January 24, 2016 — Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Neh 8: 2-6, 8-10; Ps 19: 8-10, 15; 1 Cor 12: 12-30; Lk 1: 1-4; 4: 14-21
When most of us think of Baptism, we think about immersion in Holy Water. However, for St. Paul, the water is secondary to something else — namely the Holy Spirit.
Specifically, Paul says, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.” It is this Spirit which makes us one, a unified body in Christ.
That is what makes us one, regardless of who we are. Paul uses the illustration of a human body to prompt us as to what it means to be part of a Catholic community of faith. We may not look the same, and we may not even function the same, but that is the key to our lives of stewardship. We are truly one, united through Baptism and united in Jesus Christ.
Pope Francis shares a story of a time he baptized the seven children of single mother. After the baptisms, she said to the Pope (to be) “Father, you make me feel so important,” to which the Pope replied, “Where do I come in? It is Jesus who makes you feel important.” We are one, and each of us is important, united through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
