There is a fundamental orientation in the Catholic theological tradition to have a both/and approach to questions instead of an either/or methodology. For example, the orthodox position of Jesus' nature is that he is both human and divine, not one or the other. In the spiritual life Jesus commands us to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. A host of other examples could be found to provide examples of the fact that generally our Catholic tradition tends to be a more accommodating - but more challenging - position than one might originally suspect.
Today's feast of the Baptism of the Lord highlights this feature of our Catholic faith as well. In the first reading we are provided with the words of Isaiah the prophet who foretells the future Messiah by the words of the Lord: "Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased." Matthew echoes this ancient text in relating the event of Jesus' baptism by including the words of the Father after Jesus came up from the water: "This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased." The Gospel writer changed the word servant to son in order to indicate the unique identity of Jesus the Messiah of God. Yet, there is a sense in which Jesus is both servant and son, an identity that we share as baptized faithful of Christ.
The entire ministry of Jesus was one of complete service to others. The second reading from the Acts of the Apostles attests to this fact. Jesus healed those who were sick, he comforted those who were afflicted, he fed those who were hungry, and he died for us all that we might be liberated from the slavery to sin. What is more, Jesus challenged those with power and wealth to act with justice and mercy, thereby extending the role of servant from individual responsibility to one of corporate obligation as well.
The role of servant is to follow the orders of the master. A servant must give an account of what he has accomplished for his master at the end of the day, and a servant's primary virtues are fidelity to mission and master and obedience to the tasks assigned. Thus, the servant performs his tasks out of a sense of justice and external obligation to the master. These virtues are good and necessary, and certainly Jesus is a servant in being entirely faithful to God the Father and the mission entrusted to him. Jesus showed perfect obedience to all that God assigned for him to follow. In our mission to be servants in imitation of Jesus we might consider these virtues for our own life and ministry.
However, the role of a son is entirely different than the role of a servant. In ancient times a son was expected to follow in the footsteps of his father. The son would imitate the Father and learn the trade or profession of his father so that one day he could take over the workd of his father in his own life. The son's fidelity and obedience to his father were not the result of external obligation or fear as in the case of a slave, but rather his fidelity and obedience spring from the love he has for his father. The son wanted to please his father because of his love and the hope of one day being like the father in all things: work, family, and other roles.
By accepting the baptism of John - a baptism not required of Jesus because of his unique identity - Jesus shows us how to be a servant and a child of God. Certainly we are servants committed to justice in serving God and others. Yet, justice is not enough to regulate our lives; it does not engage the heart. Thus, we, like Jesus, are called to act as sons and be animated by the power of love in transforming the world around us. The obligation of love commands our entire being and transforms us into another Christ living and dying for others.
Jesus, then, was called to a ministry of justice and love. As disciples of the Lord Jesus we too are called to this same ministry through our baptism. We invoke the help of God the Father to complete this mission with great fidelity: "Let us pray that we will be faithful to our baptism. Almighty, eternal God, when the Spirit descended upon Jesus at his baptism in the Jordan, you revealed him as your own beloved Son. Keep us, your children born of water and the Spirit, faithful to our calling. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lived and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
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