Immersed in the River of Sinful Humanity — Silvio José Báez, ocd

Today’s Gospel shows Jesus coming from Nazareth to the River Jordan to be baptized by John (cf. Mk 1:9). The account does not so much describe the external rite of baptism as it does Jesus’s interior experience—an experience that would be decisive for his future messianic ministry.

As the Messiah, we might expect a glorious appearance and a display of power. Instead, Jesus arrives as one among many, without signs of superiority. He blends into the crowd gathered around John and takes his place in line among those who were confessing their sins. He begins his public life not with a solemn proclamation or a surprising miracle, but by drawing near to sinners and placing himself among them without any display of sanctity. Before being immersed in the waters of the Jordan, Jesus immerses himself in the river of sinful humanity.

The Messiah is the leader par excellence, the leader sent by God who leads us to salvation. Jesus the Messiah shows that authentic leadership is marked by humility and closeness to the people. The true leader doesn’t seek prominence or personal gain; he places the good of others first and shares the burdens of the people. He listens, accompanies, and brings the poorest and those who suffer most to the forefront.

Baptism was a rite of purification and conversion very common at the time: those who immersed themselves in the water expressed their decision to abandon sin and begin a new life. Jesus, “the Holy One of God” (Mk 1:24), who “knew no sin” (cf. 2 Cor 5:21), accepts being baptized in the midst of the people because “God does not look at the world from afar” (Leo XIV, Angelus, 11 January 2026). The Son of God does not come from outside to purify or punish at a distance; he identifies with the human condition and immerses himself in it.

John the Baptist resists baptizing him, affirming that he himself would rather need to be baptized by Jesus (cf. Mt 3:14). Jesus responds: “Do what I tell you, for it is necessary that in this way we fulfill all righteousness” (Mt 3:15). God’s design must be fulfilled: his plan of love for humanity is not to condemn sinners, but to make himself present in human weakness and to rescue human beings from within. In Jesus, God lowers himself to wounded humanity in order to save us.

Jesus made heaven present on earth; his joy was to spread the closeness and compassion of God.

For Jesus, baptism in the Jordan was not a purification from personal fault, but the beginning of his messianic mission on behalf of humanity in need of salvation. That is why, as he came up out of the water, “he saw the heavens being torn open” (Mt 3:16). There is no longer any distance between God and humanity. Jesus made heaven present on earth; his joy was to spread the closeness and compassion of God. However dark the days may be, heaven will always remain open to us, and the provident gaze of the Father will never be withdrawn. Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God (cf. Rom 8:39).

Then Jesus saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him (Mt 3:16). The Spirit is the breath of God that sustains our fragile life, his power that renews and transforms us, his loving energy that heals us and fills us with good things. From that moment on, it will be the Spirit of God who leads Jesus along the roads and villages of Galilee. Jesus will not improvise; he will not allow himself to be swayed; he will not be driven by any passing interest. Jesus will always act moved by the Spirit. He is the “beloved Son” of God, in whom the Spirit dwells as in a temple.

Anointed by the power of the Holy Spirit, we heard in today’s second reading that Jesus “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him” (Acts 10:38). We have received this same Spirit in our baptism: he has freed us from sin, made us children of God, and guides our lives in imitation of Jesus.

In a world polarized and blinded by ideologies, today more than ever we need to be guided by the Spirit. Ideologies offer absolute answers that narrow our vision: they simplify and label people, reinforce prejudices, fuel fanaticism, and often protect the interests of those in power, disguised as the common good. Blinded by them, we risk offering easy remedies to complex problems, forgetting mercy, and ignoring or despising those who are different—the weaker ones, migrants, and the poor.

Unlike ideologies, the Spirit disposes us to seek the truth with humility, opens our eyes to see the dignity of each person, enables discernment of the common good, and gives us the courage to denounce unjust structures that divide the world and oppress the peoples. Guided by the Spirit, we will know how to listen; we will have compassionate eyes, a heart ready to accompany others, and words not only to console but also to denounce, always seeking justice and peace.

Finally, after the Spirit descended upon Jesus, a voice was heard from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17). God says the same of each one of us: “This is my beloved son, my beloved daughter, with whom I am well pleased.” Let’s live with the awareness that the heavens are opened over each one of us like an embrace and a breath of life. Let’s listen each day to the consoling voice of the Father who whispers to our hearts: son, daughter, you are my love, my joy. We will live with greater serenity and fewer fears; we will become more human and joyful.

Thanks to Jesus, we too are sons and daughters of God, precious in his eyes. We are a temple of the Spirit; let’s allow him to lead us. Heaven is open and will never be closed. Let’s not extinguish the joy of living God’s own life and of carrying within us the strength and the light of his infinite love.

Bishop Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.

Auxiliary Bishop of Managua
Homily for the Baptism of the Lord, 11 January 2026

Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: The Bruneau River is a tributary of the Snake River that flows through the U.S. states of Idaho and Nevada. Photographer Bob Wick captured this stunning image of the river as is flows through the Bruneau-Jarbidge Wild and Scenic River system in southern Idaho. Image credit: Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

#BaptismOfTheLord #BishopSilvioJoséBáez #guidance #HolySpirit #presenceOfGod

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Today’s readings

I think we have to read and hear today’s readings very carefully. We’re still in the Christmas season – at the end of it, actually – and, more precisely, we’re at the octave day of the Epiphany of the Lord, which we celebrated last week, in which we started to see Jesus revealing himself, manifesting himself, to the world. Today’s readings are Epiphany readings, too, because they show us even more about who Jesus is and why he came.

In these readings he comes to be baptized by his cousin, Saint John the Baptist, in the River Jordan. This one moment says a lot about his mission: namely, that he came to be identified to us sinners. Now, that’s not the same thing as saying that he came to sin: clearly he was like us in all things but sin. But John’s baptism was one of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, which Jesus did not need to do. So why did he do it? He did it to say loudly and clearly that he loves us so much that he takes on our flesh and our sin – not his sin, because he never sinned – he takes on our sins so that they can be forgiven and washed away in his own baptism.

But I say that we have to hear these readings carefully because I think they can lead us to define Jesus by what he does. And that’s a start, but it’s just inadequate. Let’s see if we can recognize this a bit more clearly. In our first reading, the prophet Isaiah tells us about the Suffering Servant, and he says that that suffering servant is one who would “open the eyes of the blind … bring out prisoners from confinement …. and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.” So it’s easy to see Jesus as the suffering servant who would bring about justice. This in itself is pretty huge, but again, if we define Jesus as simply a justice-bringer, then he’s just a glorified judge or legislator. But Jesus is the true Suffering Servant: the one who would come and serve the people while himself suffering the effects of the peoples’ sins. Jesus did in fact came to suffer and die for us, to pay the price for our many sins. So far from being a judge or legislator, he also stands in place of the condemned – that would be us – and pays the price we deserve for our own lack of justice.

In our second reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Luke tells us that Jesus “… went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” Going about doing good and healing those who are suffering is a great thing. But if we see Jesus merely in this way, then he’s just a social worker or physician – and anyone can do those things. But during this year of grace, we will see Jesus as the divine physician who heals us from the inside out and makes us fit for heaven. He won’t be just a food service worker, but instead the one who spreads the lavish feast that becomes food for the journey to heaven, where we are called to the heavenly banquet.

And we know this is hard because we get confused about our own identities all the time. We can easily define ourselves or especially others by what we or they do. “He’s a computer programmer … she’s an attorney … he’s a retail worker.” Or we may even go so far as to define ourselves or others by superficial factors like nationality or sexual identity. None of this is adequate; it all falls short of saying who we really are.

So we’re in a quandary. If we don’t know who we are, it will be pretty hard for us to see who Jesus is. If we define ourselves by what we do, then we’re definitely going to look to Jesus to fill a role for us, perhaps a different role depending on where life has us at the moment. But it’s all inadequate, and we go through life confused.

Until we hear the words of God the Father in today’s Gospel. With Jesus coming up out of the river Jordan, the Father boldly proclaims: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” So Jesus isn’t what he does: he is what he was begotten: the Son of God, who is in relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit from before time began and until eternity. Because of this, his interaction with us is life-changing. Maybe he will heal us of this or that current ailment, but whether he does or whether he doesn’t, he will surely heal us from the inside out, and if we let him, he will lead us to heaven. Maybe he will help us with a family issue that has us up half the night every day, but whether he does or whether he doesn’t, he will surely give us a strength we never expected that will help us through it. All we have to do is stop seeing Jesus for what he does, stop expecting him to fill a role, and instead enter into relationship with him as the Son of God who does nothing but please his heavenly Father.

When we do that – when we enter into relationship with Christ – he will give us identity too. And not just the paltry identity of what we do or our nationality or whatever, but the real identity that God created us with – our identity as sons and daughters of God. It is our task to live that identity with authenticity. And no one says that’s going to be easy. But thank God he gives us himself and gives us the Church to help us on the way to him.

Today, Jesus is manifested as one who came to save us sinners. He is manifested as the only-begotten Son of God with whom the Father is well-pleased. We sons and daughters of God live for that day when he tells us that with us, too, he is well-pleased.

Quote of the day, 11 January: Blessed Marie-Eugène

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” (Is 61:1)

This descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ—what is it? It’s not only a sign; it’s a true descent of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit of the Father; it’s the Spirit of the Son. In Jesus, humanity is united to divinity. Our Lord is continually animated by his spirit of sonship, living from this filial movement as Son of the Father by nature, and as Son in his humanity. At the same time, his humanity, in all his actions, is guided and animated by the Spirit of God.

And there is not only the descent of the Holy Spirit; there is also the word of the Father: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17). The Trinity is present there, in the prayer of Jesus, and each of the three Persons affirms what he is and what he does: the Father, in recognizing his Son; the Son, in becoming incarnate, in allowing himself to be baptized and in praying here below; the Spirit, in taking possession of the humanity of the Son.

This grasp of the Holy Spirit can be understood as a taking possession of the humanity of Christ for his public life, for all the acts he is going to accomplish. The Christian himself becomes perfect only when he is moved by the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who does everything.

Let us learn how to place ourselves in cooperation with him, allowing his action to work within us. The saint is the one who understands that God is everything. “This is my joy: he must increase, and I must decrease,” said John the Baptist (Jn 3:30). This sanctifying grace, this presence, this ever more powerful action of the Holy Spirit, will make of us perfect children of God.

Blessed Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus

Assidus à la prière avec Marie, First Luminous Mystery (excerpt)

Marie-Eugène de l’Enfant-Jésus. Assidus à la prière avec Marie: Méditations sur les mystères du Rosaire. Toulouse: Éditions du Carmel, 2017.

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Detail from Baie 20, Basilica of Our Lady of Beaune, depicting the Baptism of Christ and the Crucifixion. Image credit: GO69 / Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0).

#BaptismOfTheLord #BlessedMarieEugeneOfTheChildJesus #ChristianLife #HolySpirit #HolyTrinity

At the Baptism of the Lord Year A, Jesus steps into the Jordan to stand with us. 🌿 The heavens open, the Spirit descends, and the Father calls Him the beloved Son. This moment begins His mission of peace and healing. It also reminds us of our baptism and our call to follow God each day. 🌟

https://young-catholics.com/3720/baptism-of-the-lord-year-a/

#catholic #faith #baptismofthelord

Quote of the day, 12 January: St. John of the Cross

Where have you hidden,
Beloved, and left me moaning?
you fled like the stag
after wounding me;
I went out calling you, but you were gone.

The Spiritual Canticle, stanza 1

The soul’s chief aim in this verse is not to ask for sensible devotion, in which there is neither certain nor clear possession of the Bridegroom in this life, but for the manifest presence and vision of his divine essence, in which she desires to be secure and satisfied in the next life.

The bride of the divine Song of Songs had this very idea when, longing for union with the divinity of the Word, her Bridegroom, she asked the Father: Show me where you pasture and where you rest at midday [Song 1:7]. In requesting him to disclose his place of pasture, she wanted him to reveal the essence of the divine Word, his Son. For the Father does not pasture anywhere else than in his only Son, for the Son is the glory of the Father. And in begging that he show her his place of rest, she was asking to see that same Son.

The Son is the only delight of the Father, who rests nowhere else nor is present in any other than in his beloved Son. He rests wholly in his Son, communicating to him his essence at midday, which is eternity, where he ever begets him and has begotten him.

When the soul, the bride, cries: “Where have you hidden?” she seeks this pasture, the Word, her Bridegroom, where the Father feeds in infinite glory, and she seeks the flowering bosom where he rests with infinite delight of love, deeply hidden from every mortal eye and every creature.

Saint John of the Cross

The Spiritual Canticle, st. 1, no. 5

John of the Cross, St. 1991, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, Revised Edition, translated from the Spanish by Kavanaugh, K and Rodriguez, O with revisions and introductions by Kavanaugh, K, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: This stained glass window, depicting the Baptism of Christ, was crafted around 1900 by master stained glass artist Édouard Didron. It is located in bay 21 of the Basilica of Notre Dame in Beaune, France. The artwork employs the grisaille technique, where painted images are fused to the glass. Image credit: GO69 / Wikimedia Commons (Some rights reserved).

#BaptismOfTheLord #bride #bridegroom #delight #HeavenlyFather #hidden #SonOfGod #soul #SpiritualCanticle #StJohnOfTheCross

“The Son is the only delight of the Father.” Reflect on Christ’s baptism and the soul’s longing for union with Him, with St. John of the Cross. #BaptismoftheLord

http://carmelitequotes.blog/2025/01/11/juan-sc1n5/