January 10, 2016

You know…how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil…. (Acts 10)

Like the Epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord is another way that God manifested himself to the nations. In Jesus’ baptism, God the Father publicly acknowledges Jesus as his Son: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

After his baptism by John and affirmation by the Father, Jesus begins his public ministry, doing God’s will by teaching and healing. Note that the healing is not so much about physical cures, but about freeing people spiritually, i.e., “all those oppressed by the devil.”

The ministry of Jesus and the ministry of the  Church is about bringing people healing from the grip of sin and temptation; from the power of fear and ignorance of the faith; it is about helping people to live and love as God intended, instead of how our worldly concerns and anxieties sometimes lead us to act.

After the Baptism of the Lord, the Church begins Ordinary Time. For Jesus, Ordinary Time is doing the will of the Father and freeing people to live as God’s sons and daughters. As we enter into Ordinary Time, let us do the same.