Original Goodness

Baptism of Jesus; Luke 3:15-16, 22-23.

Tucked into the front cover of my baby-book is a letter my father wrote describing my birth. Don’t get all excited. There is no Gospel according to Tim. No, this letter was written to remember the hard time my mother had bringing me into the world. Apparently, it was a very long, hard labor. In fact, at one point, the doctor advised my dad to call a priest, “just in case.”

Although I was present for all the turmoil, I obviously do not have any memories of it at all. Which is just as well, apparently. Likewise, I have no memory of my baptism. The pictures show an adorable little boy with his halo cocked, just so, to one side. It all went downhill after that.

In today's Gospel, we hear of the baptism of Jesus. A question that often comes up is, if Jesus was/is the son of God, why did he need to be baptized? He didn’t have any sins, so what was the point?

Unfortunately, this is an example of how the institutional church has done us a great disservice over the centuries. The concept of “original sin” did not come into existence until St. Augustine wrote about it in the year 418. Until then, no one (in the church or otherwise) thought that we came into this world with a millstone around our necks. We were born, as Richard Rohr says, with “original goodness.”

When Jesus went to see his cousin John and be baptized, Jesus was not looking to wash away any sins. He was acknowledging John as his prophet and precursor. And, he was saying to John, “okay, I’ve got this now.” Jesus used this opportunity to begin his formal ministry to teach about love and forgiveness and light. John told Andrew and another of his followers to go with Jesus, and, well, the rest is history. Or should I say, the rest is scripture? History has not been so kind.

When I was baptized, the emphasis should have been on welcoming me into the Christian community, NOT on washing away my original sin. ‘Cuz, in hindsight, I didn’t have any. Nor do any of God’s creatures. I wasn’t born with sin; I brought sin upon myself as an adult when I made choices that were not in line with God’s desire for love and goodness. Sin is missing the mark of what Jesus taught. It is not a death sentence or anything that requires extreme punishments.

We are here on this earth to learn to live each day a little more closely to the way Jesus taught us to do so. If (or should I say, when) I miss the mark, the truly good news is that I get a do-over. It’s called forgiveness. God forgives me, because, no matter what, God is love and God loves me and all things.

My challenge is three-fold. First, I have to forgive myself. Recognizing that God has already forgiven me should help me do that, but that can still be very hard. Second, I need to ask forgiveness from those I have harmed by my mistake. Acknowledging that my “missing the mark” has implications that extend beyond my own life, and probably impact the wider community, is why before I can receive the Eucharist, I must recognize my omissions. Finally, I have to do a better job of forgiving those who have made me feel unworthy. Because God forgives me, then I am called to forgive others, too.

Every Day.

© 2025 by Timothy J. Doppel

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