BAPTISM OF OUR LORD
Is 42:1-1, 6-7
Acts 10:34-38
Mt 3:13-17
I now spend my time on the formation of young people who are discerning to become religious missionaries. It is an intensive yet exciting ministry. But much of the formation of hearts and minds take place outside the walls of the seminary in places like home, ghettos and streets.
It is true. Much of our time goes into “formation”. We try to form ourselves into better people. That means doing many good actions. Perhaps we do all manner of loving and caring things for our family. We educate ourselves, we sacrifice for others, we pray. But they are all things we plan to do.
“Transformation,” the creating of ourselves anew, the “taking off the old self and putting on Christ,” is not something we can plan. A radical change of being can only happen when life falls apart, when formation is shattered, when we don’t feel as though we possess the answers.
But then when life falls apart we have the possibility to become new in Christ. It does not take place automatically because of a life crisis. Life can fall apart and still can make us bitter. Yet our transformation can take place if we look back at the crisis (maybe not be during the crisis) and we see grace. We see a new direction, a new possibility beyond ourselves.
John the Baptist does so many things to make himself a better person. He leads an ascetical life. He fasts. He prays.
But ultimately HE KNOWS someone else outside of his lifestyle will save him. It is in and through the person and teachings of Jesus, anointed and baptised by John, that our formation is grounded and finds true conversion. Our language and activities of formation make sense only if we allow the Anointed One to enter our lives. No one breaks away from the vine and expect to bear fruit that lasts.
Let’s pray for the internal discipline to form ourselves into better people as John does. And lets pray that during our moments of crisis, when we feel that the heavens have been torn apart, we will wait for the descent and anointing of the Spirit of Jesus.