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Feast of
the Baptism of the Lord, Cycle C
St.
Mark’s, Fallston
January 10,
2016
The Name
I Am
By (Rev.
Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato
Humpty
Dumpty
Most of us are familiar with the storywriter
Lewis Carroll.
Besides his famous story Alice in Wonderland, Carroll also wrote Alice through the Looking Glass.
This is the story where Alice meets Humpty Dumpty.
Humpty Dumpty is sitting on top of a high,
narrow wall. Alice looks up and says, “And exactly like an egg he is!”
Humpty Dumpty responds, “It is very provoking to be called an egg – very provoking!” Alice explains, “I said you looked like an egg, and some eggs are very pretty.”
But Humpty Dumpty is not amused and says, “Tell me your name and your business.” Alice responds, “My name is Alice, but…”
Humpty Dumpty interrupts, “It’s a stupid name; what does it mean?” Alice asks, “Must a name mean something?”
And Humpty Dumpty retorts, “Of course it must; my name means the shape
I am – and a good handsome shape I am too.
With a name like yours, you might be any shape, almost.”
Baptism:
Name and Shape
It may sound surprising, but this story of
Alice and Humpty Dumpty helps us to appreciate something about Baptism.
We have all been baptized “In the name… of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit.” As Humpty Dumpty says, this
name or each of these names – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – means something.
These names say something about our
shape. The idea is that we are to allow
our Baptism to shape us around God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Our
Shape: The Father
First, shaped around the Father.
The Scripture tells us that God is the creator
of all that is. And so, we are to see
all of creation as a gift from our Creator and therefore Godly or sacred.
This means, especially in our times, that we reverence
the earth and are alert to environmental issues. On a personal level, that reverence takes the
form of recycling paper, glass, plastic and whatever else we can.
On a public level, it gets expressed by supporting
sensible policies to reduce carbon emissions.
Being baptized “in the name of the
Father” means that we shape our lives around our Creator and the gift of
creation.
Our
Shape: The Son
And then, we allow our Baptism to shape us
around God the Son.
From the time of Jesus’ Baptism, he lives with
a sense of purpose and service to others.
We too are to view our lives as a call or mission from God.
This means that we do our part to benefit the
Kingdom of God where we find ourselves. On a personal level, we are attentive
to each member of our family and other loved ones and make their well being a
priority.
On a community level, we might volunteer some
time teaching religion, coaching soccer, or baking a casserole for Our Daily
Bread. Being baptized “in the name of the Son” means that we
shape our lives around Jesus who lives with a sense of purpose and service of
others.
Our
Shape: The Holy Spirit
And finally, we allow our baptism to shape us
around God as the Holy Spirit.
The Gospel tells us that the heavens open and
the Spirit comes down from above. In a
similar fashion God is also come down among all humanity and us.
This means that we are to live with an
awareness of God’s presence. On a
personal level, we live prayerfully, not just saying prayers, but allowing
ourselves to experience God’s caring and guiding presence.
On a relationship level, it means we look
beyond deficiencies and differences and look for God’s presence in each person. Being Baptized “in the name of the Holy Spirit” means that we shape our lives
around God who is present in every human being.
Conclusion
So, as Humpty Dumpty says, “My name means the shape I am.”
We are baptized “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
May our Baptism shape us around those names we
bear as well!
