OMELIE / Omelie EN

08 gen 2023

08/01/2023 – The Baptism of the Lord - year A

08/01/2023 – The Baptism of the Lord - year A

Reading 1 IS 42,1-4.6-7 Psalm 2 Reading 2 ACTS 10,34-38 Gospel MT 3,13-17

Christmas time ends with this feast in which we celebrate another great epiphany of the Lord: God himself makes known his voice from the sky ro confirm what already John the Baptist had announced. This solemn and extraordinary confirmation happens in the moment in which Jesus publicly lives in humility. He has done what the Sinners were doing. He has entered the water with them in order to get purified from sin, from those behaviours and actions which keep men against God. He was without sin, Becausr he has never pitched himself against the Father, he has never been suspicious of him, has always desired to do his will.

In front of John’s protestations, who thought exaggerated for Jesus to do such action which would have made him appear as a Sinner, he says: “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness”. It is difficult for us to understand these words. We need to go to the prophets in order to understand. Jesus knew that gods will was for “his righteous servant” to be considered a bad person. In fact Isaiah says: “. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities, … was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many” (Is 53,11-12).

Jesus wants to bring al righteousness to completion, so he wants also these words coming from God to find their realisation to save men, all sinners. The Word which comes from above is the approval of Jesus’ action, an approval which was foretold by the prophet too: «See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high » (Is 52,13). In fact God has glorified him while he calls him: «My beloved son». To no one among angels has ever been addressed such a beautiful definition, the letter to the Hebrews tells us. «My beloved son» Is a double definition which lets us understand Jesus’s greatness. «My son» is the king whom the power over every people is bestowed upon, as the second Psalm says. «Beloved» is Abraham's son, the son born thanks to God's promise and his intervention, the son who will be destined to start a huge legacy and be a blessing for all peoples. «With whom I am well pleased» is the third expression in which we can find God’s Servant, the Servant who will fulfill all promises.

The Word, which comes from the sky while a dove lands on Jesus, is a word declaring thrice that He is the Messiah, the anointed by God, sent to redeem the world from sin and give hope to all men. «Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit», so Isaiah is still saying in today’s reading. What John the Baptist experiences is the fulfillment of this prophecy too.

Now we can look at Jesus without being afraid of making a mistake, we can look at Him in full confidence: He has God’s trust, He really administers all justice. By taking on Himself the sins washed away in the water by all sinners, He makes them just, pleasing to God, free from fear of receiving the punishment we deserve.

Saint Peter, in the speech said in front of Cornelius’ whole family, is helping us to focus our eyes on Jesus, anointed by God, who lived in a way to make it clear to everyone. When He was passing by you could see and touch the reality of God’s love.

We welcome Him in us, so He may continue to benefit and bless, give life and give meaning to life. By looking at Jesus we take part in God the Father’s joy! In fact, Jesus reestablishes men in the love, He makes them God’s children again!