Today is Jan. 12, the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord.
At today’s Mass, we read, “After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased'” (Lk 3:22-23).
Maybe you’ve found 2025 off to a rough start. Attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas, ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East and countless other trials may make it difficult to laud our newborn king, the Prince of Peace. As we conclude the Christmas season, we ask: Where is his peace?
In reflecting on the Baptism of Christ, we are drawn into the profound mystery of what Jesus brought into the world. Joseph Ratzinger, the late Pope Benedict XVI, tells us: “Jesus has brought God, and now we know his face, now we can call upon him. Now we know the path that we human beings have to take in this world.” This truth resonates powerfully in the scene at the Jordan River we reflect on today.
At first glance, the Baptism of Jesus might seem puzzling. Why would the sinless Son of God submit to a baptism of repentance? In the act of descending into the waters, Jesus revealed his mission: not to be separate from humanity but to stand with us, to take upon himself the weight of our sins. The heavens open, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father proclaims, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). In this moment, the Trinity is revealed, and Jesus begins his public ministry, bringing God’s presence into the world in a new and transformative way.
What did Jesus bring to the world?
What did Jesus bring? He did not bring immediate world peace, an end to all forms of suffering or a new age of universal prosperity. He brought something infinitely greater: God. Through Jesus, the invisible God is made visible. In his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus shows us the face of the Father and opens for us the path to eternal life.
Jesus’ immersion in the waters sanctified them, making them a means of grace for us. Through the sacrament of Baptism, we are united with him, becoming children of God and heirs of his Kingdom. The path he walked — marked by faith, hope, and love — is now our path, illuminated by his light. Yet, as Ratzinger observes, it is often our hardness of heart that blinds us to the magnitude of this gift.
We may long for tangible signs of triumph — peace, prosperity, a perfect world — and fail to see that in bringing God, Jesus has given us the source of all peace, the origin of all good. To know God, to call upon his name, and to walk in the truth as his sons and daughters is the greatest gift we could ever receive.
Let us pray,
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. Amen.