Church of the
Annunciation

When I see Fr. Fran at Brothers of Mercy, he asks me for a blessing. I feel immediately that the blessing should be coming from him to me. I understand John the Baptist saying to Jesus: “You should be baptizing me.” But Jesus says to John to allow it now “to fulfill all righteousness.” “Righteousness” means to be “in right relationship with God.” We know that we are so often at odds with God. The funeral liturgy is full of baptismal imagery: Easter candle, sprinkling with Holy Water and covering body with a white cloth called: “a pall.” It recalls the baptismal garment signifying a new creation. Baptism is a death and life experience. We are immersed in the waters of life gasping for air i.e. the breath of God. We enter into the mystery of God -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At baptism we begin a friendship in faith with Jesus and embrace the mission God entrusted to him at his baptism at the Jordan. Jesus understands his mission in the words of Isaiah the prophet: to be a light to the nations, to restore sight to the blind, and to set prisoners free. St. Peter tells Cornelius in Acts of the Apostles that Jesus and his disciples are called to heal those possessed by the devil. We are well aware of demonic impulses to hate, to envy, to lust, to greed, to control that destroy community and rupture our relationship with God. Today as we conclude the Christmas Season and begin Ordinary Time, we can renew our baptismal vows and enjoy a new start in Christ.