BAPTISM:

PICTURE  THAT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 23 Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Baptism: Picture That.”

Picture the day we were baptized. We were in a church - or in the hospital or somewhere. We were surrounded by others - family, friends. We were called by name. “Elizabeth, Eileen, Evelyn, John, James, or George, I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Picture that. Picture God the Father seeing that and saying what He said over Jesus at his baptism: “This is my beloved daughter….” “This is my beloved son ….”

Baptism is something all of us here this morning have in common.

EARLY CHURCH

Picture people like we heard in today’s gospel hearing Jesus and then deciding to follow him - and Jesus calls various people by name. [Cf. Luke 6: 12-19]

Picture people heading for the Jordan river to be baptized - and called by name.

Picture the Early Church developing and evolving this beginning ceremony - this beginning rite - called “Baptism” - meaning “being dipped, immersed”.

Picture people standing there after a long tough training year - or years - learning the gospels - learning Jesus’ life and teachings - and then that night before Easter morning - they stood there and were walked to some steps - and went down them - into the waters - were immersed in the waters - washed in the waters - and walked up the steps on the other side - robed in white - and then celebrated as newly baptized Christians - people on the Way.

Picture that.

Picture people hearing today’s first reading  - a letter from Paul to the people of Colossae [Colossians 2:6-15]. Picture them hearing they are receiving and meeting and being with Christ Jesus as now the Lord of their life. Picture what Paul is saying here in today’s first reading. Baptism gets us walking with Christ and being rooted in Christ.  Baptism is being and having the house called me being built upon Christ - upon rock. Baptism gives us - better Christ gives us faith - and this leads to thanksgiving - because Christ has been established in us.

Picture, hear, grasp, deepen what Paul is telling us in today’s first reading. Christ has teachings and images and sayings and stories - but it’s seeing our faith not so much as a philosophy - but as a relationship - with each other in Christ. We’re called Christians.  We have been forgiven our sins. Jesus took upon himself all our faults - and graced us - and challenged us to make this a better world because of our presence in it.

ISTANBUL - THE BIG MOSQUE - THE FORMER HAGIA SOPHIA

Picture the big mosque in Istanbul.  It’s a tourist spot - like the famous Blue Mosque. This one is enormous. It’s the former Basilica called "Hagia Sophia” or “Holy Wisdom.”

I’m sure you’ve seen it on post cards or a James Bond or Alfred Hitchcock movie. It’s a big building.

Picture that building. It has history - going all the way back to its completion in 537 AD. It also has had fires - reconstruction - many roof repairs - more fires - earthquakes. It was a Christian center till 1453 - when it was taken over by the Moslems. It was a mosque from 1453 till 1931 - when it became a museum.

Picture a tourist coming in and looking around and seeing Moslem religious objects. Then they look up and see on its upper walls, big Greek Ikons of Jesus and Mary.

I picture myself - when I visited it in 2011 - going off to the side - and seeing in an alcove a baptismal font. I don’t remember what I read about it’s history - whether it’s the one I read about on line that was recently discovered and goes back to the 6^th century. The one I saw was about 5 yards all around. I climbed up the steps - nobody stopped me. I looked down into the empty stone tub. It was empty. Yet I pictured and celebrated with all those way, way, way back people who were baptized in this very stone pool. I came down those steps and looked around the basilica once more - thinking of all the famous saints - like John Chrysostom - as well as millions and millions of others - who were in this sacred place.

Picture sacred places on our planet - natural beauty shrines or human made shrines.

CONCLUSION

Picture the church where we were baptized and those who were baptized there. Picture all the churches that were closed as churches - like that one in Istanbul - and thank God for the good times - the sacred moments -  that were had there - and that they always be seen as sacred places.

Picture this place - and all those who were baptized into Christ Jesus here - and are still called by name by Jesus - and can continue to be healed by Jesus - and grow into Jesus - in this sacred place.

Picture people like us - in this sacred place this morning - in this sacred place - asking God for a great day today - and to walk out of here and bring Christ to our world today. Amen. Okay.