Baptism of the Lord

Dear Friends,

We greeted the Christ-child just a few short weeks ago, but in today’s readings Jesus emerges as a man embarking on his public mission. In the first reading, Isaiah prophesies that God will send his “chosen one with whom he he is pleased,” and that he will place his spirit upon him. Isaiah says that this “servant” of God will bring justice to the nations, not by shouting in the streets, but in gentleness, teaching truth and bringing light. In the Gospel, we see Isaiah’s prophesy finally come to pass: Jesus comes, in humility, to be baptized by his cousin John. In that moment, God sends his spirit upon Jesus, proclaiming that “this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

The words of Isaiah’s prophecy had existed for centuries, and throughout all of those centuries God’s chosen people waited in hope for the coming of the Messiah. Now, at last, ready to fulfill all of scripture and bring about our salvation, Jesus enters the scene in quiet and unassuming peace, allowing John the Baptist, the final prophet, to anoint him with baptismal water. John correctly discerns that Jesus is the Son of God, and is startled that he would come to be baptized, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?” This first public act by Jesus is, indeed, puzzling; but it reveals the purpose and mission of the Incarnation: God’s desire to enter into the state and condition of the sinner out of love.

The Catechism tells us that God created us so that we might partake in his blessed life, and that in order to accomplish this God sends his Son to be our savior and redeemer. In Jesus’ humanity, a mysterious and miraculous exchange takes place: as he participates in our lowly condition, he draws us to participate in his divine life. St. Irenaeus tells us, “he who was the Son of God became man, so that men might become sons of God.” In stepping into our humanity, Jesus redeems it, and through him we are able to be sons and heirs to his divinity. So when the clouds open in today’s Gospel and God’s voice names Jesus as his beloved Son, that voice speaks to us as well! That voice announces that our savior has come, and that as he fulfills his mission with gentleness and humility, we all have the chance to be claimed as beloved sons and daughters of God.

Jule Heffernan
Communications Director