Riven Heavens!
Year A – Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Matthew 3:13–17: “After Jesus was baptised, he came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to 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 whom I am well pleased.’”
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord stands as the fulfilment of the great manifestations of the Epiphany, forming, together with the adoration of the Magi and the wedding at Cana (Jesus’ first miracle in the Fourth Gospel), a true theological and liturgical triptych. With this feast the Christmas season comes to an end and the journey of Ordinary Liturgical Time begins, in which the public life of Jesus becomes light and guidance for the daily life of believers.
The event
The baptism of Jesus is present in all four Gospels, although with differences of emphasis and detail. Matthew, Mark and Luke recount it explicitly. Saint John presents it in the form of the Baptist’s testimony. The event of the baptism is of particular importance: it is the first public act of the adult Jesus. It marks a decisive turning point in the life of the Lord. Jesus leaves behind the hidden life in Nazareth and begins his prophetic ministry. His baptism reveals in a decisive way his identity as the Son of God and his messianic mission.
The mission of Jesus begins with baptism and concludes with the sending of the apostles to baptise. In the same way, it both begins and ends with the invocation of the Trinity:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
Three pieces of good news
The baptism of Jesus brings us three “pieces of good news” that fill with joy the heart of the believer who welcomes them.
First piece of good news: today Jesus is with us, standing in line with the sinners who go down into the waters of the Jordan. How can this be, he who is without sin? John the Baptist asks—and we ask it too. Saint Paul answers us: “For our sake God made him who knew no sin to be sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
God does not save us from afar: he draws near; he is Emmanuel. Jesus reveals himself as profoundly in solidarity with his brothers and sisters, to the point of scandalising the respectable. He will be called “a friend of sinners” (Matthew 11:19). Here is the first beautiful piece of news: the Messiah has a new title, one that honours us deeply—he is the friend of sinners. He is our friend!
Second piece of good news: today the heavens are flung wide open!
“Like a breach opened in the walls, a door to the sun; like arms opened to friends, to the beloved, to children, to the poor. Heaven opens so that life may go out and so that life may come in. It opens under the urgency of God’s love, under the siege of suffering life, and no one will ever close it again” (Ermes Ronchi). God breaks the silence that so saddened Israel and answers our cry: “Oh, that you would tear open the heavens and come down!” (Isaiah 63:19). Today communion between heaven and earth is restored!
Third piece of good news: today we become children in the Son. “And behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’”
Three statements in three “words”: Son, Beloved, My delight. This is the revelation found at the beginning of the Synoptic Gospels (cf. Mt 3:17; Mk 1:11; Lk 3:22). It is echoed by the prophet Isaiah in the first reading (42:1–7) and by Psalm 2: “You are my son; today I have begotten you.”
The good news is that these words are addressed also to each one of us, at the moment of our baptism: “You are my son/daughter, the beloved; in you I have placed my delight!”
Perhaps we say: “I have never heard this Voice, and it seems to me that the sky remains closed above me.” This Voice today resounds in the heaven of my soul and can be heard by the ear of faith. And we can hear it every day when, at the beginning of the day, we make the sign of the cross, thinking of our baptism, of our immersion “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. Every day we are immersed in the Trinity, and the Father repeats these three words to us, bringing light, love and courage to face the day.
A new beginning
Today Jesus begins his ministry, with the strength of the Father’s revelation and the gentle presence of the Spirit, like a dove that finds its nest in his heart. We too are encouraged to begin again, once more, taking up daily life after the Christmas festivities. We are invited to set out again with a new awareness and a renewed trust in the grace of our baptism.
“Those who hope in the Lord renew their strength; they soar on wings like eagles, they run and do not grow weary, they walk and do not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
I conclude with a quotation from a beautiful lectio on baptism given by Benedict XVI, which I invite you to read: [https://comboni2000.org/2025/01/07/lectio-on-baptism/]
“God is no longer far away from us; he is not a reality to be debated—whether he exists or not—but rather we are in God and God is in us. The priority, the centrality of God in our life is a first consequence of Baptism. To the question, ‘Does God exist?’, the answer is: ‘He exists and he is with us; this closeness of God, this being in God himself, concerns our life; God is not a distant star, but the very environment of my life.’ This would be the first consequence and therefore it should tell us that we ourselves must take this presence of God into account, truly living in his presence.”
Fr Manuel João Pereira Correia, mccj
Fr. Manuel João, comboni missionary
Sunday Reflection
from the womb of my whale, ALS
Our cross is the pulpit of the Word
