Judah in 605 BC. At the time, many Israelites were taken from their homeland and exiled to Babylon. Through the passage of time, many second-generation Israelites got comfortable with their lives in Babylon and lost the zeal to return to their homeland. The passage reignites the people’s hearts by explaining how the Lord will smoothen their path back, where valleys would be filled in, hills laid low, and cliffs became plains. “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.” (verse 3-4) My brothers and sisters, like the Israelites, we too are in the wilderness, needing to come back to God. And in the same manner as He did with the Israelites, God is calling us back. Living in a secular world, many of us are busy with our worldly activities – our secular Christmas activities we discussed earlier are just an example. In most cases, these activities are not bad in themselves – going to work, shopping, spending time with friends, spending time with families, participating in sports, recreation, etc. However, it is also true that if we are not careful, these activities can easily distracts us from our spiritual pursuits. In the worst case, life becomes a series a pleasure seeking activities and loses its meaning. Indeed, like the Israelites, many of us have become too comfortable in our secular pursuits. Worse, some of us have even become too comfortable with sinful pursuits. We have become numb to our sins. My dear friends, our spiritual identity is what gives us purpose and meaning. Hence, it is no wonder that many of us in the midst of our busy lives, we feel empty. We feel that there is something lacking in our life. If this is us, let us answer this call from the prophet Isaiah, “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” (verse 3) Let us come back to God.

In the Second Reading this week, St Paul calls on us to “renounce impiety and worldly passions” (verse 12) My brothers and sisters, let us ask ourselves, what “impiety and worldly passions” am I enslaved to? For example, do I carry baggage from my past? Is pride hurting my relationships with others? Does greed motivate my life and my quests? Am I envious of others – perhaps of their intelligence, their possessions, their achievements? Do I secretly rejoice if misfortune befalls upon them? Last but not least, am I so used to these sinful acts that I no longer think there is anything wrong with them? Indeed, if we are enslaved by sins, our life won’t be just empty, it is void of joy and peace. It is only when I realise that I have become too complacent in my sins that I know I need to come back to God

Jesus is the one “who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity” (verse 14). But how does Jesus give Himself up? For most of us, this question brings to mind Jesus’ suffering and dying on the cross. But Jesus’ giving up of Himself started earlier. It started with His Incarnation and in this week’s Gospel, His baptism by St John the Baptist. Jesus’ baptism, like His passion, is an act of mercy. In the words of St Paul in the Second Reading, “he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” (verse 5) If we examine the purposes of baptism, Jesus really need not be baptised. The first purpose of Baptism is to be cleansed of sins – Jesus did not need this as He is sinless. Secondly, baptism makes us adopted children of God – Jesus did not need this either as He is God. So, why did Jesus approach John the Baptist for baptism? He did so in recognition of his messianic mission. To minister to us sinners, He would first be identified with us. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5:21) Jesus’ baptism was the precursor of his dying on the cross. His baptism was when He first took on our sins. My dear friends, our God is a tender God who loves us. As Isaiah in the First Reading wrote, “He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.” (verse 11) His coming on earth in the person of Jesus is God’s love in concreate action. His baptism and dying on the cross show us how much our sins is hurting us; so much so that He willingly took our sins upon Himself, so as to free us. Indeed, our Lord’s Baptism and Passion are His public show of His love for us. And He does so willingly and without preconditions, in the hope that upon witnessing these acts, our hardened hearts may be melted and converted. Our God always leads the way. So, though He is sinless, though He is God Himself, we witness in the Gospel this week how He allowed Himself to be baptised by St John. (verse 21)

So, my brothers and sisters, what is my response to Jesus’ acts of mercy? Do I ignore Him, much like how we were distracted by our secular Christmas pursuits? Or do I accept His mercy and come back to Him? But this takes effort. Jesus cannot lead me back unless I know Him. And there is no magical wand that can make this happen in an instance. I need to devote time, praying to Him, reading His words, encountering Him. There is no shortcut. It is like any human relationship. To build a relationship with another person, we need to put constant effort into communicating, sharing our stories, sharing our hearts. It is the same with Jesus. In the Gospel, when Jesus came out of the water, we hear the Father said, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (verse 22) Jesus always leads the way. Let us follow Him. One day, let us too be hearing these words from God, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Amen.

Epiphany Of The Lord

Isaiah 60:1-6
Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6
Matthew 2:1-12

How do I respond to the darkness of my life? Do I take the path of Harod; or do I take the path of the magi?

My brothers and sisters. On this second week after Christmas, we celebrate the Feast of Epiphany. Epiphany is symbolised by the wise of the magi to the infant Jesus. But what is the significant of this story, particularly in this immediate period after Christmas?

The central message of Epiphany is that God’s grace is offered to everyone. In the Second Reading this week, St Paul made the point that salvation is not a special privilege of the Jews, but is offered to all: “In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (verse 5-6) But what is the relevance of this revelation to our modern age? To reflect this further, let us ask ourselves a few questions: Have I ever look down upon someone because the person is not a believer; does not profess the right religion in my eyes; or perhaps live life in such a way that I consider unrighteous? If so, the message of St Paul is for me.

In our modern days, it is a tragedy that some of us regard certain people as not worthy of salvation. Some of us might think that only believers are worthy of salvation, forgetting that there are non-believers who led righteous lives. Some of us might think that people who committed certain sins are not worthy of salvation – perhaps people who aborted their babies, people who are divorcees, people in irregular relationships or committed some other sins. But not so, says St Paul. Perhaps to the surprise of some of us, anyone who is prepared to approach God with a contrite heart, they can “become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (verse 6) Our past does not matter; even what we nominally profess with our lips does not matter. All the Lord wants of us is for us to approach Him in sincereity with a desire to change our lives; and model our lives to His.

The Gospel this week tells the story of Kings Harod and the magi. On account of his sins, when he heard the birth of the infant Saviour, King Harod felt insecure and was afraid. (verse 3). How did King Harod respond to his inadequacies? He sought to deceive the magi, he soight to find out where Jesus was born, so that he may find and kill the infant Jesus (verse 7-8, Mt 2:16) He was not able to face up to his sins. In contrast, the magi, who were wise men from the east, and hence were not Jewish by descent. Under Jewish beliefs, like King Harod, the magi were not destined to be saved. But they did not let this deter them. They promptly sought out the infant Saviour and offered Him homage (verse 10-11). Not only that, these were men who possess discerning hearts, and are open to God’s prompting. For one must have a discerning heart in order to hear God. We read, “And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.” (verse 12)

In the First Reading this week, we read a vision of the prophet Isaiah: “For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.” (verse 2) My brothers and sisters, let us reflect on our own life. Like King Harod, do I have darkness in my life? Indeed, as fallen humans, we all have darkness in our lives. Perhaps I have wronged someone in the past; perhaps there are aspects of my life that run counter to God’s teachings; perhaps I cannot find in my heart the mercy to forgive someone; or perhaps I have a strained relationship? Whatever the circumstances that might have brought darkness upon my life, this week, through the Feast of Epiphany, God is sending an invitation to us. My dear friends, His grace is upon us. But we have a choice. We can choose self-denial and seek to smother this grace – like King Harod did. Or we can open ourselves to God’s grace like the magi did. What is my decision? In truth, it is always easier to do what King Harod did. This is because the path of the magi is not easy. It involves venturing out of our comfort zone, just as the magi venture out of their home country. In our case, most likely, it involves putting aside our pride and making ourselves vulnerable before God and before men. It will take much reflection, self-awareness and grace to take the path of the magi. And in return, we will find joy and peace, the kind of joy and peace that the world cannot give us.

My brothers and sisters, let us take courage and take heart. Our loving and merciful God awaits. Like the nations that flocked to God in the First Reading (verse 3-6), let us leave our darkness behind and head towards the light. And that light is God. Amen.