Beginning

Having now completed the liturgical season of Christmas, today, we mark the beginning of Ordinary Time.  It is perhaps fitting that the gospel passage we have just heard places us with John the Baptist, reflecting on the encounter he had when Jesus was baptized.  The words of the gospel make it sound as though John is telling the story to someone after it has already taken place: I saw Jesus coming toward me and remarked to those who were nearby: I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel (Jn 1:31).

The baptism of Jesus is a fitting image for our reflection today because this Sacrament transforms us and makes us children of God, a new creation.  For as long as we live, we are constantly discovering the meaning of this truth.  Baptism is a Sacrament of rebirth through which we receive graces from God in order for us to set out on the journey of faith.

During the liturgy today, we will call forward and mandate a number of our brothers and sisters who have responded to the call of the Lord to share their talents and gifts with us: some of them will proclaim the Word of God in the weekly assembly and others will assist with the distribution of the Eucharist, the Bread of Life.  Each of these is a call from God; from the moment of our Baptism, he is constantly calling to us, encouraging us to recognize the talents and gifts with which we have been graced,  and encouraging us to use these gifts in order to share the joy of our faith with others.

The first reading we heard today says it this way: The Lord said to me: 'You are my servant ... in whom I will be glorified' (Is 49:3), but the Lord goes on to say: I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach the end of the earth (Is 49:6).  Our God is glorified when we use the gifts he has entrusted to us in order to serve others.  In this way, we share the light of our faith, and do what we can to spread the good news of the gospel.

This weekend marks the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.  Throughout this coming week, there will be a variety of moments set aside in various places throughout the world when people of various Christian traditions will gather to pray together.  Even if we are not able to take part in any formal sessions, we can all join our prayers, asking the Lord to renew within us the grace of our Baptism.  All Christians share a common Baptism.  Even though we may pray in different ways, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, all looking forward to the day when we will once again be able to stand around the same Eucharistic table and share the Lord's meal together.

In the meanwhile, we can ask Saint Paul to pray for the grace of unity among all Christians.  May he who was called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus (1 Cor 1:1) ... intercede for us so that together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:2), we may be living signs of the grace we seek and the peace that we hope for as gifts from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.