Antiphon: Out into Deep Waters

"The voice of the Lord on the waters,

the Lord on the immensity of waters."

I think of certain feasts as events on which the Lord Jesus blessed certain natural elements in a special way. For me, the Baptism of the Lord is such an event for water. The antiphons for the Liturgy of the Hours for this feast depict various aspects of this event as being on a cosmic scale: "the waters of the Jordan tremble"; "our Savior crushed the serpent's head and wrested us free from his grasp." And yes, "Springs of water were made holy as Christ revealed his glory to the world." I've never seen the River Jordan but I understand it's quite modest in appearance compared with what I like to imagine in connection with the Baptism of the Lord; in my mind it's as great and powerful as the waves in this photo, taken the day after a gale-force storm on Narragansett Bay.
  Jesus would go on to speak and preach a great deal using water imagery. In particular, he encouraged his disciples to launch out into deep waters. And in this, he provided a sterling example, leaping down from heaven to pitch his tent among us. The reading from Isaiah for today's liturgy is one of the Suffering Servant Songs. We are all called to serve. Unlike Jesus, we are not all called upon to serve in a way that entails extensive suffering.
  Unfortunately, however, some of us are. Today I think particularly of the young Congresswoman from Arizona, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Because of my connections with Sweden I can't help but recall, as well, another young woman politician, Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, assassinated in 2003. Two who launched out into deep waters to serve their respective countries.
  Let us pray for the promise made in today's Responsorial Psalm: "The Lord will bless his people with peace."