Optional Memorial of Saint André Bessette, religious
In today’s Gospel, we are invited to see Jesus in the midst of a crowd walking down into the Jordan River to be baptized by the charismatic, John the Baptist.
How significant it is that Jesus was indistinguishable from people about him from different races, languages, and countries. Yet, it was when he stepped out of the waters, the first divine manifestation of his identity was made by the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Reflect long on that scene. Listen to the words of the Father. See the presence of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Paste it on the backdrop of what’s going on in today’s world. No reflection can be more encouraging as we begin a new year. No representation of the role of the Trinity in today’s world can be realistic.
“Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” St. John asks in the first reading. Our eternal life, which begins with our life now, is truly a victory over the forces the world, the witness to which is the cross on which he poured out water and blood.
Resolve: I shall spend extra time today thanking the Lord for the graces he has given us during the past year and asking him to bring the many people in our world today to a knowledge of the victory Jesus has won for each. I shall also pray that the new year will bring unity in the Church, the welfare of those suffering, consolation of those who live in despair, and peace in the world.