MONDAY HOMILY - BAPTISM OF THE LORD (YEAR B)

MONDAY HOMILY – BAPTISM OF THE LORD (YEAR B)

THEME: Crossing Bridges
Site of Jesus’ Baptism, Jordan River

Back when I was a little kid, I distinctly remember our family taking a vacation to Colonial Beach, a quaint little beach town in Virginia. I remember we stayed at this tiny hotel right on the water; I remember all the sights and sounds of the town – the t-shirt shops, the smell of fudge and salt water taffy and I remember our family taking a boat ride on the Potomac River. And I certainly remember all the jellyfish when we went swimming. It really was a special moment in time.

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The downside was that, in order to get there, we had to cross from Maryland to Virginia via the Potomac River Bridge – a 2 lane (one in each direction) bridge that was the only path between the 2 states. That meant a lot of truck traffic for such a narrow bridge that was almost 2 miles long. But if we wanted to have fun, to enjoy our vacation as a family, we had to cross that bridge, no matter the stress or nervousness that it may cause.

We have all had moments in our life when we had to ‘cross that bridge’. Moving to a new home, starting a new job, marriage or the loss of a loved one! Moments of change and uncertainty! Moments that tested our courage and our resolve!

In today’s Gospel, Jesus crosses a bridge! His Baptism is a moment that marks His transition from a private life to a public one, from His life in Nazareth to His ministry of preaching, teaching and healing! For us, it also marks crossing from the Christmas Season to Ordinary Time, putting away the ornaments and Christmas lights and moving on with ‘ordinary’ life!

We get this beautiful image of Jesus coming up out of the waters of the Jordan and we know what happens next! Preaching the Beatitudes! Healing the blind and feeding the 5000! Raising Lazarus from the dead and clearing the moneychangers out of the Temple! Sharing His Body and Blood at the Last Supper and offering up His life for us on the cross!

Talk about crossing a bridge! It also serves as a reminder of our own Baptism. So the question today is this! What about us? We have all been baptized! We have all been reborn in the waters! Are we still energized by our faith? Are we delaying or avoiding that bridge out of fear and doubt? Or are we crossing our bridges with faith and with the hope that the Lord will be ‘well pleased.”

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