The Baptism of Jesus

By Fr. Mike Paraniuk
HCP columnist

The early Christians revered this bird as a symbol of Jesus shedding His blood to give us life. If you watch the game show "Jeopardy," I can answer it this way. "I'll take 'Birds' for 500. What is the Pelican?" 

How did the pelican become a symbol for Jesus since the beginning of the Church? These first Christians believed that in time of famine the mother pelican would pierce her own flesh with her beak, spilling her own blood from her chest so the children could drink her blood and live. What a wonderful comparison to Jesus. Just as the pelican gives her blood to save her children from death, Christ pours out His blood on the Cross to save humanity from eternal death. 

The image of the mother pelican's sacrifice spread like wildfire throughout the Christian world in art, altars, literature and stained-glass windows. I currently say Mass for a religious group in Indiana where their church has a big stained-glass window of a momma pelican opening her chest wide so her children can drink the life saving blood. 

Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote a beautiful song (Adore Te Devote) with the verse:

Lord Jesus, Good Pelican,
wash my filthiness and clean me with your blood,
One drop of which can free
the entire world of all its sins.

The story of the pelican shows why Jesus had to accept John's Baptism of repentance. Though Jesus had no need to repent, He received baptism to reveal that He would take our sins upon Himself. The pelican mom took upon herself the ravages of famine to save her nestlings from death. 

Jesus accepted a Baptism of repentance to take upon Himself the ravages of your sins to cleanse you with His Blood. Jesus loves you so much He counted himself as a sinner, though He never sinned, so He could take your sins and nail them to His Blood on the Cross. 

The Bible clearly says this. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become right with God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21.) Think of this. Your worst sin that causes you shame, a sin that hurts so bad you can't even talk about it, is washed clean in the Blood of Jesus. There is no need to live in the latrine of guilt.

This is what the Baptism of Jesus does for you. What does your baptism do for God? I'll explain with a legend about St. Patrick.

There is a story about what happened when St. Patrick baptized King Aengus of Ireland. During the baptism, St. Patrick accidentally pierced the foot of the King with his pointed walking stick as he leaned upon it. Patrick was mortified when he saw blood gushing from the King's foot. He begged the King's forgiveness, then asked, “Why did you suffer this pain in silence?” The king replied, "I thought it was part of the ritual."

Jesus calls we who are baptized to reject Satan and live for God. Living for God will always demand sacrifice. King Aengus understood that as he accepted his foot wound as a call to sacrifice for God. We must be willing to make sacrifices for others even when it hurts. The word "Baptism" literally means, "to come under the power of another."

Jesus will empower you to make sacrifices for Him. The great theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” A true disciple of Jesus must die to selfishness.  

If you want to see selfless love in action, just walk through the corridors of Children's Hospital. How many times have I heard a parent say, "I would gladly take upon myself my kid's suffering. I would give anything to bring back the smile." God says, "Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh." (Luke 6:21.) I pray God will give you much to smile about in the new year.