Baptism of the Lord (f) (B)
Proper Liturgy of the Hours
A few days ago we celebrated the Epiphany of Jesus, and today we celebrate his baptism, which takes place when Christ is already an adult and begins his public ministry. Why is the feast of the Baptism of the Lord placed after the Epiphany? At the Jordan River we have a new manifestation of Christ’s divinity, the beloved Son of the Father, which concludes a journey begun on Christmas night (Jesus revealing himself to the shepherds), reaffirmed at the Epiphany (the “manifestation,” in Greek “Epiphany,” to the Magi), and completed at the moment of the baptism he received from John. At the moment when Jesus humbles himself to receive John’s baptism, the Father reveals him to the whole world as his beloved Son. At the moment of our Baptism, too, the Lord said to us: “You are my son.” Let us hear this voice again, and we will feel all the Father’s love for each one of us.
Texts taken from the Missal “On Your Word,” January-February 2021.
FIRST READING
From the book of the prophet Isaiah (Is 55:1-11)
Thus says the Lord: “All you who are thirsty, come to the water; you who have no money, come, buy and eat; come, buy wine and milk without money, without payment. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, your earnings for what does not satisfy? Come, listen to me, and you will eat what is good and delight in rich food. Incline your ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will establish an everlasting covenant with you, the steadfast love promised to David. See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the nations. See, you shall summon nations you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall hasten to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, who will have mercy on him, and to our God, who will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For just as rain and snow come down from heaven and do not return there without watering the earth, making it fruitful and causing it to sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me empty, without accomplishing what I desire and succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.” – The word of God.
Commentary on the first reading
“Why do you spend money for what is not bread, your earnings for what does not satisfy?” The Baptism of Jesus, the foundation of every one of our Baptisms and of our visible belonging to the Church, confronts us with a startling truth: we are wasting time, energy, and money. It is important to realize this, first of all within ourselves, and then it is necessary to take corrective measures. These, however, do not arise from our own good intentions, but from God’s initiative: we are fragile and sinful, but the path of mercy is open to us. Certainly, wasting money and throwing it away on oppressive addictions is a problem: think of entire families destroyed by drugs, gambling addiction, or a thousand other forms of material slavery. The deepest sadness, however, lies in failing to understand that our true wealth is ourselves: we are the true talents, the genuine gold coins that the Lord wants us to “spend” in the best way. Even if we were buried in manure, we would remain precious in his eyes; so let us allow God to “clean us up” and begin to make our lives the wonder envisioned by the Father.
SECOND READING
From the first letter of the apostle Saint John (1 Jn 5:1-9)
Beloved, everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten by God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God consists in keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. Everyone begotten by God conquers the world; and this is the victory that conquers the world: our faith. And who is it that conquers the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? He is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with water only, but with water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and these three agree. If we accept human testimony, God’s testimony is greater: and this is the testimony of God, that he has testified concerning his Son. – The word of God.
Commentary on the second reading
“And who is it that conquers the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” The “world” represents the wickedness that opposes the light, the kingdom of God. Allowing ourselves to be baptized, and giving Baptism even to young children, means precisely immersing ourselves in a dynamic of light, grace, and spiritual beauty. Some still ask: but is it not disrespectful of their freedom to have children baptized when they will later be called to make their own choices? To answer this question, let us begin with the material realm. To nourish young children, do we give them the best, or do we leave them free to make choices they do not know how to manage? Is it better to raise them in a beautiful and dignified home, or in a spiritual shantytown? The issue, then, also concerns and challenges us: where do we lay our foundations? In what passes away, what is empty, what we know very well to be filthy and decrepit… or in Jesus Christ? He is the “way, truth, and life,” so let us anchor ourselves in the true spiritual harbor and not lose our course: the pole star is there before us.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Mark (Mk 1:7-11)
At that time, John proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the straps of his sandals. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” And it happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water immediately, he saw the heavens torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” – The word of the Lord.
Commentary on the Gospel of the day
This Gospel passage places us concretely before the Trinity itself in action. Jesus, foretold, encountered, and proclaimed as the beloved Son; the Spirit descending upon him; and the voice of the Father addressing the Son. Perhaps we, too, were taught, more through attitudes than words, about a distant God who lives happily in heaven while we struggle amid the miseries of this world. The Baptism of Jesus, the foreshadowing and promise of every Baptism, tells us, on the contrary, that we are truly incorporated into divine life; not through our merits, but as “children in the Son Jesus.” We, too, share in his sonship, in his being beloved of the Father. And this is our authentic wealth: to be beloved children of the Father. Instead, we live as poor people when we allow ourselves to be overcome by fears, wounds of the soul, and inner and outer disorders that prevent us from feeling truly loved. How often we are ashamed of who we are, but this is useless if it remains a sterile sense of guilt. When we open ourselves trustfully to mercy, we too are reborn in the Spirit and rediscover ourselves clothed in the dignity proper to the children of the King.
