Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The gospel today speaks of the Baptism of the Lord which is part of the Epiphany of Jesus Christ –his manifestation–to the world. He was revealed in a special way even by his Father and the Holy Spirit as he began his public life. It is not by chance that the place where he was baptized is the lowest point of the earth reminding us that a Christian is called to descend into the waters of baptism so that the ‘old man’ inside of all of us can die and a new person can rise. It also shows how much Christ descended to be at our level. Baptism is a call to repentance and to live in a new way, but it is not necessarily a call to abase ourselves. It is rather a call to see how much I am worth in the eyes of God. He values me. He always gives me a superabundance of help which is right under my nose. I need to realize that my cisterns are empty, cracked, broken and full of mud, and new life giving water is next to me.
John the Baptist struggles with the idea of baptizing the Messiah (Matthew 3) and Jesus says to him, “Allow it for now.” And you will understand later. It is fitting for you and me to do this; let’s do it together and you will see. John becomes an accomplice of the Lord, even without understanding what he is doing. The same can happen to you: do it now, even if your reason does not understand it, obey and you will see the fruit. John plays a creative role in salvation history and does not understand the importance of what he does. The baptism of Jesus is “for” you, and me, not for Jesus.
The voice of the Father says, “This is my only son, my only beloved.” The repetition of “my” in the Greek original emphasizes the exclusive relationship between the Father and the Son, formed by the bond of the Holy Spirit. He says, “my son”, “my beloved” because there is no other! He is the only one! He, the Word, always was, is today, and will be forever, the only Son. And you are part of this, you are incorporated into this through your baptism. You become part of this relationship and Jesus is manifesting it, showing it, to you today; he shows this to all men and women. So if God is your father why do you worry, and get anxious? You have a choice to make: praying is better than worrying. Of course, you have genuine concerns, but present them to the Father, put the Father first, and your concerns will be less, or at least ordered in a way that brings you peace.