Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (12/01/2025): Almighty ever-living God, who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him, solemnly declared him your beloved Son, grant that your children by adoption, reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, may always be well pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Commentary on the Mass Readings for the Feast of the Holy Family, Year C:
The First Reading is from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 42:1-4; 6-7. This prophecy of Isaiah was chosen today’s feast which commemorates the baptism of Christ in the Jordan, because on that occasion the Father’s voice from heaven proclaimed that Christ was “his beloved servant in whom he was well pleased.” Following the interpretation of the inspired Evangelists and of the ancient and constant tradition of the Church, we can have no hesitation in seeing gin these works of Isaiah, written five centuries or so before Christ, a description of the Saviour who came on earth to teach Jew and Gentile the new law of God, the law of love and mercy.

The Second Reading is from the Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38. These verse of Acts are read for use today because they contain a reference to our Lord’s baptism. That day, nearly two thousand years ago, when Christ by his baptism in the Jordan, began his public preaching of salvation for all men, is a day—a feast day—no true Christian can ever forget. The baptism of John was for sinners—a sign of change of heart and a turning to God. Christ had no sin, he had never turned away from God, he was God—but he was the representative of sinful humanity. He represented us sinners that day and opened the door of salvation for us. In that ceremony Christ was proclaimed by the heavenly Father to be his son and faithful servant, and the power of the Holy Spirit came upon him.

But this was all for us; as God he already had all things in common with the Father and the Holy Spirit. But in his human nature—our weak human nature—he was one that day proclaimed God’s true and faithful servant. At the same moment we human beings were accepted in him and through him as God’s adopted children. The mission of Christ was for us. There is no comparison between what God has prepared for us, and promises us, and the trifling conditions he asks us to fulfil in order to earn his promised reward.

The Gospel for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is from Luke 3:15-16; 21-22.Of the hundreds of Jews who had flocked to hear John the Baptist’s message, and who were present when Christ insisted on going through John’s baptismal rite and who had probably heard the words form heaven proclaiming him to be the expected Messiah, only two left the Baptist and followed him. One of these was Andrew and the other was most probably John the Evangelist. Later in that day Andrew told Peter, his brother, that he had found the Messiah and Peter joined him, too.

What was wrong with the hundreds of others? We are told they were all agog about the Messiah and were wondering in their hearts if John was not he. Yet when the real Messiah was pointed out to them they did nothing about it. John had told them the Messiah would baptize them, not with water as he did, but with the Holy Spirit of God, and with fire. As Jews they must have understood that this meant he would make of them a holy people, a spiritual people, a people close to God and cleansed from all earth attachments.

Was it this that held them back? Were their hearts so centered on the things of earth, the things of this life, that they had no time for the things spiritual? Were they so anxious for a king, a messiah, who would set them free from the hated pagan Romans and give them once more a powerful earthly kingdom, that talk of the kingdom of God and of a spiritual life made no impression on them? Their dealings with Christ during his public mission amongst them, their disbelief, their opposition, their persecution, which led eventually to the death on the cross answer these questions for us. The vast majority of the Jews of that day did not want a spiritual Messiah or kingdom. They were interested in a heaven of the future, they wanted their heaven, their happiness, and prosperity here on earth.

Before we pass any judgment on such folly let us have a look into our own hearts today. We are Christians, we are followers of Christ, we know he was God, we believe his word. We are convinced that getting to heaven is more important than getting all the treasures and pleasures this earth has to offer. But do we always live up to these convictions, are we true Christians the seven days of the week? In our work, in our speech, in our dealings with others, in our family life are we truly following Christ and his teaching?

Is my way of life, my daily conduct, such that it would cause a non-Christian to say: “That man has something noble and sensible about him, that man is concerned with the things that really matter; that man has an inward peace and sense of security which I have not got, a sense of peace and security which comes not from the things of this world. I must find out what it is and get it for myself?”

In all sincerity I cannot see any non-Christian speaking thus of me today, but helped by God’s grace, it could and may be truly said of me in the days to come. God grant that this may be so.

Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O’Sullivan, O.F.M.