Martin Madalai Muthu csc –
Readings: Is 42:1-4,6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Mt 3: 13-17
Today, the Mother Church celebrates the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This feast reminds me of my own Baptism. At my baptism I was called to receive the light of Christ and keep it “burning brightly” in my life.
To begin public ministry, Jesus was baptized by John. The Baptism of Jesus is an indication that Jesus is going to begin his mission. His mission is to spread love, console the people who are disturbed, give peace to the people who are rejected by society and help people build relationships with God so that they might have eternal life. Jesus was totally committed to the mission that God gave Him. Therefore, He was willing to be baptized by John when He should have been the one baptizing John. In this way God has changed our lives and called each of us to a mission.
As we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of Jesus, it is the right time to think about our own baptism and how faithful we are in living our baptismal promises. Jesus lived all through his life by being faithful to and fulfilling God’s plan. It is the same expectation which we too are called to fulfil.
Just as Matthew’s gospel makes a connection between the Baptism of the Lord and the mission of the suffering servant, we too should make a connection between our own baptism and that same mission. Baptized into the Body of Christ, we too are called to his ministry of mercy and go out into the world and “heal all those oppressed by the evil forces”. How can I live my life which would please God? What is my commitment to the mission to which God has called me through my Baptism?