Contemplating today's Gospel
Today's Gospel + homily (in 300 words)
I, the Lord, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters, the Lord, over vast waters. The voice of the Lord is mighty; the voice of the Lord is majestic.
The God of glory thunders, and in his temple all say, “Glory!”. The Lord is enthroned above the flood; the Lord is enthroned as king forever.
»You know the word that he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him».
«You are my Son, the Beloved, the One I have chosen»
Mons. Salvador CRISTAU i Coll Bishop of Terrassa (Barcelona) (Barcelona, Spain)Today, with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Christmas cycle is over. The Gospel says that John had «appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of the sins» (Mk 1:4). People went out to see and hear him, to confess their sins and to be baptized by him in the Jordan River. And among those people Jesus also appeared to be baptized.
At Christmas we have seen how Jesus appeared to the shepherds and the magi who, coming from the East, worshiped Him and offered Him their gifts. In fact, the coming of Jesus to the world is to manifest God’s love that saves us.
And there, in the river Jordan, a new manifestation of Jesus’ divinity was made: heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended towards Him as a dove and the voice of the Father was heard: «You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased» (Mk 1:11). In this case, it is the Father of Heaven and the Holy Spirit who made it manifest. It is God himself who reveals who is Jesus, His beloved son.
But it was not a revelation only for John and the Jews. It was for us too. Jesus himself, the beloved Son of the Father, who manifested to the Jews in the river Jordan, continually manifests to us every day. In the Church, in prayers, in our brothers, at the Baptism we have received that has made us children of the same Father.
Let us ask, therefore: - Do I recognize his presence, his love in my life? – Do I live a true relationship of filial love with God? Pope Francis says: «What God seeks from us is a relationship like that between a father and child. God give us a caress and tells us: I am by your side».
In the midst of our struggles and difficulties, the Heavenly Father also tells us: "you are my son whom I love; with you I am well pleased".
