A family of faith: Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ

            On the last day of the Christmas season we celebrate the baptism of Jesus.  Here Jesus is not purified by the waters of baptism, but purifies the water itself.  We are baptized in these same sacramental waters, and this first and great sacrament is the reason why we can be one family in the faith.

            This theme—our unity around the globe—has been in my heart since returning from Ghana.  But first, I want to share a quick fact with you regarding baptisms.  We have fifteen to twenty baptisms a year at St. John’s and St. Joe’s.  The four priests in Ghana baptized between 200-400 at the Easter Vigil last year alone.

            My first thought about unity comes with the Mass.  We celebrate the same Mass today as we did in Ghana.  These frequently featured liturgies of two and half to three hours (I never want to hear a complaint about a Mass over an hour here!) with homilies between thirty-forty-five minutes (again, no whining about a ten minute homily!)  We had Mass in a jubilant crowd on New Year’s Eve.  We had Mass on a hotel patio when our bus drivers didn’t get us in time to get to a parish.  We celebrated the Liturgy in the airport in Amsterdam.  We had the first Mass ever in a remote village before beginning a chapel building project.  The Mass unites us with brothers and sisters around the world with Christ our head.

            We visited the Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga bearing gifts, much like the Magi.  We brought seventeen suitcases with school, church and medical supplies.  Generous donors allowed us to give $15,000 which supported a refurbished Marian shrine, water purification to help a whole village receive pure drinking water and a chapel in the countryside.

Yet despite being a family, we have so much more earthly blessings here in the U.S. than those we met in Ghana.  Clean drinking water is plentiful and easy to access—we don’t have to walk half a mile to a well to fetch contaminated water to drink.  We eat three square meals and snack in between, usually eating meat.  We have cars, phones, computers, grocery stores, jobs and revenue.

            Many of our group members, though, did not feel sorry for the Ghanaians.  Nor should they.  When asked the poorest country in which she had served Mother Theresa said it was the United States.  What they lack in material possessions or opportunities they more than make up for in their generosity, hospitality, joy, faith and family.  These were the happiest people I have met.  Where marriage and family is in crisis here, it is thriving there.  Our twenty-five travelers received much more than we gave.

            To illustrate this point, we witnessed a touching gesture by one of the children we met.  One of our seniors gave out Starburst candy to the kids.  After giving her last one away she watched a young boy open the Starburst and break it in half to share with his friend.

            In many ways, these people have nothing.  But what they do have they are willing to give away.  Parishioners we met supplied us with a goat, chicken, rooster and guinea fowl (like a small turkey) for us to eat.  This may not seem like a big deal, but these families sacrificed meals so they could eat.  In the important stuff, these people have everything.

            I am left with many questions in my heart having come back home from Ghana.  I share these with you, neither having all the answers nor trying to guilt you, but for personal reflection.  For instance, I make about $2,000 a month with room, board and health care provided.  My priest friends make $40 a month.  How am I to respond to this?  Again, many of our children here have cell phones, iPads and expensive video game systems.  Children of the same age and dignity there (and in Duluth too) often don’t know where there next meal is coming from.  What do we do with this?  How do we, in the richest country of the world, support and share with the poor both at home and abroad?

            These questions move beyond the earthly to the spiritual.  Mass there is not simply an obligation to attend passively.  It is an event.  Everyone sings, claps, prays and participates fully, actively and consciously as the Second Vatican Council desired.  And they do so joyfully!  How can you participate more fully in the Mass?  Can we too have everyone singing, praying and focusing throughout the Liturgy?

            We celebrate the first and great sacrament of Baptism today.  Through Christ’s own baptism we have each been brought into the faith through the sacramental waters and this makes us one big family across the globe.  I am so thankful for all of your prayers and support in making our trip to visit our family across the globe.  I pray that the graces God gave us on this trip will pour over into our parish and continue to do good in Ghana.