Feast of the Baptism of the Lord 'A'

Saturday January 8, 2011

“In Persona Christi”

The celebration of baptism for infants and adults has changed dramatically over the last forty years. Some of you may remember that the ritual was “performed” almost clandestinely in Latin rather than celebrated publicly before a congregation. Fathers and godparents accompanied infants to the church but fathers remained onlookers outside the gated baptistry. For reasons of health and recovery after giving birth, mothers remained at home. The normal hospital stay in those days was five days. Babies were to be baptized within two weeks after birth.

There was no catechesis or spiritual preparation prior to the ceremony. The dimly lit baptistry was located in a remote section of the church that remained in darkness. The baptismal water having been blessed during the Easter Vigil weeks or months before still contained the holy oils in the stagnant pool—not a very good symbol of life-giving waters.

Adult baptism was not very different. It was a quiet private ceremony performed in the presence of one witness or sponsor and usually took place on a Saturday afternoon following six weeks of private instruction by the priest. The same ritual as that used for infant baptism was used for adults with some minor modifications.

As bland and antiseptic as the ceremony was, the underlying theology was even more so. The motivation for requesting infant baptism was the removal of original sin in which the baby was born into the world and which was believed to be an obstacle to a full life with God and indeed, which would prevent the child from ever seeing God should an untimely death occur prior to baptism. Limbo has since been quietly phased out. It never was a solemnly defined teaching but an innocuous theological construct to justify the cleansing aspect of Baptism, freeing the infant from the ‘stain’ of original sin.

Several years ago, a young couple requested that the celebration of the baptism of their infant daughter take place in front of the congregation during the celebration of Mass. Not only that, but they also wanted the baby ‘dunked’ into the water and I was to do the ‘dunking!’ With great apprehension, I did so and then held the baby aloft in the view of the congregation. There was applause, there were tears and there was laughter. Any explanation of what had just taken place would have been superfluous. The ritual was sufficient. A second birth had taken place. This child had been reborn in the spirit.

The baptism of adults has changed radically with the restoration of the catechumenate, more commonly known as the RCIA — Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Baptism takes place only after an extensive formation process in which a number of people from the parish community participate as hosts, welcomers and sponsors. Although instruction is included, it is not an instructional process. Much of the formation is based on the testimonies and faith stories that emanate from a communal reflection on the scriptures and on the tradition of the Church. Candidates for baptism are literally ‘absorbed’ into the life of the Church as the Spirit begins to breathe in them more fully. Actually, it is the breath of the Spirit that brings them to the RCIA.

The feast of the baptism of Jesus is yet another opportunity to re-look at the sacrament of baptism through the lens of Jesus’ baptism.

Many explanations have been offered for the ‘why’ of Jesus’ baptism. John’s baptism was a cleansing ritual for Jews who were serious about turning their lives around. John’s gospel states that it was a baptism of repentance. It was because he wanted to make it clear that Jesus was indeed taking on the fullness of human nature, even the effects of sin, though he himself did not sin.

This makes sense. And the scriptures seem to bear this out. In the gospel of John, John the Baptist points to Jesus as “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”

Matthew identifies Jesus with the prophecy of Isaiah as the servant of God, “the beloved Son of God in whom the Father is well pleased.” It is quite likely that Matthew wanted to make it clear that Jesus did not fit the prevailing description of the long expected Messiah. He draws from the words of Isaiah a portrait of Jesus at his baptism. ‘Behold: my chosen one, endowed with my spirit; he breathes my spirit. He will do what the world considers impossible. He is the one who will bring justice to the nations—not just to one nation but to all the nations. His love as my love is indiscriminate. He will not shout; he will not crush the wounded nor quench the flame that flickers. He will be the sign of an enduring covenant; a light to the nations, he will give sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. He will live the rule of love and forgiveness will be the thrust of his mission and ministry.’ The baptism of Jesus was not a solitary event, performed in private. It was a public event for the whole world to witness.

For the Christian, Baptism is the primordial sacrament and unites us with Christians all over the world—Catholic and other than Catholic. Moreover, in baptism we speak and act ‘in persona Christi’ (in the person of Christ) not by permission of the Pope or pastor. We participate fully at liturgy because we share a common priesthood.

This is the Jesus into whom you and I have been baptized. This is the Jesus who continues to minister to the world through you and me in significant and not-so-significant ways. The words of the prayer of Theresa states it much more succinctly than I:

“Christ has no body now but yours;
No hands, no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which he looks,
Compassion on this world.
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good.
Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes.
You are his body.

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