The Baptism of the Lord, Year C | Jan 9, 2022
Editor’s Note: Each week, we open the archives to share a previously unpublished homily from Fr. Brian for the upcoming Sunday. Whether you are preparing to preach or preparing your heart for Mass, we hope this offers a fresh perspective on the readings. – Jessica
Liturgical Context: [The Baptism of the Lord, Year C] Related Homilies: [2016] • [2019] Scripture: [Link to USCCB Readings]
Of all the things that this pandemic has changed for me, it is how I view physical connection.
I used to take it all for granted. Hugs. Handshakes. Arms around shoulders. Holding hands.
And then suddenly that all stopped. For months, I went without touching another human being.
And when we all emerged back into the world, every moment of physical contact seemed like this precious gift.
The fist bumps and elbow knock greetings with students as they clamored back into hallways that had been empty for too long. The tentative handshakes with parishioners, as both of us wondered, is this ok?
I remember seeing friends for the 1st time in over 2 years and how that embrace felt timeless. How we were laughing and crying a little, so grateful to be with each other.
I remember standing by cars after dinner with grads and just leaving our arms around each others shoulders. No rush to break off contact. No rush to say goodnight.
I remember funerals and cemeteries in which I grasped onto hands so tightly. Drawing strength and giving strength as we stood there in so much pain.
I remember kissing my niece on the head as she headed home for the night. Feeling so in love with this child that words failed to express it.
And yet at the same time, I was never more aware of the risk that now came with physical connection. That intimacy could now come with a cost.
As I hugged my grandparents, there was still that small voice in my head going . . . what if I am the one who gives this to them?
And in all of my wrestling with the conundrum of the past two years, I found myself returning to the 1st reading from today.
God has grasped you by the hand.
And I realized that this has always been true.
That the intimacy of connection, of relationship has always been a risk.
That there is always a cost when we choose to grasp the hand of another.
That we were never promised safety when we choose to love. That we cannot guarantee the safety of another, no matter how hard we may try.
And yet, at the same time, this moment of connection is what transforms the world.
It is what sets us apart, like Jesus in the river Jordan.
Chosen to love. Chosen to be loved.
For there would certainly be a risk to Christ in his moments of connection.
When he dared to touch the leper and make him clean.
When he allowed the women to grasp his cloak.
When he restored withered hands on the Sabbath and placed his finger in ears to restore hearing.
When he broke bread with tax collectors and prostitutes wiped his feet with their hair.
And yet he did so anyway. Because in that connection, he revealed the love of God incarnate. A love that was available to all.
And his example, I believe we are given our own mission this day.
To grasp the hand of God and enter into the relationships that await us.
A hand that swings beside us as we bask in the joy of this present moment. As we revel in the gift of our lives. In the family we have been gifted with. Friends we treasure. Work we enjoy.
A hand that gives us a gentle squeeze as we leap into something new. A new semester. A new romance. A new office. A new passion. Leaving the comfort zones of our past behind.
A hand that holds on as we grip it for dear life. Terrified of the steps that must be taken. Fearful of the ones who have hurt us. Grieving for all we’ve lost. Unsure of ourselves. Distrustful of the other.
A hand that gently points out the way, even if it is hard to see.
A hand that extends itself again and again, even when it is rejected and scorned.
A hand that refuses to let go.
For we too are his beloved daughters and sons. And today, our God reminds us. Risk and all, He chooses us.
May we go and do likewise
May God be Praised.
Video recordings of the Sunday evening Mass, where Fr. Brian regularly preaches, are available on Facebook at Delaware Koinonia. The archive of all of Fr. Brian’s homilies can be found here: Salesian Sermons
IMAGE ATTRIBUTION: Saget, Father George. Baptism and Leaving for the Wilderness, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=58336 [retrieved January 4, 2025]. Original source: Robert Harding Photographers, https://www.robertharding.com/.
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