“It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
What a profoundly beautiful account of Jesus’s baptism that was recorded in the gospel reading for today! The holiness in the words written about this event, transcends time. It was a single moment in time, but what a profoundly spiritual event this was in Jesus’s life. It sounds like it was the same with God the Father. A moment when heaven and earth touched one another, when the heavens were torn open and the Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove.
Have you ever had an experience of time standing still? An event so major in your life that you could not react to it? All you could do was to just experience the present moment you were in? Like the moment you proposed to your wife, or held your newborn baby for the first time? Newborn babies look at their parents for a long period of time, shortly after they are born. They are bonding with their mother and father in those first precious moments of life, but the parents are even more profoundly affected by the miracle of their new baby’s birth.
In a way, Jesus experienced a new birth, when he rose from the baptismal waters. No, he had no need of baptism, he had no sins to be washed away. But, he was anointed by the Holy Spirit, in a bond of love with his Father, in the first moments after he rose from the waters of baptism. A new, deeper bond formed in that moment in time between Jesus and His Father.
Most Catholic baptisms are performed on babies and as an adult they have no memory of their own baptism. And, although many adults are baptized at the Easter Vigil, it is usually with water that is poured over their head. A full immersion baptism is almost unheard of in the Catholic church.
However, I had the experience of a full immersion baptism at a Protestant church when I was twelve years old. Most Catholics have never experienced a full immersion baptism, the same way that Jesus himself was baptized. But, for me, it was a moment when time stood still. I will never forget the white gown and the feeling of the cool, pure, clean water. When I first came out of the water, I instantly felt like a new person. Every cell in my body felt sparkling clean, and I knew that I would never again feel that perfectly pure, and clean, as I did in the first few moments that followed my baptism. Indeed, the remainder of the day was filled with the warmth and the glow of the Holy Spirit, that had enveloped me in His love and peace. I knew that Jesus loved me deeply that day, in a personal way that I can not put into words. It was the most beautiful experience of my life.
The only other experiences of my life that came close to the day of my baptism, was the day that my husband and I were married, the night that I became a Catholic at the Easter vigil, and the first time that I ever held our newborn son. These were profoundly beautiful experiences in my life too, but they can not even begin to compare with the day of my baptism. And, this experience is something I just can not convey very well, with words. The Holy Spirit completely enveloped me that day in His love, and a deep sense of peace that permeated everything and made my heart burn with a new flame that I had never known before.
The gospel account of Jesus’s baptism is told in very few words, but the event was no doubt a very profound experience for Jesus Christ and his Father, and for John the Baptist. It was also the beginning of Christ’s ministry. He would leave for a prolonged period to pray in the desert, shortly after his baptism, and then begin his public ministry. He obviously felt a deeper need to be alone with his Father in prayer, after his baptism. Rather than let the newness of the event wear off, Jesus entered more deeply into a relationship with his Father through his prayers in the desert. A time spent deepening his bond with his Father and getting to know himself better, and listening to God’s will for his life. Adults who are baptized and brought into the Catholic church in our modern times should consider doing the same. Jesus shows us how to live more deeply as Christians, by the example of his own life.
If you were baptized as an adult, or joined the church at the Easter vigil, or was confirmed as a young adult – do you still remember what it felt like? Did the newness seem to wear off too quickly? Perhaps we can regain a sense of the sacredness of our bond with Jesus, and with God our Father though, with some time spent in solitude and prayer. We never stand still in the spiritual life. Love either grows, or it loses ground. Jesus made a deliberate choice to take time out, to grow closer to his Father through a deeper period of prayer. Perhaps the Holy Spirit is calling us today, to do the same.
