MY BELOVED SON
Introduction
Today, the Gospel gives us Mark’s account of the baptism of Jesus. We look at it in the spirit of the Christmas season. On Christmas, he manifested himself as a child, God as human in his weakness, through he was the Son of God. At the Epiphany, he manifested himself to the Gentiles as the Savior of all of humankind. Today, he manifests himself as the Son intensely loved by the Father, with the Spirit resting on him and guiding him. This scene is the inaugural vision of his public life. Now, he can begin his mission. For us, too, it is a reminder that in Jesus, we become God’s beloved sons and daughters, and in our baptism began our mission as Christians.
1 Jn 5:5-13
Every God-born person conquers the world’s ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. The person who wins out over the world’s ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.
Jesus—the Divine Christ! He experienced a life-giving birth and a death-killing death. Not only birth from the womb, but baptismal birth of his ministry and sacrificial death. And all the while the Spirit is confirming the truth, the reality of God’s presence at Jesus’ baptism and crucifixion, bringing those occasions alive for us. A triple testimony: the Spirit, the Baptism, the Crucifixion. And the three in perfect agreement.
If we take human testimony at face value, how much more should we be reassured when God gives testimony as he does here, testifying concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God inwardly confirms God’s testimony. Whoever refuses to believe in effect calls God a liar, refusing to believe God’s own testimony regarding his Son. This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son. So, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life. My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours.
Mk 1:7-11
As he preached he said, “The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will change your life. I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out.”
At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God’s Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit, a voice: “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.”
Prayer
God, our Father,
with your whole people reborn in baptism
we give you thanks and praise
that in Jesus each of us has become
your beloved son or daughter.
Fill us with the fire of the Holy Spirit
who guided Jesus in life and death.
Let this Spirit set us free for our mission
to serve you and one another
with unselfish, grateful love.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
Reflection:
1 John 5: 5-13
Those who believe in Jesus conquers the world
Throughout history there have been people who wanted to conquer the world: Alexander the Great, the Caesars, Napoleon, Adolph Hitler, to name a few. They were consumed with the lust for power and they thought they could achieve their goal by bloodshed. Adolf Hitler and even many other contemporaries of our times were responsible for the deaths and atrocities against humanity in their attempts to conquer the world.
Ironically St. John in today’s first reading tells us that one who is the conqueror of the world is the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Of course, he is speaking of a different kind of conquest, one which overcomes sin, evil, and everlasting death. We can become conquerors through faith in Jesus Christ because he has won the great victory for us. This would be a strange kind of victory in the twisted mind of emperors and autocrats of the world. Strangest of all, the victory has come about through bloodshed, but not the blood of innocent millions but through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Ambition is a drive which can become so strong that it blinds a person to true values. Faith in Jesus should be like a light which illumines reality so that we can see the real purpose of life and to perceive what we really should be working for. We have a promise that this goal is already ours in every Mass we celebrate.
Jesus declares to us: “This is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant.” This covenant is God’s promise that eternal life is ours. This promise is sealed in the blood of Christ, the same blood of which we partake under the appearance of wine.
History has called many people with the title “Great,” but God has made each one of us great through the blood of his Son.
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