January 15, 2023, 12:00 PM

We can sum up the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord that we celebrated January 9 with two words: manifestation and mission. Like the Feast of the Epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord is a manifestation of Jesus. After Jesus is baptized, we hear God the Father say, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” This voice from Heaven is directed at each of us. God announces that the servant that Isaiah speaks about in the 1st reading, the chosen one with whom God is well pleased, is the Jesus who will be manifested to the whole world. The Holy Spirit anoints Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, sent to bring the Good News of salvation. Jesus, the suffering servant, comes into our world, becomes one of us, and transforms us from within. The ongoing Good News, that God is with us, then becomes the mission of Jesus, the mission of the Church, and our mission. Like the Baptism of Jesus, our Baptism involves manifestation and mission. When we are baptized, we share in the Spirit of the Lord. God is well pleased with us, and we begin to make our lives more Christ-like. We are called to show that God is present in our hearts and lives and to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel. We need a vigorous faith to engage a culture that is so different from a Christian culture. We must realize the difference between a life shaped by Gospel values and a life guided by the changing values of our culture. We are called to deepen our faith so we can manifest Jesus and carry out His mission in our culture. Now you know!