Baptism of the Lord - homily

As a seminarian, I looked at priests celebrating baptisms on Sunday afternoons after Masses and thought, ‘that would be a drag’. I didn’t really see myself getting pumped up for this, especially when there’s football on. But, then, I started celebrating baptisms as a deacon. I realized very quickly that it is an honor and a privilege to celebrate the sacrament of Baptism. And, one of my first baptisms helped me to see what a gift Baptism is. After the baptism, the father of the child came up to me and said, “that is the best gift I will ever give my child”. This blew me away. Think of all the gifts parents give their kids – and I don’t just mean Christmas gifts. They give their kids so many gifts, but the best gift of all is Baptism…the gift of faith…the gift of eternal life. That father was so right! I have used his line at every baptism since then.


One of my favorite baptisms was a few years ago in Southern Maryland. Friends of mine asked me to baptize their baby daughter. It was during Mass in a small, crowded Church. Everyone was really into the baptism. Everyone except one person – the baby girl. She cried the whole time! Ironically, the only time she stopped crying was when I poured the water over her head (it’s the opposite of what usually happens…the babies usually are chill until that cold water hits their bald heads). We called it a ‘mini-miracle’; she is destined to be a saint! One of the most powerful situations involving baptism was last year at GW hospital. I baptized a GW student who had tragically fallen five stories. By God’s grace, he survived long enough for me to baptize him. As incredibly difficult as that situation was for the family, it brought them comfort knowing their son is now with God forever.

Let’s be clear – we need to be baptized to be saved. Jesus says in John 3:5 that “no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit”. John 3:5. Tell it to your family members, friends, or roommates who haven’t been baptized. You’d be surprised at their reaction. I used this line one time with a couple I was becoming good friends with who asked me to baptize their sixth child. (Actually, I use it at every baptismal prep class.) I asked them why they wanted to baptize their child. Ultimately, they said it was for their son to go to Heaven. In the conversation, I learned that the father hadn’t been baptized. I told them about John 3:5 and asked the wife is she was worried about her husband entering the kingdom of Heaven. Immediately, the husband – the husband! – said to his wife, “yeah, don’t you want me to get to Heaven?” A year later, he was baptized and is now a practicing Catholic.

Tonight, we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. Why was our Lord baptized? It wasn’t to be saved – He is the Savior…the one who saves. It wasn’t to repent – He never sinned so there was nothing to repent. One of the reasons Jesus was baptized is to show us the way to salvation. There are other things He does that He doesn’t need to do to be saved but shows us the way to be saved – takes up His cross, celebrates the Eucharist, takes care of the poor, lives the Beatitudes, etc. He is like a coach who wouldn’t ask his athletes to do something he wouldn’t do. We’re only going to follow Him if He leads us.

Another reason Jesus is baptized is to show us He is “all in” for us. He goes all in at the Jordan river. He fully submerges himself in the waters of the Jordan to show his commitment to us. He is all in. He is all in in the Jordan; He is all in on the Cross... for us. When He comes out of the Jordan, it is an incredible scene: the Spirit descends and the voice of the Father is heard: “this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.”

It is my hope that you will be “all in” for Jesus this semester. He is all in for you, be all in for Him? I promise you, if you go all in this semester as he went all in in the Jordan, the Spirit will descend and come upon you. And, hopefully, in some way, you will hear the voice of the Father say to you what he said at your baptism: “this is my beloved son / daughter, with whom I am well pleased”.

Finally, two points about the Eucharist in relation to today’s feast. The first is that the Eucharist is the best way to live out our Baptism. We’re not saved just because we’re baptized; we need to live it out. Baptism gives us faith and life in Christ; the Eucharist nourishes faith and life. The second is something I want you to consider as I elevate the Host during consecration: the words of the Father. As I elevate the Host, the Father says the same thing to us that He said at Jesus’ baptism: “this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.”