Baptism of Our Lord

In the symbolic sculptures and frescoes of the catacombs the dolphin occupies a prominent place. In Greek mythology the dolphins were the great guides and deliverers of those who were in peril at sea.

Arion, the sweet singer, had so enchanted the dolphins with his music that, when forced to leap into the sea to escape his enemies, he was borne by them in safety. Hence he is seen riding on a dolphin's back.

This symbolism was taken over by the early Christians to represent Christ as guide and deliverer. It points to him who through the waters of baptism opens up to mankind the paths of deliverance, causing it to ride over the waves of this troublesome world so that it may finally reach the land of everlasting life.

In all three liturgical years as arranged by the Church after Vatican II we find that the first Sunday of each year commemorates Our Lord's Baptism, which suggests an important message to us all as Christians. We can just imagine Jesus queuing up along with other people and eagerly waiting for his turn to be baptised by John.

We know, of course, very well that, while all the others in the queue needed to be baptised in order to be freed from his sins, Jesus not only was in no need of baptism, but was the one who gave that water all its purifying and salutary efficacy. And then we read how all this was confirmed by "the voice which came down from heaven saying: 'You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased'."

As we usually hear from the lectern whenever we assist at a child's baptism in our church by the sacrament of Baptism we are truly, and not only metaphorically, 'reborn', to a new and higher kind of life. When a mother gives birth to a child, the baby begins a new life and joins the community of its own family as son or daughter of his earthly father and mother.

At a higher level a similar happy event takes place when a child is baptised: that child is truly born again, but to a higher life, a life which makes of it a child of God. An acknowledgement of this reality takes place whenever we Christians recite the Lord's Prayer and say: "Our Father, who art in heaven..."

When Christ was baptised by John, the voice from heaven said: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased". If we take a look at our daily life, are we so sure that God, Our Father in heaven, would pronounce these same words in our regard today? How far do our efforts go to please God in all we plan and do? How eager are we to see God in His other children and to remind ourselves of Jesus' words: "Whatever you have done to one of these little ones, you have done it to me?"

To what extent do we show solidarity with so many brothers and sisters in Christ, and how ready are we to go out of our way and give them some of the help they need and all the assistance we can, whether we know them or not, and whether they are Christians or not?

The day a person is baptised, as Raymond Brown, an outstanding Scripture theologian has written, is more important than the day a person is born, and even more than the day a person is ordained priest or bishop.

I do not imagine that there exists a person who does not remember the day he or she was born. Persons close to us often know it as well, and sometimes they even add to our joy by sending us greetings and sometimes a present. Question: How many of us remember the date of our supernatural birth, of our own baptism?