OMELIE / Omelie EN

26/6/2016

08/01/2017 – Baptism of Jesus - A

08/01/2017 – Baptism of Jesus - A

1^st reading Is 42,1-4.6-7 * from Psalm 28/29 * 2^nd reading At 10,34-38 * Gospel Mt 3,13-17

We find it hard to understand the answer of Jesus to the query of John Baptist. Jesus came to Jordan to be baptized by John Baptist, in solidarity with the other sinners who obeyed John Baptist’s call. The Baptist knew however that Jesus was not a sinner and therefore he was reluctant to baptize him: Jesus did not need it, he was already spiritually pure, free from heaviness and confusion caused by sin, and close to God in a perfect way. John would have instead preferred to be baptized by Jesus. But then Jesus said: “Leave it for now, because it is necessary to fulfill every justice”. What kind of justice must John and Jesus fulfill? Jesus is among men, all sinners, and he therefore must be accepted by them as a true man. Jesus doesn’t want to reveal his identity: he knows that will be God who will ensure He will be recognized as their true Savior, the one who will fulfill his own proper name “Jesus=God saves”. He accomplishes this Will of God, this justice, which will lead him to offer himself in order to take on him the men’ sins. For this reason John has to baptize him as all the other sinners. He gets with them inside the water, which, thanks to him, can purify them. By this event, every aspect of justice is fulfilled.

When people speak of justice they look back at the past: “You have done this and that, pay for it! You deserves all this for what you have done”. It is so also with God’s justice? Jesus, learning from the Father, does not look at the past, but at the future. Looking at the future He says: yes, it is true that many people have made big sins, but if I show them my love and give them the gift of my forgiveness, they might become my friends, my cooperators, “expert builders” of my spiritual building, my kingdom!

We know in fact that Jesus will tell to Simon, the one who invited him to dinner: “Two men who had debts one of 500 coins and the other of 50, were absolved. Which one of these will love most?”. Now our Master gets into the water to love all sinners, to be with them not on top of them. Who will not love him, who will not thank him greatly?

The first who shows appreciation for this gesture is the Father who is in heaven. He sees the humility and the obedience of Jesus who wants to redeem all men from sin and wants to offer himself to help them reaching Father’s mercy. And the Father glorifies the Son, who, through this gesture, shows that he is truly his Son, the provider and the giver of the perfection of his love. The Father knows that now is the time to introduce his Son to all people as His Beloved. Father makes know not only that the One who is baptizing by John is without sin, but that he is the One the prophets spoke about, the One who realized Lord’s Will, the mercy for all men. And not only the Father is attending; also the Holy Spirit attends to make us aware that He, the Holy Spirit who the prophets spoke today, can be also found in Him.

The voice of the Father, heard in the Jordan, summarize briefly the page of the prophet. Jesus is “the” Servant of God, the one who represents God with authority and with dignity. In fact Father is pleased of him, because Jesus shows us the beauty and the tenderness of His love. This Beloved Son will never have unpleasant behavior but charming. He will make sure the name of God will not cause repulsions neither fear in any men. His lifestyle and his way to look to human weakness and fragility, will be so loving that everyone will feel attracted to know the Father. He will look with mercy to the men most in need, those who are considered by all people as great sinners and worthy to be punished in their bodies with illnesses and deficiencies. He will benefit all of them: he will heal them and open the eyes of the blinds, he will set prisoners free from evil, even prisoners of death. He will put a light on  divine justice and human justice highlighting the difference. He will appreciate every small act of love, even if it is imperfect or incomplete, even those which are ruined: “He will not break the crushed reed or snuff the faltering flame”, but he will try to fortify, rekindle and enliven them. All men will see the justice of God, different from the one practiced by men: human justice in fact commits other injustices during the time that it is practiced. God’s justice saves and set free, forgives and encourages. Jesus will be master and witness of this justice. St. Peter saw this and enjoyed it: today he states this instructing the pagan Cornelius and his family at Caesarea. He says that  Jesus: “passed by doing good things and healing all had fallen into the power of the devil”. Jesus did not punish them for having obeyed the enemy-devil, but he benefited them so that they could rise from the evil and become workers of the Kingdom of God! Jesus truly fulfilled every divine justice!