Collect for Solemnity of Baptism of the Lord Year C

 

COLLECT SERIES

 

The Mass: Collect Series Icon.

COLLECT

 

The Collect for Solemnity of Baptism of the Lord reads as follows:

Almighty ever-living God,

who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan

and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him,

solemnly declared him your beloved Son,

grant that your children by adoption, reborn of water and the Holy Spirit,

may always be well pleasing to you.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. What does the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord mean to me?

2. What does being a child of God through adoption mean to me?

3.  Do I hear God say to me’ You are my Son/daughter the Beloved- My favour rests on You’?

4.What is my relationship with the Holy Spirit?  How might I deepen that relationship this year?

5.How will I be pleasing to God this coming week/this month/this year?

 

GOSPEL REFLECTION

Today we celebrate the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan. This incident in the lift of Christ is the second epiphany, or manifestation, of the Lord. In other words, this Solemnity brings together the past, the present, and the future  and they are made manifest in this epiphany.

Jesus,The Son of God freely humbled Himself  by being baptised at the hand of the John the Baptist. By His baptism in the Jordan, Christ shows  His humility and dedicates Himself to the redemption of man. He takes upon Himself the sins of the whole world and buries them in the waters of the Jordan. The most holy one placed Himself among us, the unclean and sinners. He lines up with humanity to be baptised so that our sins may be washed away in His blood.

Liturgically Christmastide is completed on 2^nd February on the Feast of the Presentation.  However, within Christmastide, we begin Ordinary Time on the Solemnity of Baptism of the Lord. the mystery of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan by St John, the Precursor, proposes the contemplation of an already adult Jesus. This mystery is infinitely linked to the Solemnities of the Lord’s birth and the Epiphany that we have just celebrated, as in some ways it takes up and represents their significance to us.

‘At Christmas we have contemplated the human birth of the Word incarnate by the Virgin Mary. In the 4th century, the Fathers of the Church deepened the understanding of the faith with regard to the Christmas mystery in the light of Jesus’ Humanity. They spoke of the Incarnation of the Word already working like the ‘Christification’ of that humanity that he had assumed from His mother. Or put in simpler terms: Jesus is the Christ from the first instant of conception in Mary’s spotless womb because He Himself, with His Divine Power, consecrated, anointed and ‘Christified’ that human nature with which He became incarnate.

In the mystery of the Epiphany, we then meditated on Christ’s manifestation to all nations that was represented by the Magi, the wise men from the East, who came to adore the Child.

Baptism of the Lord

Now, in the mystery of Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan River, we again encounter and represent the truth of the Lord’s incarnation and His manifestation as the Christ. Jesus’ Baptism is in fact His definitive manifestation as the Messiah or Christ to Israel, and as the Son of the Father to the entire world. Here we find the dimension of the Epiphany which was His manifestation to all nations. The Father’s voice from heaven shows that Jesus of Nazareth is the eternal Son and the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove shows the Trinitarian nature of the Christian God. The true and unique God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, shows Himself in Christ, through Him, with Him and in Him.

The Baptism in the Jordan returns to the great Christmas theme of ‘Christification,’ Jesus of Nazareth's spiritual anointing, His presentation as the Anointed One par excellence, the Messiah or the One sent by the Father for the salvation of mankind. The Spirit that descended on Jesus shows and seals in an incontrovertible way the ‘Christification’ of Jesus’ humanity that the Word had already fulfilled from the first moment of His miraculous conception by Mary. Jesus, from the very beginning, was always the Lord’s Christ, He was always God. Yet, His one, true humanity, that which is perfect in every way, as the Gospel records, constantly grew in natural and supernatural perfection. ‘And Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and with men’ (Lk2:52). In Israel at 30 years of age, one reached full maturity and therefore could become a master. Jesus came of age and the Spirit, descending and remaining on Him, definitively consecrated His whole being as the Christ.

The same Spirit, that descended on the water of the River Jordan wafted over the waters during the first creation (Gen 1:2). Therefore, the Baptism in the Jordan presents yet another truth: that Jesus has started a new creation. He is the second man (1 Cor 15:47) or the last Adam (1 Cor 15:45), that comes to repair the first Adam’s guilt. He does this as the Lamb of God that takes away our sins. ‘Looking at the events in light of the Cross and Resurrection, the Christian people realised what happened: Jesus loaded the burden of all mankind’s guilt upon His shoulders; he bore it down into the depths of the Jordan. He inaugurated his public activity by stepping into the place of sinners’ (Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth, Bloomsbury 2007, p 18).

--Excerpted from the Congregation for the Clergy

 

 This Solemnity has a special spot in my life for many reasons but it especially reminds me of the pilgrimage I did back in 2000 to the Holy Land where we visited the Holy places including the River Jordan. We had the experience of going into the Jordan and being ;rebaptised',  Of course we can only be baptised once in our lives so it was a rebaptism in that sense- rather an experience.  Yes, it was an experience.  There were steps going down into the river- like going down into the tomb and we went as far as being knee high in the water.  The little fish were swimming and I felt their nibbling a few times as well.  However as the water was poured over and the words of baptism were said, and then, coming up the stairs out of the water, I remember having a whole different feeling-  yes it was definitely like going down into the tomb and then rising again.  I felt new life within me.  I cannot explain it properly but I remember it well.  

We can all make this day special in some way but especially by renewing our Baptismal vows . Yes we do this at the Easter Vigil, but it wont be long until Lent is upon us- why not start the First Sunday of Ordinary Time which is this Solemnity with the decision to turn towards God again and accept God's favour- and believe in our hearts' You are my son/daughter the beloved, my favour rests on you'.