Thoughts from the Second Floor Front

The Baptism of the Lord

January 12, 2025

     The Latin term sacramentum, from which we get our English word Sacrament, was not coined by the early Church Fathers. The word existed in Roman society before Jesus founded the Church. It originally had two meanings. One was a sack of money put up in a Roman Court in a lawsuit. The money was deposited in a pagan temple with the local priestess. Both parties put up the same amount and went to court. Even Emperors had to sit and hear cases and act as judges. They hated it. And in their private diaries would write reams of  paper containing their complaints about the task. When the court issued the decision, the winner went to the pagan temple and picked up both sacks of money. The money was the sacramentum. Notice the coalescence of the sacred (The pagan Temple and priestess) and the secular (the law court). The other meaning was an oath of loyalty to the Emperor that a soldier made upon entrance in the Roman army. Again notice the combining of the sacred (the promise to the Emperor was considered a god) and the secular (Service in the Roman Army.)

     Eventually, a second century Roman Lawyer, convert, theologian and apologist attached the term to the early Church. The Sacramental System we now know was solidified in form over time and commentaries by early Church Fathers emerged. Among the most influential Church Fathers was and remains, St. Augustine of Hippo. A very good overview of the development of our sacramental theology and practice is a book by Dr. Joseph Martos: Doors to the Sacred: A Historical Introduction to the Sacraments in the Catholic Church. While it is not a book you would take to the beach, it is enormously insightful. I’ve used it in class and although I have not looked at it recently, I believe it is still on my shelf.

     What we celebrate today, the Baptism of the Lord leads to a few questions. The first is: Why? Why was Jesus baptized by John? He second is about you: Why were you baptized? What did Baptism do for you? We must begin with the last question. Baptism has three effects. First, it washes away original sin. The second is that, like all sacraments, it is a source of Grace. And thirdly, Baptism incorporates us into the Body of Christ, the Church. That being the case, why then was Jesus baptized? He had no sin, original or otherwise. He does not need Grace. He is the source of Grace. Finally He does not need the Body of Christ. He IS the Body of Christ. 

     Some suggest that Jesus allowed Himself to be baptized as an example for his own disciples. Others point out that it was after His baptism that He began the Public Ministry, that is, His efforts by word and deed to establish the Father’s Kingdom in our world. By virtue of our Baptism we participate on that on going effort. We are baptized into the Priestly, Prophetic and Kingly life of Jesus and by our lives we are to give evidence of the action of the Holy Spirit active on us and through us. That same Spirit who descended upon Jesus was given to us at Baptism and again at Confirmation and each time we celebrate the Eucharist.

     With today’s feast the Christmas season, so long anticipated and seemingly so quickly ended, comes to a conclusion. We enter into what is known on the Liturgical Calendar as ordinary time. The “ordinary” is used from the Latin ordinalis which means “numbered.” These are the weeks outside Advent and Christmas and the time outside Lent and Easter. The usual use of the word ordinary would imply something is commonplace even routine. The life of a committed disciple should be anything but routine. Because of our Baptism we share in the ministry of Jesus and we are called to be active, energetic and creative in our response. As we emerge from the Christmas season and enter Ordinary Time, respond to the Grace available and ask Jesus to help you be the disciple He is calling you to be. 

Faithfully,

Msgr. Diamond