At His baptism, as the water trickled down His face, Jesus experienced two mysterious signs that were to change His life. They were the divine call to begin His life’s mission as Savior of the world. He would be equipped for this task with the power of the Holy Spirit. There was also the voice of the heavenly Father, which spoke the words: “This is my Son, the Beloved; my favor rests in Him.†It was a great and decisive moment for Jesus. He was identified by God as God’s Son and consecrated for His mission to save the world. He accepted the mission and would one day be ready to offer Himself as a living sacrifice for the sins of humanity.
Each one of us is called to share the new life of the risen Christ. Baptism gives us this new life; it also gives us a share in Christ’s priesthood. Jesus, by offering the gift of Himself on behalf of others, became the high priest of humanity, bringing people to God and God to people. By our baptism we share in His priestly mission to bring others to God. Today let us rediscover the meaning and value of our own baptism. The Gospel calls us to try to see Christ in others. But do we sometimes forget to see Him in ourselves, as the source of our strength?