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Already in 300, on January 6, the Eastern Church celebrated the Epiphany and the Baptism of Jesus, while in the Western Church this feast was spoken of in the Liturgy of the Hours.
With the liturgical reform of 1969, the feast was fixed on the Sunday after the Epiphany: where the solemnity of the Epiphany cannot be celebrated on January 6, it is moved to the Sunday between January 2 and 8, and the feast of Baptism the Monday following the Epiphany.
With this celebration, the Christmas season ends, although a "window" remains open on February 2nd, the day on which the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple is celebrated, "light of the people” (known popularly as “candlemas”).
At that time, Jesus from Galilee came to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.
But John wanted to prevent him, saying: "I am the one who needs to be baptized by you, and you come to me?".
But Jesus answered him: “Let it be for now, for it is fitting that we fulfill all righteousness.” Then he let him do it. As soon as he was baptized, Jesus came out of the water: and behold, the heavens opened for him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him.
And behold, a voice from heaven said: “This is my beloved Son: in him I am well pleased.“. (Mt 3,13-17)
The text of the gospel begins with a geographical annotation: Jesus from Galilee goes to the Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist.
In his arrival, Jesus does not declare himself the Messiah, he does not preach but places himself alongside, wanting to be baptized and showing solidarity with the sinful people. Jesus does not isolate himself, but meets men, even if marked by the wound of sin, and compromises himself for them, as he compromised himself by becoming Man in Mary's womb.
There is therefore a coherent plan in this "movement" of Jesus, in this "itinerary of salvation".
“I am the one who needs to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”, the Baptist will say upon seeing Jesus.
We find ourselves faced with the bewilderment of the prophet, who just a few verses earlier, the Baptist had expressed himself as follows: "He who comes after me is stronger than I and I am not worthy to carry his sandals..." (Mt 3, 11).
We seem to be faced with the bewilderment of Peter in Caesarea, when he rebuked Jesus after having confided to his followers that passion, death and resurrection awaited him: "God forbid, Lord...But Jesus, turning, said to Peter: "Be far from me, Satan! You are a scandal to me, because you do not think according to God but according to men" (Mt 16,22-23).
Or in the Cenacle, when Peter refuses to have his feet washed (Jn 13,6.8). Reactions, those of the Baptist and Peter, which bring out the discomfort in seeing Jesus so weak and compliant.
There is a moment when it is important to "let it be". What may appear out of the ordinary, to the point of making his closest interlocutors feel embarrassed, is nevertheless part of God's plan which aims to "fulfil" all justice, given that Jesus - as he himself will declare - does not he came to abolish the law and the prophets (see Mt 5:17), but precisely to bring everything "to completion" with the justice of God, which does not humiliate, does not separate, does not judge but unites, breaks down barriers, responds to need of everyone with respect for everyone.
God's justice is superior to that of men: it does not use the measure of "how much", as much as you have offended and as much you will pay. But he uses the yardstick of love, mercy, forgiveness. The only measure capable of bridging distances and healing wounded hearts, because it is from within that evil intentions arise (see Mc 7,1-23).
Jesus' choice is confirmed to Him with the heavens opened, with the gift of the Spirit and the voice of the Father which seals the mission of Jesus: "This is my beloved Son: I am well pleased with him”. In this opening of the heavens, "justice" erases the separation between man and God, bringing man back to the dawn of creation, when the Spirit hovered over the waters.
In Jesus, God the Father indicates the new man, the beloved, his pleasure. As if he said: “In you I am happy, I am proud”. A happiness that still exists in each of us, because each of us carries within us the imprint of God, his being made of him."in the image and likeness” (Gen 1.26): a stamp that no one will ever be able to erase: “And he saw that it was a very good/beautiful thing!” (Gen 1:31).
His coming says that we care about Him.With you I wish to begin a new history of salvation, a new principle". We are new men to the extent that we learn to recognize life as a gift of love and live by this Love.
At that time, John proclaimed: “He who is stronger than me is coming after me: I am not worthy to bend down to untie the laces of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. And behold, in those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John.
And immediately, coming out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending towards him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son: I am well pleased with you” (Mk 1,7-11).
During the Christmas season we adored the Baby of Bethlehem lying in a manger (Christmas); met the Holy Family of Nazareth (first Sunday after Christmas); venerated Mary, Mother of God (1 January); we reflected on the manifestation of Jesus to the Magi, that is, to all the people (6 January).
“Nazareth” is a small town, without traditions and mentioned in a derogatory way:“Can anything good ever come from Nazareth?”, asked Nathanael (John 1:46).
Yet here Jesus lived for 30 years. Years of silence, of growth and awareness, of work, of family, of ordinariness... "Galilee", a region disqualified from a religious point of view, because it was considered contaminated by pagan people.
Essential details that the evangelist uses to help us understand that Jesus enters "public" history not as a "privileged" person, rather one could say from a "back door": of his 30 years we know from the Gospels that Jesus grew up in“age, wisdom and grace”(Lk 2.52), and it is this maturity that leads him to be "in solidarity" with the least, with sinners:“He who knew no sin – writes Saint Paul – became a sin and a curse for us”(2Cor 5,21; Gal 3,13).
Coming out of the water, the only one who recognizes the voice from heaven is Jesus:“You are my beloved Son”. Words that are addressed to us today:“You are my beloved Son”.
It's as if he were saying:“In you I am happy”. There is a happiness of God in each of us, because no matter what, each of us is and remains made“in his image and likeness”(Gn 1,26) and his satisfaction with what has been done no one will be able to erase:“And he saw that it was a very good/beautiful thing!”(Gen 1:31).
His coming says that we care about Him. In His descent He says to each of us:“You interest me and I take care of you, I care about your existence, I care about you. With you I wish to begin a new history of salvation, a new principle".
Jesus stands in solidarity with men and ranks among sinners, He who is without sin. He stands beside us, he is God-with-us, Emmanuel.
He takes charge of the fate of each one, and so we too are called - even more so because we are baptized, immersed in his love - to know how to take care of those who share the experience of life, starting with the least (sinners), the excluded ( Nazareth), from the labeled (Galilee).
Every judgment or prejudice must be dismantled in the truth because each of us is“the beloved of the Lord”, in which God has placed "his pleasure", his joy. This applies to me, but it applies to all brothers and sisters, to all Brothers. Regardless of our condition as sinners. In baptism the Event of Christmas is renewed: God comes down, enters me so that I am reborn in Him, a new creature.
But this "new life" (see Is 43:19) asks to be witnessed so that, as Jesus said of himself, “He who has seen me has seen the Father”(Jn 14.9), so also those who meet us can say“in you, I see Jesus”. Humanly impossible, of course, but "nothing is impossible with God" (Lk 1:37).
The Baptism of Jesus therefore closes the strong season of Christmas and opens theOrdinary Time, the time of life.
If Baptism inaugurated the public mission of Jesus, for us it inaugurates the commitment to leave the "Bethlehem cave" where we adored him, and begin the mission of bearing witness to him day by day, strengthened by the joy of being a community/people of God who gathers every Sunday to be guided by the "star" of the Word of God, to be nourished by the Eucharist, the Bread of the journey, living in and with charity, on the way towards the open heavens, where the Father awaits us to live forever with He.
At that time, since the people were waiting and everyone was wondering in their hearts regarding John whether he was not the Christ, John responded to everyone by saying: “I baptize you with water; but he comes who is stronger than me, whose sandal straps I am not worthy to untie.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” And behold, while all the people were being baptized and Jesus, having also received baptism, was praying, the sky was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, like a dove, and a voice came from heaven: " You are my beloved Son: I am well pleased with you” (Lk 3,15-16.21-22).
It is interesting to note that the evangelist Luke notes that the baptism of Jesus was an experience of the people: “While all the people were baptized”. In this presence, Jesus manifests a profound solidarity with the sinful people, giving the "stamp" of his mission from the beginning.
Jesus is the one who reveals that he came to "get his hands dirty", to take on the sins of humanity.
Unlike the other evangelists, Luke does not focus on baptism, but leaves it in the background, with a simple quote "He also received baptism".
What the evangelist places emphasis on is his attitude: “He was praying”. A theme particularly dear to Luke and to which he will return often in the Gospel. In this climate of prayer, Jesus receives the gift of the Spirit and is confirmed by the Father who recognizes that he is "the beloved" and that he has placed in him his "pleasure", that is, his trust.
A way to indicate that his closeness and solidarity is the reason why he was sent.
In the context of prayer, Jesus receives the gift of the Spirit. A detail that suggests that whenever we are in prayer, that is, face to face with God (Saint Teresa of Avila), it is possible to experience the Holy Spirit.
Praying is returning to Him, being with Him: it is the breath of being children of God in which baptism has inserted us. Only in prayer can our life as children be nourished and allow us to hear ourselves say: "You are the beloved”, “You are important to me".
In Jesus, the Father's beloved Son, each of us is "the beloved of the Lord”, in which God has placed “his pleasure”, his joy. This applies to me, but it applies to all brothers and sisters, toBrothers all.
Regardless of our condition as sinners. In baptism the Event of Christmas is renewed: God comes down, enters me so that I am reborn in Him, a new creature. But this "new life" (see Is 43:19) asks to be witnessed so that, as Jesus said of himself, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14.9), so that those who meet us can say “in you, I see Jesus".
Humanly impossible, of course, but "nothing is impossible with God" (Lk 1:37).
