In the movie “O Brother Where Art Thou”, the three escaped convicts come upon a congregational meeting of Christians going down to the river for baptism.  Delmar sees all those souls being born again in the waters of baptism and he suddenly becomes transfixed by the possibility of new life and redemption, his eyes become as big as saucers and he is truly transported to another world where there is peace with God and where there is no more suffering, struggle and slavery to sin.  Before you know it old Delmar is plunging headlong into the water to make his way to new life in Christ Jesus.  Baptism has a tremendous power to draw the sinner to a new freedom.  Tired and weighed down by the burden of sin and guilt, baptism promises a new life of hope and a peace that is beyond all worldly comprehension for the world-weary sinner.  To find a new life, to get a new start, to recover our identity as God’s beloved children, to once again live in the freedom and dignity of the children of God speaks to our soul in a language of deep yearning.  “Come on in, the water’s fine boys,” Delmar calls out to his companions on the journey.  Delmar hears in his heart the good news of salvation and has to share it with his friends.

    This week we celebrate the final mystery of the Christmas/Epiphany season with the Baptism of the Lord.  The Baptism of the Lord is a mystery of light and is part of the “showings” of Epiphany as we see Jesus revealed as the Messiah, the beloved Son of God.  With this revelation we see a vision of the Father who is full of love and mercy.  Luke’s account of the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan is a vision of the Trinitarian mystery of love that surrounds Jesus the Lord.  We see the Son enter into the waters and the Spirit descend upon the Son in the form of a dove and we see the skies rent open and the voice of a loving Father testifying for the Son of the deep love and pleasure that he has in the Son.  For a moment heaven and earth are joined and we are able to see the beautiful Trinitarian relationship revealed to us.  In the light of the baptism of the Lord we see the love of God revealed and the power of that love to transform and transfigure Jesus.  What is revealed is the full participation that Jesus has in the divine life of the Father.  From that moment on Jesus will always be revealing to us the Father in all of his words and works.  The glory that we see revealed in Jesus in his public ministry is the glory of the Lord.  If we look a little deeper at the mystery of the baptism of Jesus we see that there is a deeper revelation that transforms the baptism of John and perfects it, we see the “love to the end” that will be revealed in Jesus’ death.  He has “another baptism” to be baptized with:  “There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!” (Luke 12,50)  This final baptism is a baptism into death so that he may transform our baptism into an immersion into resurrection and new, eternal life.  Now baptism is “new birth from above” in water and Spirit (Jn 3,5) and results in a new birth into eternal life as a child of God.  “Or are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.” (Rom 6,3f)

    John the Baptist tells us that he baptizes with water, he gives us a new start, he begins a process of conversion that will continue all of our life.  His baptism is meant as an “epiphany” to reveal and make known Jesus:  “the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” (Jn 1,31)  Like Delmar discovered, it feels good to be clean and to have a fresh start, but that is not the end of it.  John tells us that Jesus will “baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Mt 3,11)  It is this baptism that transforms us from glory to glory and perfects us in love, preparing us for a new life in the Spirit.  As true disciples of Jesus we need to be more than washed clean, we need to be purified in the fire of the Spirit and transformed in love.  Only then can we truly share in the divine life of God the Father.  We need to have a little fire in us if we are to seek a deeper union with the Father.  The baptism of the Spirit comes “from above” and we see this baptism “manifested” in the baptism of Jesus today.  It is time that we all allowed the light of our interior fire, enkindled in our baptism, to burn a little brighter, a little more intense, and truly light up the world.