Today, the Christmas season ends with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Jesus is baptized by John, and receives a loving affirmation from God, who says before all: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus is reminded of his identity: He is the Father’s Son, he is loved, he belongs to the Father. He is pleasing to the Father.
We all need to know that God is our Father, he loves us, and is pleased with us. When we are baptized, this is exactly what happens. Jesus then goes to the desert for forty days, where he is tempted by the devil. But Jesus doesn’t fall for it. He knows his identity. He knows who he is...and whose he is.
The devil tells Jesus to be somebody, to assert himself, to prove himself. But Jesus has no need for it. He has the Father’s love and approval. What else does he need? The devil’s promises are revealed as hollow and false, and Jesus easily rejects them.
Jesus receives his mission at his baptism. His baptism is his commissioning for his ministry. He will go forth as God’s anointed one to free the prisoners, liberate the oppressed, open the eyes of the blind, and announce the year of favor, the time of jubilee rejoicing. The time of God’s victory has arrived.
At our baptism, we too receive a mission. We are drawn into Jesus’ life and mission and invited to share in his victory. Sometimes we forget this. Sometimes baptism is simply our “get into heaven free” pass. Sometimes we think it’s simply about our own salvation, forgetting that we have a mission, a purpose, a plan from God, a plan involving others. We are commissioned to put faith into action to spread the victory of Jesus and serve others, making the world better.
This past week I had the privilege of putting my faith into action with ten students... and one nun! Our St John’s Service and Justice Outreach (SJO) took a mission trip to Tampa to serve children, the poor, and the homeless. We experienced the joy of serving others. In the process, friendships were formed and deepened, lives were shared, and faith was deepened. Our hearts were renewed by acts of love. We witnessed and shared the victory of Jesus.
The first night, after some drama over the rental van, we joined in celebrating the funeral Mass of Dave Varette, a longtime Salesian brother who began his life as an orphan taken in by the Salesians, and ended up giving his whole life by serving among them.
Tuesday we picked up 150 donated sandwiches from the our friends at the Village Inn and served them to the homeless at Pinella’s Hope. Started by the local bishop and run by Catholic Charities, Pinella’s Hope has hundreds of tents where homeless people live as they transition back into jobs and self sufficiency. It’s truly a hand up, rather than a hand out. We shared lunch and conversation with many of the residents, who told us about their lives. They shared their stories without self pity or anger. In fact, most of them expressed gratitude to God and others for the blessings in their lives. Afterward, we moved a bunch of old doors from one warehouse to another.
Wednesday, we went to Villa Madonna school and spent the day with the students and teachers there. I had the fun of playing guitar and singing songs with fourth, sixth, and seventh graders. After school we helped out with the Boys and Girls club, serving snacks and playing with the children from the neighborhood. It was moving to see the care and tenderness offered these kids, and their carefree happiness as they played in this safe space.
Thursday and Friday, we served at Metropolitan Ministries, a major advocacy center for the greater Tampa community. 2200 meals a day are prepared and sent out to various sites, along with hundreds more for locals and residents, mostly families struggling to get back on their feet after various misfortunes and difficulties. We worked in the kitchen, the warehouse, and the clothing center. On Friday, a group of us quartered over 100 chickens.
Each night, we went back to Mary Help of Christians, a large Salesian complex including a school, a boys and girls club, and a residence for senior priests. There, we were offered hospitality and love. We enjoyed an evening meal together and then we shared about our experiences amid quiet prayer and adoration. One evening we went to confession. Another evening was spent aboard a dinner cruise around Tampa Bay. We sat on the deck and sang Mumford and Sons song, loving life and each other amid evening temperatures in the 70's.
We began the week as mostly strangers. By the end, God had knit us together as a community. He formed us into a people after his own loving image. We got to experience first hand the truth of Gandhi’s words, that the surest path to happiness is to lose oneself in service of others.
I have the feeling that our group will be friends for a very long time to come. We shared the joy of serving others, moved by the love of Jesus Christ. We prayed, laughed, and shared life together. We grew in faith and love. We lived out our identity as God’s beloved children. We lived our commissioning to put our faith into action by spreading the God’s love to those less fortunate. We saw the victory of Christ made visible through powerful and effective agencies of service and love for others. We like to think that we left Tampa a little better than we found it. We certainly found ourselves better off than when we began.
On today’s feast of the Baptism of the Lord, I pray that each of us will hear the voice of God once again, saying, “You are my beloved son, my beloved daughter, in whom I am well pleased.” I pray that we will embrace our sharing in Jesus’ mission by going forth to put our faith into action and serving others. I pray that the victory of Jesus will spread through our actions and through our love.
I want to personally thank Conor, Nino, Dominic, Tyler, Ellie, Hanna, Kristen, Caroline, Molly, Anne, and, of course, Sister Maryann. Sharing this week with each of you was what made it so special and beautiful. You are a gift to St John’s and to the people of Tampa. You have all become my dear friends. You are witnesses to me of what it means to serve and to love. I am so blessed to be a Newman chaplain getting to interact with young people like you. Thanks be to God, and thanks to all of you!
