The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord brings the Christmas season to a close and ushers in Ordinary Time. It is a significant feast because it reminds us of God's love for us; it reminds us that we are beloved children and, for this reason, called to live our ordinary lives in an extraordinary way.
Let us meditate on this feast with Father Andrea Vena, who shows us how it can “resound” in our lives.
From the Gospel according to Matthew 3:13, 16-17
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. As soon as he was baptized, Jesus came up from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And behold, a voice from heaven said: «This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased».
Jesus immerses himself in the people
With his baptism in the Jordan, Jesus inaugurates his public ministry, when he is about 30 years old (Lk 3:23). Jesus goes along the banks of the Jordan, where John the Baptist is baptizing and where «the whole region of Judea and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were flocking to him» (Mk 1:5). The first thing Jesus does, therefore, is immerse himself in the people, among the people, sharing everything, except sin. By joining the people who ask John for the baptism of conversion, Jesus shares with every person the deep desire for inner renewal that he alone can fully grant, carrying out to the end the mission entrusted to him by the Father: to give his life by dying on the cross.
Each person is a beloved child
When Jesus emerges from the water […] The Spirit - in the form of a dove - rests upon Jesus and makes his dwelling there. […] And the voice from heaven confirms this: «This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased» (Mt 3:17). But there is more. In Jesus, these words are addressed to each of us today: each person is a beloved child; the Father is happy and delights in each of us. Therefore, the Spirit of God can rest upon each of us, because in each of us there is «new earth»; each of us is a beloved child, each of us is wonderfully made (Ps 139:14). Each of us is made in the image and likeness of God (Gn 1:27).
«Christian, become what you are»
It means understanding (that is, taking it inside, grasping it with the heart) that the Spirit dwells in us: Jesus has made us God's temple, the dwelling place of the Spirit (1 Cor 3:16). His is a gentle Presence that does not come to take anything away from us, but to give us everything. Let us imagine an artist facing the block of marble he must sculpt. He already has the work in mind; with his heart and imagination, he already sees it in that block. He only has to “draw it out”, but the work is already entirely there. Thus, God is the artist of our lives: let us allow him to bring out the wonderful work that we are. Let us allow the Spirit to act in us so that we may cooperate in this project. […] It is up to us to become what we are: God's work, or as Saint Irenaeus wrote: «Christian, become what you are».
The extraordinary in the ordinary
«It does not matter what we have to do: hold a broom or a fountain pen. Speak or remain silent, mend something or give a lecture, care for a sick person or type. All this is merely the outer shell of the splendid reality, the soul's encounter with God renewed every minute, growing in grace every minute, becoming ever more beautiful for its God. Is someone ringing? Quickly, let us go and open: it is God who comes to love us. A message? […] Here it is: it is God who comes to love us. Is it time to sit down at the table? Let us go: it is God who comes to love us. Let us let him do it» (Madeleine Delbrêl)
We are «new earth»
As we meditate on the Baptism of Jesus, let us ask that it may help us become aware that we are «new earth», that the Spirit of God dwells in us. In all of us. May the Spirit help us hear the Father's voice, and make this voice continually echo within us. Nothing can obstruct this voice except our distraction, our superficial lives. Let us then try to stop and listen to this voice within us. We must not be afraid of feeling out of place or of not feeling worthy of this voice. God has spoken once, and he does not take it back; rather, it is we who take back our words! In Jesus, the Father has spoken once and for all: «You are my beloved Son…».
This text is taken from Father Andrea Vena's book, Looking at Jesus with Mary's Gaze, one of our latest publishing releases.
