Baptism of the Lord January 12, 2020 Isaiah 42: 1-4, 6-7; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17

I received a gift for Christmas, a fascinating book whose title is “A Song for Nagasaki.”* It’s the story of Takashi Nagai, a Japanese doctor and scientist. Dr. Nagai was a researcher in the early days of using X-rays to diagnose illnesses, and, later on, became a survivor of the Atomic bomb that devastated the city of Nagasaki at the end of the 2nd World War. The book follows Dr. Nagai’s quest for truth and meaning in his life, which played out as a tug of war between his fascination with the physical sciences, and the unfulfilled longings of his own heart. As a young man, when he was called home from his university studies to the bedside of his mother, suffering from a stroke, the profound gaze of his mother at the moment of her death convinced him that the human spirit lives on after death. Later, in his compulsion to discover answers to his deepest questions, he asked to rent a room in the home of a Christian family near his university. Over time, he learned the surprising history of Christianity in Japan. And eventually, Dr. Nagai converted from atheism to Christianity.

The story of Christianity in Japan begins with the missionary zeal of St. Francis Xavier, who arrived on the shores of the island nation in 1549. Communication was quite a challenge, since there was not yet a dictionary for translating Japanese to any European language. But Francis and the Jesuit missionaries who followed him attracted tens of thousands of converts to the faith as they cared for the sick, for orphans, and for the homeless people they encountered. They were also well received because they chose to be learners of Japanese culture, and they wisely incorporated some Japanese customs into the Catholic faith they were handing on. That missionary policy of enculturation won over many Japanese from every level of society.

When the emperor learned of the swift increase in Christians, he interpreted it as a threat to the Japanese spirit and way of life. He proceeded to ban Christianity from the Island nation, and he forced all missionaries to leave. Then, to dissuade his people from adopting Christianity, he condemned 26 Japanese priests and brothers to death by crucifixion. Those Jesuits, led by brother Paul Miki, died with honor, preaching their conviction for the faith of Jesus Christ from the cross, and forgiving their executioners. And their martyrdom, rather than dissuading people, fueled a great respect for the faith. Baptisms continued to increase among the people! But persecution also increased, and rewards were offered for information leading to the arrest of priests and catechists. Great numbers of Christians went to their death rather than denouncing their faith. And finally, all the priests either fled from the Island nation, or they were martyred.

Now here’s what I find to be one of the most amazing parts of this story. The Catholic faith that had taken root among the people lived on for the next 250 years without any priests! Those farmers and fishermen formed an underground church, avoiding the notice of the authorities. They created a structure to keep their faith alive, and to entrust the faith to their spiritual kin in future generations. Three responsible men were appointed to positions of leadership in their clandestine Christian community, and their firstborn sons and grandsons would retain those duties over the next seven generations. To help them avoid any suspicions by outsiders who might overhear conversations, they chose titles that had no religious connotation for those positions of authority. So, first there was the “head man,” the Chokata, who was the overall leader of the community. Next, there was the “calendar man,” responsible to keep the dates of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and so forth. And finally, there was the “water man,” the one responsible to baptize new Christians.

Now many of us have a profound appreciation for the graces that we receive in the sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation. So it may seem remarkable that the grace of Baptism was sufficient to empower those Japanese Christians to retain and live their faith for seven generations until priests were allowed to return to Japan. But that fact is a testimony to God’s enduring life among His faithful people, and the power of His Spirit who dwells in those who are baptized.

Today’s feast of the Baptism of the Lord is an opportune moment to remind ourselves of the gift that baptism is to each of us, and how fundamental that sacrament is to our life of faith. In the Scriptures, St. Paul speaks of baptism as a “washing of rebirth,” or, “washing of regeneration” (Tit 3:5). Quite literally, this is what Jesus speaks of in John’s Gospel when he says we must be “born again,” and “born of water and the Spirit” (Jn 3:3, 5). Through our baptism, we “plunge” into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As we emerge out of the water, we are united with His saving death and life-giving resurrection. So, the grace of baptism truly “saves us” and frees us from original sin.

Next, baptism makes us a part of something. We become adopted into the family of God, the Body of Christ. Just like the community of Japanese Christians who clung to each other as family for centuries, we also share life as a family. Now, everyone who has grown up in a family has an understanding of the blessings we receive as we learn to work, play and pray together. But we also know the challenges we face as family, with our individual needs and temperaments, and the conflicts that flare up as we live together. By the grace of God and His sacraments, we experience His fruits of sacrificial love as we learn and grow in virtue in our families. Then as we worship and work together as brothers and sisters in our wider Christian family, we live with a confident hope that God’s grace will enable us to remain faithful through the challenges and persecutions we may encounter in our present age.

Just a few weeks ago, our Holy Father declared that we are no longer living in an age of Christendom, as Western nations have experienced in recent ages. He said that the trends we see in the culture of death, and the reinvention of the family, as well as the hatred we experience when we affirm the foundations laid by our forefathers in faith, these can be causes for fear. My own experience of life has taught me that I can choose to live in worry and fear concerning my circumstances and my future. Or I can open myself to God’s grace, to accept as a gift whatever is in front of me at this moment, and every moment. I can offer up my fears to the one Who has conquered death, and beg for His powerful grace to transform my worry into wonder, my fear into fortitude. And then, whatever is to come, I want to always keep in mind the final effect that baptism has for us.

Baptism makes us heirs to God’s Kingdom. We are heirs to His blessings, and His sufferings as well, while He accompanies us on this earth. And we live with that blessed hope, to abide in His heavenly family for all eternity.

As we received Jesus in the Eucharist today, let us beg for the grace of perseverance, to support our Christian family in this life, and to live forever with the family of saints in heaven.

Deacon Frank Ringsmuth