December 15/Third Thursday of Advent
All the people who listened, including the tax collectors, and who were baptized with the baptism of John, acknowledged the righteousness of God; but the Pharisees and scholars of the law, who were not baptized by him, rejected the plan of God for themselves. ~ Luke 7.29-30
One of our favorite family stories is that of the three-year-old boy watching his infant cousin being baptized. As the baby reacted vociferously to the splash of the holy (but chilly) water on her head, the little boy leaned over to his mother and confided, “I don’t want to be baptized.” Luckily, the sacrament had long since been conferred and its more disruptive physical effects forgotten – and that little boy has grown up to be a faithful Christian. As adults, or near-adults, we often don’t want to be baptized either. Like a child shrinking from the fear of the cold water, we try to avoid the shock of the reality that is Christ. We hesitate to participate in what Jesus praises in today’s Gospel as the “baptism of John,” because it requires us to acknowledge the righteousness of God instead of taking pride in our own spiritual and material successes. In our prayer lives, self-congratulation must yield to repentance: that is, a thorough and unsparing examination of our unrighteousness. To submit to the baptism of John is to admit that we don’t always get it right, in a myriad of ways. We wield our tongues as swords and our eyes as spears. We allow technology to disrupt or hamper real human connection. We withdraw in sadness or lash out in anger. When we confess our many failings, and surrender our fiercely held autonomy to the greater wisdom and power of the One who loves us, then we are truly acknowledging the righteousness of God. The process of doing so may shock us like a splash of cold water for a moment, but it will change us, too.
Perfect God, May I have the grace and humility to acknowledge your glory and to accept your plan for my life. Amen.
To hear Lynne Dawson sing “The Lord is Righteous in All His Ways,” by George Frederick Handel, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=727SLMs7V0w
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121522.cfm
