REENACTMENT

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this feast of the Baptism of Jesus is, “Reenactment.”

One of the things we do in religions as well as life is reenactments.

At Gettysburg and the Civil War battlefields of Virginia - there are reenactments of the battles fought there.

Here in Annapolis - the Annapolis, Historic Society - put on 4 Script Plays of stuff that happened in town and around here during the 150^th Anniversary of the Civil War.  Bob Warden of our parish - and on that committee - made sure that stuff happening in St. Mary’s got into the script. I got the chance to be 5 different Redemptorists - one of which was Father Seelos - and I starred - just kidding - on stage at St. John’s College.

We read letters and newspaper clippings etc. etc. etc. from that period. It was an education for me - not being from Annapolis. Every time I go by Parole I think of scenes from there in the play - as well as the small military cemetery on West Street - opposite and down a bit from St. Mary’s cemetery. I think of a Russian Sailor who is buried there - getting killed in a bar fight in town. A Russian boat docked at Annapolis - during the Civil War.

REENACTMENTS

So folks do reenactments all over the world - small ones - like the renewal of marriage vows - and big ones like anniversaries of the signing of the Magna Carta or the Declaration of Independence.

I saw in the paper the other day that the 200^th anniversary of Emily Bronte is happening this year or so.

Well, we Catholics have the Mass. We have Holy Week. We have Christmas. Do this in memory of me.

The teaching and theology of the Mass is that not only is it a reenactment - it also puts us into the Upper Room - and Christ is in the bread and the wine - as he was at the Last Supper.

This teaching is heavy duty stuff. It’s an amazing act of faith. I hope you have heard us priests and deacons say that an important way of reading and hearing the Scriptures - is that they are talking not only about what happened in the life of Jesus - but also what was happening in the Early Church.

Much of what is being stressed and argued about is put there from the life of Jesus to deal with stuff from the years 60 to 100.

So when we read John 6 and hear about people walking away from Jesus when he told folks this is his body - which he is giving to them for eternal life and they say, “This is hard to believe” and they walk away. Well it was also hard to believe in the Johannine Community and folks walked away then as well. And it’s tough for people like Bill Maher on Television when he publicly makes comments about the Mass and I assume the faith he was brought up on.

BAPTISM

Well, I was taught in the seminary about the baptism of John and how Christ entering into it - the feast we are celebrating today.

He didn’t get baptism for the removal of Original Sin in himself - but for all of us - just as God the Father helped the Israelites move from the sin and slavery of Egypt and head for the promised land.

As I stood there at the River Jordan in Israel in January of 2000 I thought of all this - especially watching a group of Protestants being baptized in the Jordan. I remember our guide, Father Doyle a Franciscan Scripture scholar, saying it probably didn’t happen here - at this spot of the Jordan, but down there - closer to the Jordanian Border - but we can’t get close to that spot, because of possible problems.

I remember him saying that John the Baptist was reenacting the first crossing of the Jordan way back and Baptism was being dipped into that history again - and he was calling Israel to renewal  - and for all of us to hear that we are the beloved children of god.

CONCLUSION

For most of us our parents did this for us, when we were baptized.

We do this every Easter.

We can do this every time we come into this church - going by the baptismal font and dipping - baptizo - in Greek - our finger into the water and making the sign of the cross in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.