Meditation

Today, we are surprised to see both Jesus and John baptizing "side by side". We say "side by side", although… actually, this is only in appearance, because John the Baptist refers us to Jesus, who is the Messiah, the "new Moses", the long-awaited Prophet, he who comes over to bring God to us. “What has He [Jesus] brought? The answer is very simple: God. He has brought God” (Benedict XVI).
 

Today, it is our responsibility to make sure that “the report about him” (Lk 5, 15) keeps on spreading; mainly among those that do not know Him or who, for one reason or other, have moved away from Him.
 

Today, we remember that “whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1Jn 4, 21). How can we love God, whom we do not see, when we do not love our brother who is made in God's image? After Saint Peter had disowned Him three times, Jesus asked Peter whether he loved Him: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” (Jn 21, 17), he said.

Today, we see how Jesus, after dismissing the apostles and the crowd, goes off by himself to pray. His whole life has been a constant dialogue with the Father, and yet, he chooses to go to the hillside to pray. And what about us? How do we pray? More often than not the frantic pace of our worldly life becomes a serious obstacle for our spiritual life. 

Today, Jesus shows Himself to be sensitive to the needs of people who are in search of Him. He just cannot remain indifferent to the needs of those he meets on the way. He feels compassion when He sees the great crowd that has been following Him “like sheep without a shepherd” (Mk 6, 34). The Master leaves His immediate plans aside and starts preaching.
 

Today, we begin again, so to speak. “The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.” (Mt 4, 16), Isaiah, quoted in the gospel —which takes us back to Christmas, tells us. We start again, we get another opportunity. Our time is new, the occasion asks for it, let's humbly let the Father work in our lives.
 

Today, the prophet Isaiah encourages us: “Arise! Shine, for your light has come, the glory of the LORD has dawned upon you." (Is 60, 1). The light the prophet has seen is the star, which the Three Wise Men see in the East, like many other men. The Magi discover its meaning. Others consider it as something admirable, but that does not affect them. And, so, they do not react. 
 

Today, the Gospel reminds us of the vocational circumstances of Jesus' first disciples. To get ready for the advent of the Messiah, John and his friend Andrew had listened to, and followed for a while, John the Baptist. One day, John the Baptist, points out to Jesus, by calling Him the Lamb of God. On hearing this, John and Andrew understand that He is the long-waited Messiah! And, by leaving the Baptist, they set out to follow Jesus.
 

Today, Saint John the Baptist bears witness to the Baptism of Jesus. Pope Francis reminded us that "Baptism is the Sacrament on which our very faith is founded and which grafts us as a living member onto Christ and his Church"; and he added: "It is not a formality! It is an act that touches the depths of our existence. A baptized child and an unbaptized child are not the same. 

Today, in the Gospel of the Eucharist liturgy, we read the testimony of John the Baptist. The text preceding these words in St. John's Gospel is the prologue where it is clearly affirmed: “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (Jn 1, 14). What was announced in the prologue —as a great prelude— is now, step by step, manifested in the Gospel.