Readings: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Psalm 72; Acts 10:34-38; Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
For me, the most impactful moment in the story of Jesus’ baptism comes at the final line of today’s reading. “…the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you, I am well pleased.’” (Luke 3:22b) Like any of us, Jesus in his humanity desires to be affirmed, especially by his parents. We wouldn’t be human (and Jesus wouldn’t be fully human) if we didn’t hold some self-doubt. To counteract this, it is much more important and helpful to have our potential affirmed than being reminded of our brokenness.
Before you consider my words questionable regarding Jesus’ humanness recall that Jesus is like us in all things except sin (Hebrews 4:15) and, like us, he was beset by weakness (Hebrews 5:2). Also, like us, Jesus is confirmed to advance in wisdom, and age, and favor before God and man (Luke 2:52). Consider also that immediately following His baptism, the Holy Spirit drives out Jesus into the desert, where Satan tempts him (Mark 1:12-13). Isn’t this like us when we leave home and go out into the world on our own?
When Jesus’ Father affirms His son we are witnessing a perfect model of parenting for us today. We and all of our children after us will be tempted just as Satan tempted Jesus. We will be tempted to prove our worth by the amassing of wealth and power. The best way to strengthen our children for this onslaught is to affirm their potential and their innate goodness as they grow in age and wisdom. This in conjunction with expressing our love for them by telling and showing them that they are beloved sons and daughters will have a powerful influence on them and affirm their self-image. Note also that Jesus’ Father did this publically.
To be sure, there are times when our children will disappoint us, just as we disappointed our parents. Recall how Jesus disappointed Mary and Joseph when he chose to stay in Jerusalem. Like Mary and Joseph, we too will or have already spent many anxious hours ‘searching for’ our children when they seem to have lost their way. Be patient and know that reconciliation should be valued over making judgments when it comes to nurturing relationships especially within the family. I know for me, and this may also be true for you, that we can have deep disappointment when our children have left the faith we strove to raise them in. They may stop going to church, but all is not lost if they have learned to treat others with love and respect. Gracious behavior is more important than right belief. Jesus chose to be gracious and to affirm gracious behavior over right belief. Recall Jesus declaration that the Pagan Centurion showed greater trust in Him because of his care for others when he said, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.” (Matthew 8:10)
As much as I like to supply my children with all the “right” answers, they often don’t seem much interested in my wisdom. They seem more likely to follow my behaviors – for better or worse. Perhaps more useful would be to encourage questions more than supplying answers. In a similar way, perhaps encouraging a personal search would serve them better than conforming to the current age or any particular group uniformity. Our current age encourages us to amass power and wealth at the expense of peace. Jesus was always one who worked for peace, and as a result, was called the Prince of Peace. Peacemaking is more important than power. If we live our lives as peacemakers rather than ones who are seduced by power and money, perhaps our children will follow in this better way.
Finally, I believe that our worry as we raised our children would be that our children would become sexually active before it was wise or outside of a committed relationship. This too, is something that our current society highly promotes and many fall prey to believing in this lie. Sadly young women may pretend sex to get love and young men may pretend love to get sex. Both behaviors are misguided and both suffer from either not being sufficiently affirmed in love at home or for placing too much emphasis on sex rather than love. It is love that is the most important value. It would be good for all of us to recall what St. Paul wrote:
If I speak in human and angelic tonguesbut do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated,it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
So faith, hope, love remain, these three;but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
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