Saturday, January 10, 2009

A Commentary for the Baptism of Jesus by Sr. Mildred Wannamuehler, OSB


On this feast of Jesus’ Baptism I find myself trying to link together Jesus Baptism with His birth and making it one big mystery.  All week we have been pondering on what mystery is before us.  We know that it does not end with the octave.  But I still wonder: what does this feast of the Baptism uncover about the fact that the Son of God became human for us?  What does it add?

I’m reminded of the poem Father Matthias read to us on the Feast of the Epiphany.  It ended by saying that the mystery of Christ’s birth sanctified space and time so that we humans who live in space and time are given these two dimensions to love others as Christ came to show us how.


One of the most precious elements of space is water. We know how important it is to live physically…we can’t live without it... but today’s feast has the Incarnate God opening the whole sacramental system by His own making the water is a factor in our sharing God’s life.

We as religious have always been taught that the vows we make are a deepening of our Baptismal commitment. So can I not say that as a professed religious I unite myself with Christ’s Incarnation by living in time and space the love He showed us?  Did St. Benedict write the Rule then for us to continue to “seek God” in every person and in every situation of life?  Does that make our life sacramental?  Did this not begin when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan? Today’s feast gives us much to be grateful for.

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