How will you and I live out our baptismal call as 'beloved' children of God?
by Sister Sally Ann Brickner
After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Luke 3: 21-22
A few years ago, one of our Sisters, a very prayerful and holy woman, related to me that when she was praying she heard our Lord say to her, “You are my daughter in whom I am well pleased.” How awesome an experience it must have been! Certainly, she was an “everyday mystic” among us who was privileged to hear the Lord reassure her of his deep love for her.
Who of us would not want to hear God’s say to us: “You are my beloved son/daughter; with you I am well pleased”? We can understand why God would say that to Jesus, sinless and wholly obedient to God’s will. Are we able to fathom, however, that God whispers the same message to each of us? It is so because Jesus, who is the mercy of God among us and in us, has made us beloved children of God through our baptism. The baptism we received in the name of the Trinity is of the Holy Spirit and of fire that transforms us to a new being.
Sunday's feast, the Baptism of the Lord, concludes the Christmas season. The Gospel from St. Luke and the passage from Isaiah represent both a manifestation of who Jesus is and a description of his mission. After being baptized by John, Jesus is praying when a voice from heaven is heard: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” In prophetic words, Isaiah foretells what God’s messianic servant will be and do for God’s people: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit ... to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon those who live in darkness.” (Is 42:1, 7)
This feast reminds us of our baptismal call to continue Jesus’ mission in the Church and in the world. Pope Francis provides guidance for us through his message for January 1, the 58th World Day of Peace. During this Jubilee Year, animated with the Holy Spirit and fire, we must pray and work for justice. He highlights three urgent needs:
- Debt forgiveness for poor countries. Jubilee USA Network is an organization dedicated to resolving the debt crisis. It is an organization we Sisters have supported since Jubilee 2000.
- A commitment to a culture of life from conception to natural death. Many pro-life organizations exist, including the Catholic Mobilizing Network which works for an end to the death penalty.
- The creation of a global fund to eradicate hunger, promote education and combat climate change, especially in poorer countries. Pax Christi USA and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom are two organizations dedicated to redirecting a portion of military spending to meet humanitarian needs.
To give credible witness to the Gospel we must rectify these and other injustices and thereby be Pilgrims of Hope during this Jubilee Year. Hear the Lord’s encouraging words: “You are my beloved son/daughter in whom I am well pleased.”
You can read "Message of the Holy Father Francis for the 58th World Day of Peace (1 January 2025) here.
Thank you for your reflections on this day when we consider the Baptism of Jesus. You remind us that we are the "beloved daughter or son" in whom God is well pleased. And, you remind us of our call to care for those suffering urgent needs in our world today.