HOMILY FROM CANON STEPHEN BAILLIE
Baptism of the Lord B20
Lockdown 3 brings with it a deeply distressing death toll. Hospitalisations and coronavirus infections are increasing day by day. There appears to be no end in sight despite the availability of vaccines. We are told that the weeks ahead are going to be testing in the extreme. What are we to do in these most challenging times?
I invite you to turn to God with all your heart, perhaps as you have never turned to God before. Speak with him of your fears, your pain and sorrow, as well as your deepest longings and hopes. Spend time with him, just you and him. At this time of need our faith and our prayer is crucially important, not just for ourselves, but for those we love and for the peoples of the world. Bring everything to God, tell him everything and hold nothing back. Listen to him in the silence of you heart and, as Advent reminded us, be prepared to wait for him to act in his own way and in his own time.
WE need to pray also for the QE2, RAH, IRH and all our hospitals, for the doctors and nurses, and for all front-line staff, especially in ICU. They are experiencing pressure and stress at an unsustainable level. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude so let us make sure that they are in our prayers every day. I am also conscious of my brother priests Fr. John Tormey – in Paisley, Monsignor Gallagher in Inverclyde, and all the Chaplains in Glasgow who are responding to calls from patients in their hospitals; every day with dedication and generosity.
Christmas concludes this weekend, and we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The profound message of Christmas we have been reflecting on is ‘God is with us.’ This Sunday Jesus, the Son of God, joins thousands of people who respond to the preaching of John the Baptist on the banks of the river Jordan. He joins the ranks of sinners at the Jordan because that is why he came. His mission was to free people from their sins, and he submitted himself to John’s baptism though he was sinless. The words of the Father were heard: “You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.”
The Father rejoices in us His sons and daughters born again through baptism. Just imagine the voice of the Father addressing you: “You are my beloved son or daughter; my favour rests on you.” We are the beloved children of our Father, adopted in baptism. Think this Sunday of your baptism, your parents and godparents. Your body has been a temple of the Holy Spirit since you were baptised. Give thanks to God for the grace and blessing your baptism has been and continues to be.
In these difficult and painful times let us ponder the love of our heavenly Father for us. The love of the Father is personal to each human being, and the Father is waiting for us ask him for what we need. Let us pray for one another, for our Scottish Bishops and for the world, and please be assured of my prayers.
