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Newsletter – The Baptism of the Lord. Year C.

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REFLECTION by Nick Brodie

Pope Francis draws our attention to a couple of interesting aspects of Jesus’ baptism, which offer useful lessons for Christians today.

One of these is his humility. The Pope wants us to reflect on how remarkable it was that sinless Jesus was there among the crowds, ‘joining the queue of the penitents, mingling among them.’ The Son of God did not separate himself or seek special treatment!

The crowd which Jesus joined therefore shows us something profound about the Incarnation. Being baptised among the common people, Jesus shows us what the Pope termed his ‘willingness to immerse himself in the river of humanity.’ Even the Lord of All does not lord it over ordinary folk! Nor then should we.

On another occasion, the Pope focuses our attention on Jesus’ prayer life. In telling us how the Holy Spirit descended from heaven like a dove, Luke makes it clear that this happened while Jesus was praying. This, the Pope indicates, is an important point worthy of our contemplation: ‘Jesus prays.’

‘Prayer opens the heaven,’ the Pope says, borrowing the image from today’s Gospel. He then adds that prayer also ‘enables us to have the same experience of Jesus by the Jordan: it makes us feel like beloved children of the Father.’

© Nick Brodie
Nick Brodie is an Australian historian and writer who is currently Dean of Academic Studies of Jane Franklin Hall in Hobart. A graduate of the Australian National University, Flinders University, and the University of Tasmania, he is the author of several books on Australian history and numerous essays on historical, political, and religious topics. In 2017 he was awarded the Bruce Mansfield Prize for the best article in the Journal of Religious History. He is currently studying Theology.

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