When St. Isidore parishioner Kurt Klein created the sculpture that graces the baptismal pool in St. Isidore Church, he wanted it to be unique. He achieved this by including Jesus, Mother Mary, and John the Baptist in a single sculpture. Interestingly, these are the only three people whose nativity into this world is celebrated with a feast day: Jesus on December 25, Mary on September 8, and John the Baptist on June 24. (All other saints’ feasts are celebrated on the day of their death, marking their birth into eternal life.) This alone highlights the importance of John the Baptist.
John’s greatness was that he prepared the way for Jesus and pointed out Christ when He came. In Kurt’s sculpture, John is pointing to Jesus and holds a banner with “Ecce” inscribed on it. “This” is the Lamb of God. In today’s Gospel on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, John humbly acknowledges Jesus as someone greater than himself. It was never about drawing people to himself, but to the Lord. So, how can we follow John’s example and point others to Christ?
In his letter to Titus, today’s second reading, Paul offers guidance on how to point out Jesus: “reject godless ways and worldly desires and live temperately, justly, and devoutly.” We make Christ the center of our lives, allowing Jesus to influence all that we do. We live the Gospel values. We are generous and loving without condition. Just as John the Baptist gives Jesus the credit in today’s Gospel, we humbly give credit to Jesus for all the good He accomplishes through us. It is not about us and what we do; it is about what Christ does through us.
The task of our Family of Parishes is not to draw people to our parishes (see how great we are!) but to draw others to Jesus. We do this in many ways, including inspiring worship, outreach ministries, working for a more just world, faith formation, and the concerts our parishes offer throughout the year.
As we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, let us respond to our own baptismal call by pointing others to Christ.
