Let’s begin with an understanding of a singular message in three readings: our faith is founded on the incarnate (embodied in human form) presence of God in the man Jesus. And at the outset how do you respond to this? What do you think about it? Do you understand the risks you take in accepting a faith that is mine through Jesus Christ? Do I believe that our incarnate faith is built upon a promise more than it is built upon rules?
In Matthew’s gospel used for today’s liturgy, we read “Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan (3:13). What can we deduce from this? Perhaps we can answer that there always comes a time in a person’s life when there is the need to more to something new, something different, which we understand as better or needed. More importantly do we think it is a move that will transform us?
As we consider this celebration of the Lord’s baptism we should see that Jesus must have felt that it was necessary for him, as a man, to discover what would be transforming in his life. He knew he was on a unique mission. He had come to the moment in his life when he knew it was time to move from the comfort of home because he could not accomplish the transformation that would take place at the end of his life.
We humans are like that as well. We set up routines, we love living with what is familiar: the same path to work, the same favorite chair at home and even the same pew in church. Most of us love living in the same comfortable, familiar way of life each day. And why not? There are not too many who care about “over the rainbow.” What we have around us in basically all that we need.
“I don’t do veggies. Meat and potatoes are all that I need.” Recently one of my four brothers joined me for dinner. Afterwards he told me how tasty the “kale” was that we had for a vegetable that evening. “Wrong,” I told him. “Tonight you had “collard greens” as your vegetable.” He replied, “You know I don’t like collard greens or whatever you called them ... at least until tonight! A transformation had occurred. “Maybe I should have them several times a week,” he said. My reply: “Don’t do it too often, you might become so used to them that they become boring!
Let’s get back to “that” sentence: “from Galilee to John at the Jordan.” It is a verse in Matthew’s gospel that describes our faith experience: to move from what has been in our lives to God’s transforming future.
When we allow that this kind of transformation to happen, we have come to trust God, to believe that God’s love and care for us. It was invitation to us to accept his will for us.
To become a follower of Jesus Christ, to let the Holy Spirit transform our lives is nothing less that entrusting our entire life to Jesus Christ -- it is to walk with him from our own Galilees to our rebirths in the waters of our daily baptisms.
What we celebrate in the Baptism of Jesus is not slight matter. We are celebrating the opportunity to be individuals who share a transformed and transforming life. So the ultimate message is this: “Don’t get stuck in Galilee.”
