The readings for the Baptism of the Lord (Year B) May be found at:
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/011021.cfm
These days, it’s hard not to feel lost.
Each day we see people struggling with grief, worry, anxiety, concerns for their health and the health of those they love.
Loss of jobs and income have affected all of us and those we know in one way or another.
And it seems that each day, we’re reminded many times just how angry, divided, unequal and unforgiving our society is.
The events of this last Wednesday in the U.S. Capitol, I think, shocked and saddened most everyone I’ve spoken with.
When you put it all together, it’s hard not to feel like we’ve lost our way.
Thankfully we are reminded of who and what we are in the Baptism of Jesus.
We were born with original sin and need Baptism to cleanse our soul.
But Jesus didn’t need Baptism - He was without sin, but He humbled Himself just the same and allowed Himself to be baptized to remind us of who we are and who we belong to.
Jesus already knew that he was the beloved son of the Father.
When the voice from heaven announced this, it didn’t do it for Jesus’ benefit, it did it for ours so that we would know that Jesus is the chosen one, the beloved and that we are to listen to Him.
Now, up to this point in his life, Jesus hadn't done anything too impressive that we know of, no miracles, no great speeches to the masses, no massive conversions.
He had spent thirty years living in Nazareth in a humble dwelling, helping his foster father in the carpentry shop and doing errands for his mother.
And yet, the Father was well pleased with him.
Why?
Because Jesus has been doing what God asked him to do, and doing it with love.
He doesn’t expect great things from us, it is He who makes things great.
What God wants from us is not complicated. What He wants is for us to know, love, and follow Jesus better by doing what He asks of us.
And when we do that, we find a simple peace, wisdom and a calm that wasn’t there before. One we can’t get on our own.
We can see this in the lives of the saints.
While many of them did amazing things, worked miracles and converted hardened sinners, not all of them did.
Many saints lived ordinary, hidden lives, pleasing God by living their daily duties with love and sacrifice.
St Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower entered a French Carmelite convent when she was just fifteen, where she prayed, worked and served her community.
When she died nine years later, her convent sisters debated whether to even include her death in the newsletter that was sent to the other Carmelite convents with the relevant news of the day.
That's how simple and humble her daily life appeared to them.
And yet, today she is one of the world's most well known and most inspirational saints and a Doctor of the Universal Church.
We are related to the Little Flower and are a sibling of Jesus Christ because of the great and miraculous gift of Baptism.
The sanctifying grace of Baptism began a journey for us of following Christ through this life.
God-willing it will culminate with the everlasting joys of heaven.
This journey is not easy and we can’t do it alone.
In a few moments, Jesus will give us renewed strength for this journey by feeding us with his own Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist.
When He does, let us thank him for this priceless gift and ask Him to help us know, love, and follow Him better by doing what He asks of us.
