January 9, 2011: The Baptism of the Lord

Jesus was sent to be a light to the nations, to open the eyes of the blind and to bring into the light those imprisoned in darkness.

Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John to be baptized by him. …When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13, 16-17)

Christmas is over.
Today we celebrate the feast of Jesus’ baptism.
St. Matthew tells us Jesus “went up immediately from the water”. He was ready and eager to begin the work for which God sent him into the world. And what was the work for which he was sent?
We find a good description of Jesus’ work in our reading today from the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7): he was sent to be a light to the nations, to open the eyes of the blind and to bring into the light those imprisoned in darkness.

Action:

You have been baptized as well. Are you eager, like Jesus, to help people in your life to live in light? We do that best by helping each person realize that he or she is a child of God. We help each person by treating him or her as a child of God, and as a brother or sister of Jesus.