Gospel according to Saint Mark 1:7-11:

This is what John the Baptist proclaimed:
“One mightier than I is coming after me.
I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
and was baptized in the Jordan by John.
On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open
and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.
And a voice came from the heavens,
“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Christ truly believed in His Baptism

p. Luis CASASUS President of the Idente Missionaries

Rome, Sunday January 7, 2024 | The Baptism of the Lord

Is 42: 1-4.6-7; Act 10: 34-38; Mk 1: 7-11
(In some Episcopal Conferences the Readings are different.)

In the time of Christ, baptism was a rite practiced by many religious groups, with different meanings. Likewise, in other religions, it is a highly significant ceremony. But, above all, it represented the death of one life and the birth of another; one was swept away by the current and the new life emerged from the waters, so the person was given, and today is also given, a new name. That is what St. John the Baptist was doing with his disciples, when Jesus appeared in the midst of those who were waiting to be cleansed of their sins.
Much has been said about why Christ asked to be baptized, which certainly does not fit in with what we have just said. But what is clear is that Christ, who did not need to pass from sin to virtue, recognized that there was going to be an authentic change of life in Him. Of course it was so, and God the Father’s response was immediate: You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased (Mk. 1:11).
We all like to receive approval for what we do, and even more so when the person who approves us expresses his personal satisfaction. There is nothing wrong with that, although we must not become slaves to the desire for any approval. But, what happens here, of course, is very special, for it is God the Father himself who shows his pleasure… although in reality Jesus’ public mission had not yet begun.
As can be seen in the lives of many saints, and especially in the lives of the Holy Innocent Children, it is not necessary to do great things to give joy in the kingdom of heaven. That explains why on December 28 the world recognizes that those babies killed by Herod are true martyrs, with the highest degree of sanctity, although they could not decide, understand, offer, or desire anything, the finger of God pointed them out and placed in their hearts His purity.
Yes; the saint, with his pure intention, gives satisfaction to God.
A few days ago, at this Christmas time when so many memories come to the surface, I had my mother especially in mind, for whom I thank God. Undoubtedly, she did many things for me and my brother; she gave us every moment of her life, like so many generous mothers in this world. However, there is something more. My gratitude is not only for what she did, but because I am sure that, if she could have, she would have done much more. I am sure of her intention.
If this happens to us, small and sinful, with some people who love us, won’t the same thing happen to God the Father? Won’t He be happy with us, because He knows that we would do great things for Him if we were not so impotent, so ignorant, so weak? Christ already spoke of the importance of being faithful in the little. This “little” is a powerful sign that we give to God, but even more important is the sign that we receive. Christ himself, after being baptized, explained what happened to him after he was baptized. On his return from the Jordan, in the synagogue of Nazareth, He used the words of Isaiah: The spirit of the Lord God accompanies me, for the Lord himself has anointed me, he has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives…. (Is 61: 1 ff.).
This anointing meant, as it does today, a form of identification with an outstanding mission; that is why kings, athletes and priests were anointed. The oils are present at Baptism, at priestly Ordination, at Confirmation, at the Anointing of the Sick….
—ooOoo—
It is often said that it is sad to see the churches almost empty, in particular, only occupied by elderly people and with almost no youth presence. Yes, it may be sad, but that also has a positive aspect; a very positive one. Elderly people who diligently attend Mass and other ceremonies do not do so simply “because they have more free time” or do not know where to go. That is not entirely true, because many of them have to take care of their grandchildren and others make an effort to walk and get around with difficulty.
Many of them, with whom I have had the opportunity to speak, have spent decades away from the Church, without participating or being interested in religious acts or prayers. Most of them are people baptized in their childhood and show that they did not lose the form of union received at baptism. In them is manifested the fruit of the gift of Wisdom: sooner or later, discovering what is most valuable from so much knowledge, experiences, and ideas received during life, is it not a proof that the faith of Baptism cannot be destroyed?
A few weeks ago, a former colleague who was completely estranged from (not at odds with) the Church, invited me to pray for a mutual friend who had recently passed away and for his family. This colleague has no weakness of mind and not much time to be bored. Where does this need to pray come from now? He has not received the Eucharist for more than 45 years and I know that he has committed public and private faults, against a good number of Commandments…There remains only the grace of baptism to explain this “reaction”. Baptism gives us a new spiritual personality, it clothes us, but it also unites us:
Indeed, all of you who believe in Christ Jesus are children of God, for all of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is no longer any distinction between Jew and non-Jew, between slave and free, between male and female. In Christ Jesus, you are all one. And if you belong to Christ, you are also Abraham’s descendants and heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3:26-29).
In our life, the authentic awareness of who we are has a permanent effect. How much more so if we take care of it and respect it as is God’s will.
The son of King Louis XVI of France, who would have succeeded to the throne, was kidnapped as a child by heartless men when they dethroned the king. For six months he was tortured and exposed to all the filth and vileness that life had to offer, but he never buckled under the pressure. This puzzled his captors, who asked him why he had such moral strength. His answer was simple: I cannot do what you ask of me, for I was born to be king. He died at the age of ten due to infections and injuries sustained during his captivity.
—ooOoo—
The Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord is an occasion to meditate on our own baptism. Perhaps I have been negligent, or have not paid attention or even believed in the reality of the grace received at my baptism. A sacrament is not magic, it is a special occasion, established by the Founder of the Church, to receive a specific grace. Perhaps, naively, I have believed that, if it had any effect, it has already expired with time.
But the Beatitude that we receive in the intimacy of the heart proves the contrary. As our Father Founder teaches us, this Beatitude (Beatific state), this specific form of union with the Divine Persons, is a privilege for Christians, for us, who unworthily experience it as a confirmation that, with our little faith, with our doubts and our stunted generosity, we are nevertheless on the only path that can lead us to the fullness of life.
It is a different thing if we are walking with the expected diligence, but in many moments, the Holy Spirit gives us a deep feeling of Aspiration, of irremediable attraction, in spite of our impotence, uncertainty and inconsistency. It is the certainty that I need to go on, that I could not go after anything else. Much stronger than my fragility, it is that grace that springs from the perhaps distant day of my baptism.
That is one of the components of the filial consciousness, the participation in the joy of the Father, which has little to do with the fleeting joys of this world.
We may feel embarrassment or shame when we hear that we are chosen, privileged, why should it be so? We want to understand the evil in the world and we also aspire uselessly to explain the reason for a grace. Many among us do not take it seriously, do not believe that this election can be a spiritual reality. But it is so. We need not waste time in discovering why. It is the divine plans, full of mystery. As Christ himself said:
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I thank you that you have hidden all this from the wise and learned and revealed it to the simple. Yes, Father, this is what you have willed (Mt 11: 25-26).
There is a moment in the Gospels about parents bringing little children to Jesus. When the disciples tried to stop the parents from doing so, Christ rebuked his disciples and told them: Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Parents today continue to bring their children to Jesus every time they present them for baptism, because at baptism, Jesus begins to live in them through the Spirit. When parents bring their children to baptism, they make a decision for them that is very much in keeping with the Lord’s desire: Let the children come to me and do not hinder them.
Let us not think that these “children” are only people of a few years of age. They are sometimes the most conspicuous sinners, but capable of repentance in the most extreme way. At other times they are those who know practically nothing of Christ, like the centurion, or the lepers and blind who came to him, but thirsting for eternity.
God cannot forget or abandon a single one of his creatures.
Today’s Solemnity marks the time and place where salvation began to be manifested. It began in Galilee, when John began to baptize by the Jordan.
With these words, the new period of Jesus’ life is defined, which is usually called the public life of Jesus: the time that the Lord Jesus lived among us, beginning from the baptism of John, until the day when Jesus was received up from among us into heaven (Acts 1: 22).
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