Once there were two elderly ladies 
having lunch together in a restaurant 
when one of the ladies became distracted 
by what was happening two tables over;
the people at that table were causing a commotion.  
The other lady asked her, “Well, what’s wrong,” 
not wanting to look over her shoulder.  
She said, “Oh, I’ve seen this so many times.  
I know exactly what is going to happen.  
This table over here is just giving 
that young waiter absolutely terrible grief.  
They are complaining about everything possible.  
I’ve seen what they are trying to do.  
I’ve seen it happen a million times before.  
They are trying to get a free lunch out of this.” 

The other lady, said, 
“Well maybe they are just unhappy 
with the food or the service.”  
She said, “No.  I’ve seen it happen.  
When I was in college as a young girl, 
I remember I was a waitress and I saw them
—this is exactly what they do:  
they cause a commotion and 
eventually they get their meal comped.”  
Just as she was finishing that sentence, 
the manager came by along with the waiter 
and there was a large commotion and 
the patrons, a couple, started shouting at a high volume 
about how bad the service was, 
about how bad the food was.
Of course, then the waiter was customarily dismissed 
and the manager took the bill and comped the lunch.” 

The old lady was so disappointed.  
The young waiter came back to their table 
with a downcast and sheepish look and said, 
“Is there anything else I can get for you,” he asked.  
And they said, “No.”  
So he placed the bill between the two ladies. 

As he did so, the lady who was the former waitress 
grabbed the bill immediately and over-paid extraordinarily, 
leaving a huge tip and handed it straight back 
before even the other lady could respond.  
And the waiter looked at the bill 
while the lady said, “Keep all the change.”  
The waiter stopped and stuttered, 
“But M’am, I can’t!”  
She said, “Listen young man, 
I was a waitress once when I was in college 
and I know how difficult an afternoon you have already had.  
You are good waiter.  
You deserve this.  
Now, take it.  
And don’t argue with an old lady.”  
He took the money and the ladies left the restaurant.
A touch of human compassion to another fellow human 
in the midst of a difficult moment,
ironically yet providentially, 
showed the young man the presence of the divine.  
It is in our ability as human beings in simple moments 
to reach out to another fellow human beings 
and be able to transform their world as if by a divine touch. 

That is the very thing we celebrate today 
with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord; 
that in God becoming human in Jesus Christ, 
and in Him taking on the human condition
—all of humanity now shares in the divine state.  
This is brought to light today 
by exactly what happens in today’s gospel,
for Jesus, sinless, did not need to have to be baptized 
for the repentance of sins.
Yet he submitted himself to the will of the father 
and so allowed Himself to be baptized 
and in doing so the Father recognizing his obedience,
acknowledged him and called, “You are my beloved Son,”
affirming and confirming He was truly the Messiah, 
the one who was fully divine. 

This is an interesting juxtaposing of the human and the divine;
illustrated in that moment by the dove descending 
and the Spirit of the Lord coming upon Christ. 
In the Eastern part of our church they have a beautiful phrase
––the divinization of humanity.  
In the Byzantine Rite, our brothers and sisters in faith
believe the process of our own divinization 
begins in the waters of Baptism.  
When the waters of Baptism are poured on us, 
our divinization process begins within each of us.  
In other words, we become more divine each day.  
That is the role of all of life we begin at Baptism 
and we become fully divinized at our death 
as we are received into Christ Jesus for eternity.  
That is a powerful reality and we are called to allow 
this divinization process to continue.
But it needs our consent.  
To do so we need to recognize, 
as did the elderly lady in today’s story, 
to recognize humanness in each other 
and to reach out in those moments of need.
In so doing, we not only transform the other person 
but we also transform ourselves.
We become more like the divine, more like Christ Jesus.

So, how are we to do this?  
In the first reading the Prophet Isaiah 
talks about how our Lord is the one who comforts, 
the one who is gentle; 
and the next chapter of Isaiah goes on to say, 
“He will never bruise a broken reed 
or he will never quench a smoldering wick.” 
A beautiful expression of how gentle and kind our God can be 
and how he can encourage us on our way. 
That is our role—what you and I are called to do.  
To be gentle and kind to one another
and to look for ways to make a difference in the lives of others.

How would it be if we all chose to be kind and gentle this day?  
We know we have to do corrections and 
we know we have to even sometimes 
challenge a waiter or waitress.
But how about if we do it in a kind and gentle way?  
How about if we reach out to somebody in such a way 
that is not just showing our own humanity, 
but is reaching out and touching 
their humanity in gentle and kind ways.

Today, we can be transformed and 
we continue our divinization process 
by allowing our humanity to come forth, 
by allowing the divine process 
that began at our Baptism to continue all the way to our death 
and to not impede it with our own selfishness.  
This requires of all of us to think of others.  
To think about—who is it around me 
that could do with a gentle touch?  
Who around me could do with a comforting word of support?  
Who around me could do with an 
encouraging word, smile, or gesture this day?  
All of us have the power to allow the divinization process to continue.  
Today, we want to say, “Yes” to Christ in our life again.