Communion, Community and Ministry
By: Luz Marina Díaz
On the first Saturday of each month, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., I offer a class about the sacrament of baptism to parents and godparents of children who are soon to be baptized. The course includes a conversation about the baptism of Jesus; the meaning of baptism in Jesus’ times and the meaning of baptism nowadays; the baptismal rite; the meaning of the different symbols used in baptism (water, oils, candle, white garment); and the responsibility of parents and godparents to raise children in the Christian faith.
At the beginning of the class, after the welcome and initial presentations, we pray with the narrative of Jesus’ baptism according to Matthew 3:13–17:
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness’. Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased’.
After class, participants read the passage aloud, and again silently. This is so that we can detect a word, phrase, image, symbol, or emotion that stands out for each of us. Then we share insights, comments and feelings from meditating on this scripture.
Some participants are touched by the image of the Holy Spirit as a dove descending from heaven in association with a sense of peace and harmony. Others talk about the heavens opening as an invitation to new beginnings, to starting anew. Some others talk about the relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist, and Jesus’ baptism as an invitation to be welcomed into a faith community at the beginning of a spiritual journey. Others focus on the last verse: ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased’. Finally, we talk about each of us as God’s beloved sons and daughters.
Throughout the years, one of the main reasons I pray with this scripture has been God’s affirmation, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased’. It has become a hallmark of my baptism classes and an inspiration for daily life. I have learnt, with the help of spiritual writers—especially Henri Nouwen, whose work forms the background to much that I say here—and the experiential knowledge acquired through prayer, community and ministry, that this text is more than a message. It expresses who we are: beloved children of God.
My meditation results in the belief that we are born connected to God. The umbilical cord that ties a baby and mother is cut to separate the bodies at birth. But I have the image of a spiritual umbilical cord connecting us to God that is indestructible. Feeling this connection and living a life based on it have implications for how we perceive ourselves and the world, and how we treat ourselves and others (people, animals and nature.)
Henri Nouwen explains that ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased’ defines not only the identity of Jesus but the identity of each of us. He says that we have the enormous spiritual task of acknowledging that we are God’s beloved sons and daughters and living based on that knowledge: ‘And that is not very easy. Most of us constantly fail to claim the truth of who we are’. Nouwen explains that humans tend to deviate from this identity—their original identity—ignoring or moving away from it by living identities based on what we have, know, do or produce, on reputation, success, appearance and what others say about us.
Nouwen reminds us that Jesus was also tempted to depart from his original identity. After his baptism, Jesus ventured into the wilderness to pray and fast, and was tempted three times. Nouwen illustrates how Jesus’ temptations are an example of the kinds of temptations we commonly face, especially if we are in leadership positions.
Jesus’ first temptation was to be relevant: to turn stones into bread ….
The second temptation … was … to do something spectacular, something that could win him great applause. ‘Throw yourself from the parapet of the temple and let the angels catch you and carry you in their arms’ (see Matthew 4:6).
The third temptation of Jesus was … the temptation of power. ‘I will give you all the kingdoms of this world in their splendor’, the demon said to Jesus (Matthew 4:9) …. One of the greatest ironies of the history of Christianity is that its leaders constantly gave in to the temptation of power—political power, military power, economic power, or moral and spiritual power—even though they continued to speak in the name of Jesus, who did not cling to his divine power but emptied himself and became as we are.
How can we be aware of and cultivate our original identity? How can we listen to God’s voice saying, you are my beloved children? How do we respond to a loving relationship with God? What is the most effective way to resolve the tension between our original identity and false identities?
Nouwen mentions three things that answer these questions. These are communion, community and ministry. He introduces us briefly to the example of Jesus in each case. First, he says that Jesus spent forty days in the desert to pray and fast, to hear God’s voice, and to experience God (communion). After that, Jesus chose his first twelve disciples to form a community. And then, he headed off with his community to speak words of healing, touch people, and care for the poor. This is called ministry.
Nouwen’s message is timeless. It should be heard now. It must be heard again and again. Why? The current global situation in which we live—the destruction of nature, global warming, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, misogyny, hunger, violence and human trafficking, among other social sins—indicates how far we remain from knowing that we are all beloved children of God. It is as if we live unaware that God is constantly inviting us to engage in a loving relationship with Godself and the results that follow.
The author will continue to explore Nouwen’s recommendations for communion, community, and ministry as pathways to reclaiming our original identity as beloved children of God in the next two issues of The Weekly Word. This article is a section from a longer article published in The Way (63/1, pp 45-57; https://www.theway.org.uk/)