Baptism of the Lord

The Gospels tell us what an important role John the Baptist played in the life of Jesus.

The towering, fearless figure of John bridges the gap between the hidden life of Jesus and His public ministry.
Until their paths meet, Jesus is known by the local people as the son of a carpenter, living in the small town of Nazareth.

Associating with John, Jesus becomes widely known as a wandering preacher with a unique prophetic mission.
He, the sinless one, does not hesitate to be identified with sinners, so that He might set them free. He therefore
comes publicly to be baptised by John. This is probably a reason why the people thought that John was the Messiah, and Jesus Himself says of him: “of all the children born of women, there is no greater than John” (Lk 7:28).

Thus, in choosing to follow the promptings of the Spirit, Jesus embarks on a life of serving the cause of right – opening the eyes of the blind, freeing those in prison, and releasing those who languish in dark dungeons of despair and depression – as expressed in the first reading (Isaiah 40). Henceforth, He goes about healing those who are broken and crushed, and seeking out those who are lost.

In the eyes of the authorities he is a trouble-maker and a disrupter of the system; His family and neighbours think He was out of His mind; but His heavenly Father is pleased with Him, and that is all that matters to Him.

What does Baptism mean to us? We pay so little attention to it, as if it were all over and done with a long time ago.
We celebrate birthdays lavishly, but never our Baptismal day. Yet, this is the day we are born as children of God. On this day He claims us as His children. On this day, His Spirit rests on us. On this day we become brothers and sisters in Christ.

Since most of us were baptised when we were too small to know anything about it, we must grow to understand it. It is like a seed planted in our souls. Let us hope that it will grow and one day burst into the bloom of Christ-like living.

Every Baptism is a public event. Through my Baptism I become a member of God’s people, God’s family. The lives of others become as dear to me as my own.

Just as the Father affirmed His beloved Son in His public mission, so we too are called to encourage one another along the path traced out for us .

One of the deepest needs of the human heart is the need to be appreciated. Every human being wants to be valued. We all need someone who will help us unfold. We need someone to believe in us, who will help us to be ourselves. We need someone who understands us, someone who can see the hidden self in us, that is perhaps afraid to come out into the open. Such a person will help us to believe in and then share our goodness with others.

Should we feel disheartened that our lives to date fall short of the mark, let us take courage in the power of the Spirit, and the love of the Father, and start afresh….. one day at a time.