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January 2, 2023“O God, whose Spirit in the first moments of the world’s creation hovered over the waters, so that the very substance of water would even then take to itself the power to sanctify.” These words come from the prayer of blessing over the water moments before baptism. In this prayer, we praise God “who in many ways have prepared water, your creation, to show forth the grace of baptism.” The action of pouring water over the person being baptized is so full of meaning. The washing with water itself points to the reality of dying to sin to rise with Christ in life.
Today, we celebrate the memorial of St. Gregory of Nanzianzus, who preached on this same mystery of baptism in the fourth century, saying, “Christ is bathed in light; let us also be bathed in light. Christ is baptized; let us also go down with him, and rise with him.” In today’s Gospel, we see John the Baptism admitting that he is not the Christ but is one crying out to make ready the way of the Lord. As Gregory of Nanzianzus writes with beautiful imagery, John the Baptist “is the lamp in the presence of the sun, the voice in the presence of the Word, the friend in the presence of the Bridegroom, the greatest of all born of woman in the presence of the firstborn of all creation, the one who leapt in his mother’s womb in the presence of him who was adored in the womb, the forerunner and future forerunner in the presence of him who has already come and is to come again.”
When Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, he sanctifies the water for our sake. At the conclusion of our prayer over the water in the baptismal liturgy, we hear the words, “may this water receive by the Holy Spirit the grace of your Only Begotten Son, so that human nature, created in your image, and washed clean through the Sacrament of Baptism may be found worthy to rise to the life of newborn children through water and the Holy Spirit.” Let us ask for the grace today to be renewed through the Holy Spirit and rejoice that in baptism we have been given the waters of rebirth. Consider this mystery of baptism the next time you sign yourself with holy water at the entrance of the church. May we be like John today, pointing to Christ who is truly the way, the truth, and the life. Pause for a moment and ask the Holy Spirit to flood your heart with grace, poured out fresh like flowing waters with the power to sanctify.