Isaiah 42.1-4,6-7 | Acts 10.34-38 | Matthew 3.13-17

Today the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. With this feast, the Christmas Season ends and Ordinary Time begins, characterized by hope and closeness to Jesus, so that we may hear His teachings and learn from His actions.

Today the evangelist Matthew tells us about the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the waters of the Jordan River. The evangelist says that the Holy Spirit – in bodily form like a dove – descended upon Jesus. Matthew says that the voice of God the Father was heard saying that Jesus was His beloved Son, and that He was well pleased with Him.

When Jesus came to be baptized, John protested, for he was aware of his own smallness before the divine greatness of the Lord. But, after Jesus said that they should fulfill all righteousness, John finally agreed.

Certainly, John's Baptism was the final stage of a serious process of preaching and conversion. It was not a trivial event, without preparation, without commitment. It was a discipleship that involved the whole life. In this sense, it can be stated without a doubt that Jesus was a disciple of John and that, before receiving Baptism, the Lord was prepared for some time, listening to the preachings of the Baptist.

The Lord's Baptism is a turning point. Before it, Jesus lived hidden in Nazareth of Galilee with Mary and Joseph, working as a carpenter. The Bible does not contain much information about this phase of Jesus' private life.

After His Baptism, Jesus began His public life, fulfilling the mission that God the Father entrusted to Him, in the strength and power of the Holy Spirit, to save men from their sins.

Today the prophet Isaiah speaks to us about the Servant of the Lord, this mysterious figure who, through His suffering, would reconcile sinful humanity with the Lord, fulfilling God's justice. Isaiah says that the Lord declared that this Servant was His chosen one, in Whom He delights. God placed His Spirit upon Him.

For us Christians, Jesus is that Servant of the Lord of the prophet Isaiah. He is the divinely chosen one filled with the Holy Spirit, as we see in this feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

Today the evangelist Luke tells us in the Acts of the Apostles that Simon Peter testified that Jesus, after His Baptism, went everywhere doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him.

We see how well Jesus fulfilled His mission after His Baptism, in the strength and power of the Holy Spirit.

We too have been baptized and, moreover, we have confirmed our Baptism. May we also fulfill the mission that God has entrusted to us, strengthened and empowered by the Holy Spirit, serving in the Church and renewing society.

In our families and communities, let us speak of the importance of the sacrament of Baptism, encouraging mothers and fathers to baptize their babies, considering the teachings of the resurrected Jesus before ascending to Heaven: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them" (cf. Matthew 28:29) and "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" (cf. Mark 16:16). Let us also encourage the Baptism of young people and adults who were not baptized as babies, with the corresponding catechetical preparation.

Local: Praia Grande - SP, Brasil

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