The baptism of Christ

Today, Sunday, as our Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we are invited to first read and reflect on a passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah (42:1-9; 49:1-9) entitled "The gentle servant of the Lord is a light to the nations". Our treasure, which follows, is from a sermon by Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, bishop. Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, was an early Roman Christian theologian and prelate who served as Archbishop of Constantinople from 380 to 381. He is known for instituting the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregorian mission, to convert the then largely pagan Anglo-Saxons to Christianity. Gregory is also well known for his writings, which were more prolific than those of any of his predecessors as pope. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age. Gregory's most significant theological contributions arose from his defense of the doctrine of the Trinity. He is especially noted for his contributions to the field of pneumatology—that is, theology concerning the nature of the Holy Spirit. He died in 390.   Isaiah, one of the greatest of the prophets, appeared at a critical moment in Israel's history. The Northern Kingdom collapsed, under the hammerlike blows of Assyria, in 722/721 B.C., and in 701 Jerusalem itself saw the army of Sennacherib drawn up before its walls. In the year that Uzziah, king of Judah, died, Isaiah received his call to the prophetic office in the Temple of Jerusalem. Close attention should be given to chapter six, where this divine summons to be the ambassador of the Most High is circumstantially described.   The vision of the Lord enthroned in glory stamps an indelible character on Isaiah's ministry and provides a key to the understanding of his message. The majesty, holiness and glory of the Lord took possession of his spirit and, at the same time, he gained a new awareness of human pettiness and sinfulness. The enormous abyss between God's sovereign holiness and human sinfulness overwhelmed the prophet. Only the purifying coal of the seraphim could cleanse his lips and prepare him for acceptance of the call: "Here I am, send me!"