Meditation

Today's Gospel reading shows us the scene that marks the beginning of Jesus' public life: He, the Son of God and the Messiah, goes to the banks of the Jordan River and is baptized by John the Baptist. After some thirty years of living in hiding, Jesus does not appear with a miracle or by ascending the pulpit to teach. He follows the people who were about to receive John's baptism. Today's liturgical hymn says that the people were going to be baptized barefoot and with bare souls, humbly. A beautiful gesture, barefoot and with bare souls. And Jesus shares our fate, we sinners; he comes down to us: he goes down to the river as in the wounded history of humanity, immerses himself in our waters to purify them, immerses himself with us, in our midst. He does not rise above us, but comes down to us, barefoot and with bare souls, like the people. He does not go alone, nor with a group of privileged chosen ones; no, he goes with the people. He belongs to these people and goes with them to be baptized, with these humble people.

Let us pause for a moment on an important point: at the moment Jesus received baptism, the text says that he “was praying” (Lk 3:21). It is good for us to contemplate this: Jesus prays. But how? He, who is the Lord, the Son of God, prays with us? Yes, Jesus—the Gospels repeat this so many times—spends a great deal of time in prayer: at the beginning of each day, often at night, before making important decisions… His prayer is a dialogue, a relationship with the Father. Thus, in today’s Gospel, we can see the “two movements” of Jesus’ life: on the one hand, he goes down to us, into the waters of the Jordan; on the other, he lifts his gaze and his heart in prayer to the Father.

This is a great lesson for us: we are all immersed in life's problems and many complicated situations, called upon to face difficult moments and choices that drag us down. But if we don't want to be crushed, we need to lift everything up. And that is precisely what prayer does; it is not an escape, prayer is not a magic ritual or a repetition of memorized refrains. No. Prayer is the way to let God work within us, to grasp what He wants to communicate to us, even in the most difficult situations, to pray for the strength to move forward. Many people feel they can't manage and pray, "Lord, give me the strength to move forward." We too have often done so. Prayer helps us because it unites us with God; it opens us to an encounter with Him. Yes, prayer is the key that opens our hearts to the Lord. This means having a dialogue with God, listening to his Word, worshipping: being silent and entrusting to him what we are experiencing. And sometimes, it also means crying out against him like Job, opening our hearts to him. Crying out like Job. He is a father; he understands us well. He is never angry with us. And Jesus prays.

Prayer—to use a beautiful image from today’s Gospel—"opens the heavens" (cf. v. 21). Prayer opens the heavens: it gives life oxygen, gives breath even in distress, and allows us to see things in a broader perspective. And above all, it allows us to have the same experience as Jesus in the Jordan: it makes us feel like beloved children of the Father. Even to us, when we pray, the Father says, as he did to Jesus in the Gospel: "You are my beloved Son" (cf. v. 22). Being a son began on the day of baptism, which immersed us in Christ and, as members of God's people, made us the Father's beloved sons. Let us not forget the date of our baptism! And if I were to ask each of you now: what is the date of your baptism? Some of you may no longer remember. It's a beautiful thing to remember the date of your baptism, because it's our rebirth, the moment we became children of God with Jesus. And when you go home—if you don't already know—ask your mother, your aunt, or your grandparents, "When was I baptized?" and remember this feast day to celebrate it, to give thanks to the Lord. And today, right now, let's ask ourselves: how is my prayer? Do I pray out of habit, do I pray reluctantly, simply reciting formulas, or is my prayer an encounter with God? I, a sinner, always among God's people, never isolated? Do I cultivate intimacy with God, do I dialogue with Him, do I listen to His Word? Among the many things we do during the day, let us not neglect prayer: let us dedicate time to it, use brief invocations to repeat often, and read the Gospel every day. Prayer opens heaven.

Let us now turn to the Virgin, the praying Virgin, who made her life a song of praise to God.

FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD

POPE FRANCIS

ANGELUS

Saint Peter's Square

Sunday, January 9, 2022