Living a God-centered, Other-centered Life

Pope Francis Baptizing a Child in the Sistine Chapel

Baptism is a transformative experience. God lives in us and we live in God. That’s our indelible identity. God empowers us, by his grace and favor, to live godlike lives, as sons and daughters of God our Father and co-heirs to the promise of eternal life.

And in this celebratory event, we are invited to renew our baptismal promises so that we can live ever more transparently, trying as best we can to do the right thing.

The beginning of the new year is a perfect time to do this. We may have already reflected on all that happened in 2018, for example: What am I thankful for? Or perhaps, we might sigh with relief, good riddance.  In any case, what do I look forward to in 2019? What will I do differently? Let's look to the word of God as a guide.

The word of God takes us back to the sixth century before Jesus, to the Hebrew exile in ancient Babylonia (known today as Iraq). The passage is a poem, a song, about a “servant” who will be a light, a doer of justice, a liberator, a faithful keeper of God’s covenant. The early Christians saw in this Hebrew “servant” Jesus, who proclaimed a transcendent purpose for us: eternal life with God by living a god-like life here and now.

In the Book of Acts of the Apostles, the author describes Peter, fired up by the grace of God, proclaiming Jesus as God’s anointed One, the Messiah. And you and I should be fired up by the grace of God, trying to live a life of virtue.

In the Gospel according to Luke, John baptizes Jesus in the waters of the Jordan River. And the power of God overwhelms Jesus and he begins his public ministry, proclaiming a new purpose for us.

John the Baptist’s calling was clearly to point to Jesus as the Messiah. And what is John doing? He is baptizing. He’s inviting people to turn their lives around, to live a God-centered, other-centered life. We might ask whether we reflect Jesus Christ in our relationships.

To understand baptism, we first have to understand who we are in relationship to God. The Book of Genesis captures this. In the beginning, man and woman walked with God; they had friendship with God and friendship with one another. But in spite of knowing what God wanted, they lost that friendship. They hid from God, each blaming others. Sometimes, we play the blame game, don’t we.
Ever since, the human family has cried out for God’s friendship again.

So God became flesh. God, through Jesus Christ and with the power of the Spirit, re-establishes our friendship.

Thus, baptism initiates us into a new community of fellowship, of grace. This makes very straight-forward demands and freedoms. Put very simply, our God is all-mighty and all-present, a God of love; and our response to God’s love is gratitude.

This planet of ours, and the people on it, reflect the image of God. And everything God has created – God’s people especially -- is worthy of reverence.

A Fresh Start With Jesus As Our Guide

Rubens' Adoration of the Magi

Perhaps the best resolution for the new year is to cultivate a focus on the presence of God in our lives, to become aware of God's presence within ourselves and let the glory of God shine forth in our daily routine.
 
Today we celebrate the Epiphany: the manifestation or showing forth of the child Jesus as the messiah to the magi.

We really don’t know who the biblical visitors were--wise men or astrologers or spice traders. All we know is that they were non-Jews who came from far, far away, guided by a mysterious bright star. They came to pay homage to this Jewish baby called Jesus.

In today’s readings, the word of God from Isaiah takes us back to the sixth century before Jesus. The Jews were freed, to rebuild their city of Jerusalem. The author indicates a divine light will emanate from this shining city on a hill and all people, Jews as well as non-Jews, will acknowledge and walk by this light.

Christians see Jesus as this light who illuminates darkness, who shows human beings the ultimate purpose of life: to be in relationship with God and thereby manifest the glory of God through who we are and what we do.

St. Paul's letter to the Christian community at Ephesus in Turkey outlines our future. Jesus is indeed our guide: a beacon of hope for all.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, we have all the ingredients of a great story: exotic visitors, a wicked king, court intrigue, a mysterious star, precious gifts, a new child. The magi give homage to this child with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, highly symbolic gifts about the identity of this child.

Gold can symbolize kingship or divinity, the things of God; and the coin of this child’s heavenly realm are the virtues of self-discipline, compassion, responsibility, friendship, courage, perseverance, honesty, decency, respect and faith in God. Are these virtues the “currency” of our own lives?

Frankincense with its wonderful fragrance and medicinal magic can symbolize healing, and this child came to heal our wounds and bridge the chasm separating us from God and one another. We too are called to be healers.

Myrrh or ointment can symbolize a burial embalmment, and this child through his dying/rising re-established our relationship with God.

Now who is this child? This newborn messiah, completely human and completely divine, is the exemplar or prototype or model of what it means to be an authentic human being. That is why some ask themselves: what would Jesus do in this or that circumstance?

With Jesus as our model, God invites us, from an infinite number of possibilities, to live a holy life, every man and every woman, without exception, regardless of age, race, socioeconomic background, career or calling in life.

Holiness is allowing God to enter into the very fiber of our being so that we can become the best version of ourselves through who we are and everything we do.

Now is the time for us to begin again, to become the best version of ourselves.