<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today marks\nthe end of the Christmas Season, the season of intense reflection on the\nGod-man\u2019s revelation to humanity. Thus, with the Baptism of the Lord, we must\nask ourselves this question: what does Jesus want to reveal to us today with\nhis baptism? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the one\nhand, Jesus wants to reveal that he comes to \u201cfulfill all righteousness.\u201d\nAccording to Deuteronomy 6:25, righteousness means fearing God, loving and\nobeying him, always. Jesus\u2019 baptism fulfills the Old Covenant\u2019s idea of\nrighteousness. Though sinless, Jesus enters into solidarity with sinners by\nreceiving the baptism of John – a baptism with water of repentance (Matthew\n3:11). He embraces the fate of sinful humanity for us on the cross in order to\nmake us righteous. St Paul writes in Romans 5:18, \u201cTherefore just as one man\u2019s\ntrespass led to condemnation for all, so one man\u2019s act of righteousness leads\nto justification and life for all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indeed, the\ndescent of the Spirit and the Father\u2019s voice saying \u201cthis is my beloved Son,\nwith whom I am well pleased\u201d fulfill Isaiah 42:1, \u201cHere is my servant whom I\nuphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon him I have put my spirit.\u201d\nBut there is more. Jesus also wants to reveal who he is. Jesus is the fullness\nand perfection of revelation (Dei Verbum, no. 4). Everything that was spoken of\nin the Old Covenant finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, and everything that\nthe Father wishes to speak to us today comes through Jesus. Hebrews 1:1 says,\n\u201cLong ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets,\nbut in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son.\u201d Whatever we want to know\nabout God can be found in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As Jesus\nhimself says later in Matthew 11:27, \u201cno one knows the Father except the Son\nand anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact,\nthe Triune God reveals himself today: the Son rises from the water, the Spirit\ndescends on the Son, and the Father declares his delight in the Son. But the\nTriune God calls us, through the person of Jesus Christ, to share in the divine\nlife. This is the whole aim of the Christian life revealed at the baptism of\nthe Lord. Just as Jesus is the beloved Son of the Father, so, too, are we\ncalled to be beloved sons of the Father, adopted through the only-begotten Son.\nThis always begins by allowing God to love us in Jesus Christ – to love us\nthrough and in the Son. Hence, our life should aim to say Yes to divine love so\nthat, when we stand before the throne of God, he may say to us: \u201cyou are my\nbeloved son, with whom I am well pleased.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joseph Yuson<\/strong> \u2013 St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fot. Anastasia Taioglou\/Unsplash.com<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Baptism of the Lord<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,17,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-strona-glowna-najnowsze","category-strona-glowna-slider"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n