Weekly HOMILY for January 12, 2014: Baptism of the Lord, Cycle A -- The Power of Consecration

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Baptism of the Lord, Cycle A

Terranuova Hermitage

January 12, 2014

The Power of Consecration

By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato

Consecration within the Church

As Catholics we are used to the word “consecration.”

In a few minutes, I will pray the words of consecration over the bread and wine.  By repeating the words of Jesus, as he told us to do, these gifts are consecrated and become his body and blood.

We speak of a church building, an altar, or a chalice as being consecrated.  And we speak of men and women who have made vows in religious life, like the religious we have known, as being consecrated.

To consecrate something means to set is aside or take it out of normal usage.  So an ordinary table is “set aside” and taken out of ordinary usage and becomes an altar.

Consecration in Everyday Life

This idea of consecration as a setting aside can also be seen in everyday life.

There are experiences that “set us aside” or “take us away from what we would ordinarily do.” 

For example, imagine you are going over to a friend’s house to watch the NFL playoffs and have some pulled pork this afternoon. 

So as you pull out of your driveway, you see an accident happen down at the intersection.  Someone must have gotten hurt.

At that moment, your own agenda has to be “set aside.”  The accident takes you away from what you were going to do.

In that sense, you are consecrated.  You are to do something special – to help those people who are hurt.

Consecration in Everyday Life – Parents

Or take the example of parents.

From the moment your first child is born, I believe that your life is changed.  For the next 20 to 30 years, every time you turn around, some tiny or not so-tiny hands will be stretched out and looking for something from you: your time, help with homework, money, car keys, paying tuitions, getting them out of messes; you know the experience better than I.

During all these years, your personal preferences as parents will often be “set aside” and you will be taken away to engage in something beyond yourself. 

In this sense, you are consecrated for a very special and important role.

Jesus’ Baptism -- Consecration

 

All of this helps us to understand baptism.

Baptism is a consecration.  It sets us aside from ordinary life and pulls us away from other ways of living.

We see this with Jesus’ baptism in today’s gospel.  He is set aside or pulled away from being a carpenter or fisherman or public ministry to others.

In the words heard from heaven, the Father gives Jesus (1) A clear identity as his “Beloved Son” and (2) A mission to bring God’s presence and God’s way on this earth. 

And so Jesus is consecrated. 

Our Baptism -- Consecration

Baptism is a similar consecration for us. It “sets us aside”; it “pulls us away.”

I like to see the consecration of baptism as having the same two dimensions for us as Jesus’ baptism has for him.

First, baptism consecrates us as God’s “beloved daughter or beloved son.”  This means that we are to live with God. 

Today’s gospel uses the interesting expression “The heavens were opened.”  This means that there is no longer a separation between God and us.

It means that God is truly and physically with us.  And so, we make space for prayer and reflection and Sunday Eucharist.

We maintain an inner life with God and try to live out of that.  So our consecration in baptism means that we are set aside to live our life with God.

And second, it means that we live with a sense of purpose or mission.  The consecration of baptism means that we are sent – as Jesus is sent – to bring the presence and way of God to earth. 

This means, for example, that we approach life with fidelity to our vocation and our commitments, with a willingness to work through misunderstandings and hardships, with a respect for the human life of all persons, with care for those who are down and out, and with an unselfish openness to the common good of society.  

 

Conclusion

Baptism consecrates us and moves us to live in God’s presence and a sense of mission. 

It sets us aside and pulls us away from living in any way other than the way Jesus himself lived.