11.1.2004 The Baptism of the Lord
First Reading: Isaiah 40,1-5, 9-11
Psalm 103
Second Reading: Titus 2, 11-14;3, 4-7
Gospel: Luke 3, 15-16, 21-22
"Comfort, comfort my people"! These are the first words God speaks to us today. At the time of the prophet Isaiah God's people were in great difficulty. Their leaders and skilled craftsmen had been deported to Babylon, and were living there in conditions of semi-slavery. At the time of Jesus the people were still suffering , this time under the yoke of the Romans, of Herod and of the High Priests, all of whom had no mercy for the poor. Also Christians of all times continue to live in poverty and troubles, temptations and persecutions, not only because of the selfishness of leaders, but also because of their own wrong-doings. The word of God, therefore, brings a breath of hope, of light, of joy! He invites us to prepare the way because He wishes to come, He wishes to meet us and to manifest His love for us as a good and caring shepherd.
The prophet's words of hope are complemented by John the Baptist's announcement in the gospel reading: God was no longer waiting, He whom he sent with His authority was already present and had begun to act from within the people! He was to baptise, to immerse in the Holy Spirit, giving new life, that of God's own!
John's words did not suffice to present he that was to come: the Father intervenes to indicate with the figure of a dove and with His voice. Jesus is praying, immersed in God's love, deep in secret conversation, which we can imagine is similar to that experienced on the Mount of Olives: here he offers himself for the fulfilment of the divine will to save mankind. In this way he fulfils what was written of him and the Father is well pleased with him! While the dove draws our attention, a voice pronounces solemn, mysterious prophecies. These show us that he is the son indicated in the second psalm, destined to reign for ever with God's authority, that is with compassionate, faithful love and he who the prophet Isaiah says is God's joy! This is the man whom John baptised, the man who came together with all those who had had been converted. He will lead all of us to the true conversion, he will lead a new people to Jerusalem, to offer their lives to fulfil the will of the Father!
St Paul refers to this people in a letter to his very dear disciple Titus. Jesus wishes to form a people that belong to him and for this reason has given himself for us to redeem us from every iniquity. He offered himself to God as the price for our salvation! We will never be able to buy the mercy of the Father with our good deeds! The Father is merciful and Jesus has obtained His love for us. We will join him, we will let ourselves be washed by the holy Baptism and the Holy Spirit; from Jesus we learn to live in a new way for he teaches us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions and to live sober, upright and godly lives in this world!
Christian life is quite new. We don't live selfishly to merit something from God or to earn paradise or the praises of the Father. Knowing that we are already perfectly and fully loved, we live in thanksgiving. We are so happy to have the promises of God and to see them realized that we continue for ever to give thanks. The Eucharist is a thanksgiving or rather "the" thanksgiving for the great mysteries with which God demonstrates and has us participate in his love! Being grateful to God, we try to live in a way that manifests our gratitude and hence keep away from the distractions that the world places before us every day and we are careful not to be taken in by compliments which are the traps of superficiality and materialism.
Our lives, in obedience to the wishes of our Lord, will be a consolation for
all we meet who suffer and who knock at our hearts in search of a word, of a
smile, of how to escape from all that depresses them. Our grateful lives become
a consolation, an instrument with which God can spread His kindness in the world
which continues to suffer because of the sins of many!