I typically experience a tinge of sadness leaving the Christmas season because it is so lovely. There are many joyous celebrations: Christmas, Holy Family, Epiphany, and the Baptism of the Lord. With all these celebrations, there is a common thread that weaves them together. Naturally, Jesus is the center of all our celebrations. However, the theme of a wedding nicely ties all our celebrations together.
On Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, our savior. Essentially, we celebrate Jesus (whom John the Baptist refers to as the “Bridegroom”) leaving his chamber in heaven. Psalm 19:6 speaks of a voice (i.e., the Word) “which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy.” On Christmas, we celebrate the arrival of Jesus our bridegroom.
In the Jewish tradition, there was a betrothal period during which the bridegroom left his father’s house and went to the house of his respective bride. There, he paid the purchase price and established the marriage covenant with his bride. In this light, Jesus leaves his Father’s house (heaven) and comes to our house (Earth) and pays the purchase price — his own life on the cross.
On Epiphany, the wedding guests arrive. The Magi travel from the east, bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Essentially, these are the wedding gifts for the baby Bridegroom. The Magi, of course, symbolize all those God invites to the wedding feast.
The saints, for their part, are all those who accept the Lord’s wedding invitation and respond with great charity. If Jesus is the bridegroom and John the Baptist is his best man, the saints are like the groomsmen and bridesmaids. They are the wedding party.
What about our Lord’s baptism do we celebrate today? In the Jewish tradition, there was a custom wherein the bride (and sometimes the bridegroom) underwent a ritual washing prior to her wedding. This was called the bridal mikvah or “bridal bath.” It was done in running water either the night before the wedding or as close to the wedding as possible. The bath not only recalled the rivers from the Garden of Eden but also conveyed the sense of new birth and the new world that begins with marriage.
In this light, we find John the Baptist “baptizing” or administering the “bridal bath” for those willing to repent. In other words, John is preparing the bride — you and me — for the wedding with Christ! Our baptism is a “bridal bath,” a cleansing as we begin the marriage covenant, our new life in Christ.
Finally, we have the wedding feast at Cana. It is no accident that Jesus performed his first miracle or “sign” at a wedding. By turning water into wine, Jesus reveals that he is the long-awaited Messiah-bridegroom who will give himself to his bride, the Church. Jesus will do so at what John calls his “hour,” or his passion, death and resurrection.
Our Christmas celebrations are a great reminder that Jesus loves you and like a marriage, desires to give himself to you. And he hungers to receive your love in return! While our Christmas season has come to an end, there is reason to remain joyful for Jesus, your bridegroom, is preparing you for the wedding banquet of heaven.
Father Andrie is pastor of St. Therese in Deephaven.
Sunday, Jan. 12
The Baptism of the Lord
