"Tu sei bagnato?" Baptism of The Lord (Feast)

First Reading:Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
Psalm:Psalm 29:1-4, 3, 9-10
Second Reading:Acts 10: 34-38
Gospel:Mark 1:7-11

“Did you get wet?” is the translation of an Italian phrase “Tu sei bagnato?” This is the phrase that I will never forget. It happened just two months ago here in Montescosso. An Italian Passionist priest lent me his umbrella so that I will not get wet in my way to school. We may call it stupidity, carelessness, or whatever; I lost the umbrella that same day. I said many bad things to myself. I was also thinking of what this priest may say to me. I told the community about it during supper. The priest who lent me the umbrella was not yet around. When he arrived, they told him about the umbrella. He turned to me and simply asked “Tu sei bagnato?” Lo and behold, I felt like being baptized again.
I realized that I was reliving my childhood. Every time I do something stupid, I feel that I know that I will be punished. It’s automatic. Because of this cycle, I thought that my stupidity in losing that umbrella deserves proportionate punishment. But I experienced new life and new way of looking at things on this experience. I felt like I was carrying this negativity in me and was drowning under the water of shame, but when I heard “tu sei bagnato?”, I felt like I was drawn out of the water leaving behind the negative thinking that I have had. The “did you get wet?” statement taught me a lot. The priest was all along concern for my health. He lent me the umbrella. I lost it. “Tu sei bagnatao?” He was asking me if the umbrella served its purpose. I said I did not get wet because it did not rain in my way back to the convent. He was happy that I did not get wet. No whys and no ifs about the umbrella. For him, the umbrella was simply an instrument of his concern. His concern was focused on my health and not on the medium that will help me preserve it. I bought un umbrella the following day and have it until now. I plan to leave to him after my language study.
Jesus’ baptism today in the Jordan was not meant to make Jesus divine. Jesus first public act of being baptized by John was a testimony of God’s seriousness to be with us and be like us except committing sin. When Jesus was immersed in the water, he consecrated all of humanity and embraced its sinfulness. He sees all our stupidity. When he was drawn out of the water he knew very well what he was up to. Jesus did this to give us new life in abundance. Jesus wanted to make us feel that we are being taken care of. We should not be bogged down by our mistakes and sinfulness. Instead learn from them and renew ourselves every day. We are not made perfect by God. This was so to challenge us to learn from our imperfections and to appreciate the life of wholeness and holiness. Jesus wanted to release us from the bondage of all evils in this world.
All of us have human life. All of us are sinners. According to the teachings of the Church, baptism gives us new and divine life. “This sacrament is the door of the Church of Christ and the entrance into a new life. We are reborn from the state of slaves of sin into the freedom of the Sons of God. Baptism incorporates us with Christ's mystical body and makes us partakers of all the privileges flowing from the redemptive act of the Church's Divine Founder.” I believe all are children of God even if they are not baptized. Baptism is our way of celebrating our being sons and daughters of God. Baptism would not make us feel better than the rest of the world though. It is not a guarantee that we are holy because of baptism. It is rather the acknowledgement of the Spirit of Jesus that is in each one of us. As baptized, we are responsible to nurture that new and divine life that was given to us through baptism. Nurturing it is discerning and following the will of God.
The world as proven by the wars that happened and are happening has the attitude of “eye for an eye”. Killing is the way of responding to one’s stupidity. But God sent Jesus into the world to teach us that we don’t need to do that. We are sinners and have offended our Creator many times, but the response of the Lord is to bail us out. Jesus bailed us out of our stupidity and hardheadedness. Jesus always extended and proclaimed the plan of God for us. But not all experienced this bail out. Only those who acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and savior will consciously experienced this ransom. Doing the will of God is always what pleases God. Jesus said “those who follow the will of God are my mothers, brothers, sisters.” It pleases God because he knows we only experienced fullness by following His will. The terror that Palestinians and Israelis are experiencing now is not fullness of life. It is the fruit of not abiding to God’s will. God never willed killing as justifiable. I just hope that those children and innocent civilians who do not want war may find their life in God. May we continually celebrate our being baptized by following the will of God. One way is to condemn killing or death penalty as the answer to end stupidity. Like Christ, who after being immersed the water, we may hear the voice from heaven telling us "Tu sei bagnato?" sorry mali, ito pala “This is my beloved son/daughter, of whom I am well pleased.”