There are numbers of things that we can be called during our life time, and some of them can even be said in church! My grandparents and their generation called me Tony; among my elementary and middle school friends I was TJ; in high school I was AJ; Bishop Mengeling liked Anthony, which is what I started to be called in seminary. In seminary I developed the nickname Strohs, after the cheap beer, since my last name was similar. In the State Police I have developed the nicknames Padre and Chap (short for chaplain). I’m sure there are others about which I don’t know because people don't say them to my face!
Today we hear a few names or titles. In the first reading: “my servant” and “my chosen one,” and in the Gospel, “‘my beloved Son.” Each, too, comes with longer descriptions about the identity of the one about whom God is speaking. Isaiah talks about the servant and chosen one as “upon whom I have put my spirit.” He goes on to say about this person, “I…have called you for the victory of justice, I…set you as a…light for the nations.” Isaiah probably didn’t know it, but God was speaking to Isaiah about Jesus. In the Gospel, the name is without doubt about Jesus, and John and the people hear it clearly. As Jesus is coming up from the water, God the Father, who had sent the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, says that Jesus is the beloved Son, “‘with whom I am well pleased.’” What an identity! What an expression of love from the Father!
And yet, in Baptism, both of those things now apply to us. Let’s look at the Gospel first. In Baptism, we become a child of God in the Son of God. God does not simply cover us up with His grace, as snow covered dung (to paraphrase an alleged phrase of Martin Luther). In Baptism, He changes our soul and makes us like Himself, so that, when God looks at us, He truly sees His beloved Son. We are configured to Christ, with an indelible mark, a seal, a character, that forever wants us to be like Christ in our daily choices. Preface VII of the Sundays in Ordinary Time says it this way: “so that you might love in us what you loved in your Son.” That’s no small thing! God is not blind, so it’s not like He cannot see our sins, but at our soul, since we are baptized, He sees Jesus, His beloved Son.
And then, turning to our first reading, because of our new identity in Baptism, our path is changed. Before Baptism, we are not likely on the road to heaven. The road to heaven is narrow, and the only way to it is through Christ. In fact, the Church goes so far as to say that for those who do not know Christ or His Church through no fault of their own, if they are seeking God with all their heart and doing their best to follow their conscience, it is possible that they can be saved. Possible. It can happen, but the pre-requisites (not knowing Jesus through true ignorance, doing everything possible to try to know God, and following the conscience) are pretty tough.
But with Baptism, the road becomes a bit easier, because we have a well-spring of grace flowing up within us, urging us on towards the divine life of holiness. Which is why Isaiah can say, “I, the Lord, have called you for the victory of justice.” We are not baptized into failure. We are baptized for victory, for greatness. Ours is not meant to be the mediocre life. Ours is meant to be a heroic life, even if not many people know about our heroism. For January 12, listen to the saints that are honored on this day (even if not in the general calendar): St. Marguerite Bourgeoys; St. Aelred of Rievaulx; St. Anthony Mary Pucci; St. Arcadius; St. Bartholomew Alvarez; St. Benedict Biscop; St. Caesaria; The Ephesian Martyrs; St. John of Ravenna; St. Martina; St. Martin of Leon; St. Salvius; St. Satyrus; St. Tatiana of Rome; Sts. Tigrius and Eutropius; St. Victorian of Asan; and St. Zoticus. Have any of you heard of any of them? I haven’t! But they’re all canonized saints. And beyond them, think of the others who are in heaven who lived heroic lives but not well-known lives. All of that was a response to baptism, to that call for the victory of justice.
What does that look like? For parents of young children, it means doing all you can to pass on the faith to them and help them to develop their relationship with Jesus. For young children it means obeying parents and being loving even when your young siblings maybe aren’t showing that love to you. For older couples, it means putting up with your spouse’s idiosyncrasies (which you see much more as retired), and caring for each other in illness. For widows and widowers it means turning to the Lord in times of loneliness and sorrow. For all of us it means donating our time to the Lord, avoiding gossip and speaking ill of others, and making our relationship with Jesus the most important part of each day.
In Baptism, we were chosen by the Lord as His servant and chosen one. In Baptism we became a son or daughter in the Son of God. In Baptism we were made for the victory of justice. Let’s not forget those names and titles, and, by the grace of God, work to make them even more true each day.