Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Nelson Mandela is one of my modern day heroes. I like him not only because of his struggle for freedom but I admire his character. I admire his political maturity, his patience and his single-minded devotion to the cause of freedom. I learnt after his death that while he was in prison he was actually very submissive. He submitted to hard labor in a stone quarry and to the very demanding prison regimen. But his dignified submission was also the secret of his authority. He was able to have influence over prison wardens and over fellow prisoners. He used the time to study Afrikaans, to know his oppressors, understand their philosophy, and gain absolute mastery over the situation. This dignified submission along with his knowledge of his oppressors helped him transition South Africa peacefully from an oppressive society into a democracy. At his inauguration as President of South Africa, he invited his prison warden to the ceremony, forgave him, and invited the rest of South Africa to do the same. His forgiveness of his oppressors was one reason that South Africa did not slide back into racial violence. Submission is powerful.
I want to approach the baptism of Jesus from the perspective of ‘submission.’ The idea that Jesus should be baptized is a rather discomforting thought. If Jesus was without sin, if Jesus was the Redeemer rather than standing in need of redemption, why should he submit himself to the Baptist? John even protested say, “I need to be baptized by you, and you are coming to me?” The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that at his Baptism, Jesus, “is submitting himself entirely to his Father's will: out of love he consents to this baptism of death for the remission of our sins.” Already at Christmas, Jesus chose to dwell among us by becoming one of us. But at his baptism, Jesus chose to take his stand beside us. He was baptized not because he needed to be baptized but rather by his submission he was bringing all of humanity to God. That is why Jesus says, ““Allow it for now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil righteousness.”
My points today are a reflection on the power of submission. And I am basing it on the baptism of Jesus.
a) Understanding submission. Submission is defined as “a willingness to yield or surrender to somebody else’s power or authority.” In our times submission often has a negative connotation because often power and authority is exercised negatively. Slavery, racism, the second-class treatment of women both in society and in the church, the exercise of brute military force, economic injustices, the institutionalization of poverty, child abuse both within and outside the church are all examples the destructive exercise of power and authority. But this need not be the case. Submission can also be a fruitful experience. At his baptism, Jesus submitted himself to God. But the power and authority that God had over Jesus was exercised in an affirming way. The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus and God’s voice said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” At his baptism, Jesus felt affirmed and empowered. It gave him his identity and mission. Submission can also be a fruitful exercise if the reason is worthwhile. For example, Nelson Mandela’s submission was for a larger cause – equality for a people. Similarly, Jesus’ submission is indicative of Christ’s love for us. Jesus did this for our redemption. By taking his place by our side, by submitting himself to God and to the human race, by being baptized, Jesus would lead us from death to life, from slavery to freedom, from condemnation to salvation.
b) Submission - the key to spiritual growth. I entered the seminary in the eighties. By then, seminary life had emerged from the days of rigorous penitential practices. I had heard horror stories of seminarians planting broomsticks and watering them out of sheer submission to authority, of seminarians taking turns to be doormats at doorways, and of seminarians begging for their share of bread. Today, they sound like horror stories. But there was a lesson being taught. If spirituality is about aligning our will with the God, then, before we even attempt to understand God or God’s revelation, there must be absolute submission to God. Unless we learn to submit our will to God’s will we have not ever begun our spiritual journey. Jesus’ own life follows this pattern. That is why right after his baptism Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit in the desert to be tempted. Once he has submitted himself to God and to his mission, Jesus was ready to face temptations and begin his ministry. Spiritual struggles such as not finding time to pray, failing to connect faith and daily life, or any of the cardinal sins (anger, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony) can be atributed to the lack of submission. On the contrary, submission to God helps us see life from God’s perspective; like Jesus, it helps us to have a mission and an identity; it helps us to be humble, to be loving, kind and generous. Submission is the first step toward spiritual growth.
c) Our Baptism – An act of Submission? Without some amount of submission life would be chaotic. Children submit to their parents, husbands and wives surrender their independence and freedom for the sake of the family, we are submissive to the laws of society and we are submissive to the medical experts when we are ill. But more so, we must reflect on our own baptism as an act of submission. As baptized Christians and as disciples we must understand the power of submission – not so that we might be exploited and violated – but rather, that our submission may unite us with Christ. Our baptism must be lived out in our submission to God in the same way Jesus did. Our submission to God must lead us to be empowered and affirmed in our identity as children of God, and in our mission as disciples. How do we live out this Christ like submission? We show our submission when we commit ourselves to God in daily prayer; we are submissive when we try to live according to the message of Jesus; we are submissive when we live the gospel even when it is hard; we are submissive when we deal with misfortunes with faith. We can also be submissive for the sake of our Christian mission. To be submissive to each other at home for the sake of the family, to be submissive to each other in the church for the sake of the gospel, to be humble, forgiving, kind and gentle for the sake of discipleship – this is also Jesus’ example. Submission has the power to make a difference in the world and to lead us to eternity.
We see the power of submission at every Eucharist. Jesus submits himself to us in the bread and wine. And we are invited to submit ourselves to the power of Christ.
- Fr. Satish Joseph