The Baptism of Our Lord – A Reflection by Fr. Leo

Elizabeth was six months pregnant when Mary visited her and her baby leapt in her womb for joy.  John was the baby who was predestined to announce the coming of the Christ.  John and Jesus were kinsman and probably shared a deep mystical faith in God.  While baptizing with water, John fulfills his mission in bringing Jesus to the awareness of the people, and perhaps to Jesus himself. The awareness that Jesus is the one who will baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire.

The Holy Spirit descends on Jesus and God’s voice from heaven proclaims for all to hear, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”  Jesus receives what he will give; the presence and power of God through the Holy Spirit.  Jesus’ public life begins then through and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Whenever Jesus healed, raised the dead, inspired the people to feed the five thousand, it was always the work of the Holy Spirit. In all of this he was fully united as the second person in the Holy Trinity.  Today, it is the same Spirit that makes us disciples through God’s indwelling spirit.  As a people we celebrate this reality through the Sacrament of Baptism.  In Pentecost the Spirit was sent upon us as the continual living presence of God.  In the Spirit we live, and move and have our being.

As we learn to live in the Spirit of God that is within us we come to a higher level of consciousness.  We grow in our awareness of our spiritual calling and purpose in being.  Like Jesus we may need time in the desert to discern God’s call.  Prayer in a quiet, undistracted place is for us our desert.  It is there that we learn to know the deep inner presence of God and discern his vocare, or vocation, for us.

Our growth in the spiritual life, nurtured by prayer, reveals our calling as a deep down desire.  Our calling isn’t something that is imposed on us.  Because of our union and love of God, our deepest calling and God’s will are one and the same.  This is why St. Augustine could write that our hearts would not be at rest until they rested in God.

In our prayer, the voice from heaven will descend upon us too.  And we will hear that we are God’s chosen.  Let us take time then, each day, to be baptized in the presence of God through reflection and prayer.  Let us live with wonder that we may begin to know the moving of the Spirit in our beings.

Reflection continued in next column®

The people were filled with expectation,

and all were asking in their hearts

whether John might be the Christ.

John answered them all, saying,

“I am baptizing you with water,

but one mightier than I is coming.

I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

After all the people had been baptized

and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,

heaven 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;

with you I am well pleased.”