Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Identity In Mark’s account of the Baptism of Jesus we have two declarations of Jesus’ identity. One from the person of John the Baptist, the other from a voice from heaven - God the Father. Both proclaim the identity of Jesus. John states that the one coming after him is so great that he is not fit even to be a slave caring for him. The Father states that Jesus is his Son, his Beloved, the one on whom his favour rests. But who does Jesus really listen to? Even though John says that he is not fit to be a slave serving Jesus, Jesus ignores this praise and still comes to John for baptism - just like a sinner needing repentance. Why Jesus, the sinless one, came to be baptised is a great mystery. Maybe it is because he wanted to show how deeply he identified the poor, lost people who were coming to John. If he had taken on John’s praise, he would have turned from his mission. But Jesus hears and listen deeply to the Father’s voice. It is this voice that he follows through all the coming events of his life. When the other voices clamour – the voices of praise and of derision, the voices of love and of hate, the voices pleading and the voices rejecting – it is the Father’s voice that he listens to in his heart. This is the voice that guides his actions and shapes his identity. So it is for us. In baptism, the persons of the Trinity came to dwell in our heart. They do speak to us, guiding us with love, if we can but stop ourselves and listen. Our society is soaked in noise and we hear many voices telling us what to do. But it is the voice deep in our heart that will guide us to our true self. May we take some time each day, ideally at the beginning of each day, to listen to the voice of the Father proclaiming his love for us. Sr Kym Harris OSB |