Matthew 3:13-17
Dear Friends, St. Matthew begins the public life of Jesus with the Baptism of the Son of God. In spite of the Baptist’s reluctance to baptize, Jesus tells John to go along with this public ritual. God has a plan and the baptism fits into that divine scheme. God wants Jesus to share the human experience including the ritual of repentance that John was celebrating. By his desire to be baptized, Jesus was showing a desire to plunge into the human reality. This was a reality in the ongoing conflict of good and evil, sin and grace. Ultimately, the depth of this sharing will lead to his death on the Cross.
In the meanwhile, in Mathew’s Gospel we are called to walk with Jesus once again in our life and in our liturgical year. Though we know the story of Jesus, we will never know it well enough. Likewise, we need to bring the story into our experience, an experience that is always entering into new and demanding stages our our journey. St. Matthew presents Jesus as our guide.
In today’s gospel passage we hear the Father sharing with us his love for his beloved Son. We need to let him touch our heart and to enlighten our mind s we may be enlightened to share in this love between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Slowly, this continuing encounter will draw us into the freedom of the truth and the new energy of love that only Jesus can give.
We are encouraged to remember our own baptism on this feast of Jesus’ Baptism. Our baptism is a sacred commitment we tend so often to forget. This remembrance should encourage us to recommit ourselves to walk with Jesus in his role as servant. The call of justice should inflame our hearts to be present to all the needs of our neighbor. It should shed a light on the demands of our life-giving relationships and responsibilities. It is a call to be a healer, a reconciler and a proclaimer of the Good News in imitation of Jesus.
Our baptism is an initiation to service as a gospel decree. Like Jesus, we are called to hear the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth. Like Jesus we are called to reach out to those in need in our midst. Like Jesus, we are to be a healing presence in the midst of a very conflictual world. Like Jesus, we are to extend a welcoming hand and a welcoming heart to all. This is our baptism call. This is our sacred bond to Jesus that must continue to deepen by a life of gospel responsibility that is energized by dying to self.
Each week in the Matthew version of the Jesus story we will be called into the gradual realization that we are loved beyond our wildest dreams. This love, if freely embraced, will set us free to journey to our own Jerusalem where we can die so we can live and give life to all.
In the meanwhile, in Mathew’s Gospel we are called to walk with Jesus once again in our life and in our liturgical year. Though we know the story of Jesus, we will never know it well enough. Likewise, we need to bring the story into our experience, an experience that is always entering into new and demanding stages our our journey. St. Matthew presents Jesus as our guide.
In today’s gospel passage we hear the Father sharing with us his love for his beloved Son. We need to let him touch our heart and to enlighten our mind s we may be enlightened to share in this love between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Slowly, this continuing encounter will draw us into the freedom of the truth and the new energy of love that only Jesus can give.
We are encouraged to remember our own baptism on this feast of Jesus’ Baptism. Our baptism is a sacred commitment we tend so often to forget. This remembrance should encourage us to recommit ourselves to walk with Jesus in his role as servant. The call of justice should inflame our hearts to be present to all the needs of our neighbor. It should shed a light on the demands of our life-giving relationships and responsibilities. It is a call to be a healer, a reconciler and a proclaimer of the Good News in imitation of Jesus.
Our baptism is an initiation to service as a gospel decree. Like Jesus, we are called to hear the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth. Like Jesus we are called to reach out to those in need in our midst. Like Jesus, we are to be a healing presence in the midst of a very conflictual world. Like Jesus, we are to extend a welcoming hand and a welcoming heart to all. This is our baptism call. This is our sacred bond to Jesus that must continue to deepen by a life of gospel responsibility that is energized by dying to self.
Each week in the Matthew version of the Jesus story we will be called into the gradual realization that we are loved beyond our wildest dreams. This love, if freely embraced, will set us free to journey to our own Jerusalem where we can die so we can live and give life to all.
