Yesterday, I led highschoolers through a guided meditation on the Baptism of the Lord. We imagined staying on the edge of the crowd, the fly-on-the-wall perspective allowing for the choice to stay aloof. But last night, I revisited the meditation and felt inexorably drawn into the center of the action, into the water, into the very shelter of Jesus’ arm. It felt like when you’re pulled into someone else’s family photo, unable to discreetly say, “I’m not part of the family; I don’t belong here.”
In fact, that’s just what Baptism does to us: draws us into Jesus’ family, identifies us so closely with Him that the Father says over us, too: “This is my Beloved Son.” We often hear reference to all people as “God’s sons and daughters.” But this is the unique, invaluable effect of Baptism. To borrow analogies from Fr. Thomas Blau, O.P., God’s invitation is more radical than saying to the plant outside our house, “Will you be my friend?” or giving our pet hamster a seat at the holiday table. The difference between Creator and creatures is even greater, beyond measure. Yet Jesus became a human like His creatures, and then gives us Baptism to share His own divine life with us. We become the Father’s adopted children, taking part in His communion with the Son and the Holy Spirit.
How do you imagine fitting in to the Trinity’s family photo? How might you invite others to join you in it?
