Baptism of the Lord Homily Year A

Thanksgiving Mass as a Deacon in my former home parish, St. Paul's 
in Richnmond: January 12, 2020. 
Here are some notes & quotes from the homily:

“The perpetual adoration chapel here at St. Paul’s is the place where I learned how to pray, the place where I fell in love with Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament, and the place where I discovered my vocation to the priesthood.”

“There are many here present right now who have made great sacrifices over the years to keep the adoration chapel going – so thank you, thank you, thank you! I am truly grateful and you have been instrumental to my vocation.”

When I was ordained last month at Holy Rosary cathedral, my heart was so full of joy and gratitude. I felt like Jesus in today’s Gospel when his heavenly Father proclaimed to all of heaven and earth, “This is my son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased!”

What’s amazing about today’s Gospel is that God the Father proclaimed to the whole world that He was well pleased with Jesus as His beloved son at the start of Jesus’ public ministry, before Jesus said His sermon on the mount or any other wonderful things, before He performed any miracles or healings, before any of it… before Jesus did anything that the world would have considered worth writing about… the Father proclaims to all of heaven and earth that He is well pleased with His beloved Son, Jesus. The same is true for us. God created each of us uniquely and He rejoices in that uniqueness. When we were baptized, often as infants, before we could say or do anything really, our heavenly Father proclaimed to all of heaven and earth, “This is my beloved son… This is my beloved daughter. In whom I am well pleased!” And this is true for us right now. If we had the eyes of faith, we would see that our heavenly Father is shining down upon us right now, “This is my beloved son… This is my beloved daughter. In whom I am well pleased!”

So, my advice to you is simple. SMILE. Smile when you wake up in the morning because God has given you, His beloved child, the gift of another day. Smile when you look at yourself in the mirror because God is looking upon you with love and joy. Smile at other people, knowing that your heavenly Father is shining down upon them and telling you, “This is my beloved son… This is my beloved daughter.” Smile when you bless yourself with holy water as a reminder of that special day of your baptism when God chose you to be a part of His family. Smile when you enter the adoration chapel and the church, knowing that God is proclaiming to all of heaven, “This is my beloved son… This is my beloved daughter. In whom I am well pleased.” And smile when you receive Jesus in Holy Communion today, knowing that the same Jesus who was baptized 2,000 years ago in the Jordan is now sharing the fullness of His life and love with you today.