Baptism of Jesus, icon Matthew 3.13-17: [13] Jesus came from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized by him. [14] John tried to deter him, saying: "I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?". [15] But Jesus said, "Leave it for now, it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. [16] When baptized, Jesus came out of the water: and lo, the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. [17] And a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. "
Dear friends, dear friends,
next Sunday (January 13, 2008) will celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Proposal will be Matthew's version of the story of Jesus' baptism (3:13-17). Already with the first verse is as if Jesus suddenly appeared where people live, suffer, love, and repent of their sins, "Jesus came from Galilee (appears) to Jordan."
Why this need to go to Jordan? What could have committed sins Jesus? If many people went to John, to shake off a deep sense of sin, Jesus goes to Jordan rather than to take on their shoulders all the sin of men. As John the Baptist had guessed, as Jesus coming toward him: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (Jn 1:29). That is the Baptism of the Lord becomes the epiphany of God itself dell'incanazione How to become God himself decided through the experience of John's baptism of penance in order to show you the best. We first
in the presence of a real connection (or immersion) of Jesus' baptism in the Baptist's. So much so that John the Baptist begins to argue with him, being the son of a spirituality that could be accepted by the liberation of God, but not so explicitly His incarnation, "John tried to dissuade him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?'."
If, on the one hand, recognized the superiority of Jesus, for another, the Baptist ignores that the baptism of Jesus is precisely by being baptized him well, that is totally immersed in our own human reality. Also made of weakness and sin. Indeed, "there is a baptism which need to be baptized, and are anxious until it is accomplished" (Luke 12:50). For this reason "Jesus said to him: 'Leave it for now, it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness'." Così “Giovanni acconsentì”. A questo punto si comprende, dunque, perché Dio, che ha creato l’uomo senza il suo apporto, non può salvarci senza il nostro consenso (S. Agostino).
Ed ecco però che all’immersione succede l’emersione: cioè la Sua definita rivelazione. Gesù, infatti, “uscì dall’acqua”. Come se proprio l’abbassamento, fino alla morte e alla morte di croce (Efesini), coincidesse col Suo innalzamento glorioso. Se, infatti, una certa spiritualità, preoccupata di affermare anzitutto la grandezza di Dio, ci ha come abituati a immaginarLo distante dagli uomini, tutt’‘altro’ dall’umanità, the revelation that takes place on the occasion of His baptism testifies to something else. While remaining true to Jesus 'other' than any reduction that he could do, however, is no longer 'elsewhere' than in the whole human community.
In Jesus, God Himself is and remains permanently. Because of this extreme vicinanaze and solidarity with us.
If, on the one hand, Jesus has humanized God brings us to another makes even more sense to say that Jesus is so deeply human because God, in His great truth, is the human self. So do not do him much God: "whoever sees me sees the Father" (Jn 14).
humanity of Jesus and pours it this way all divinity, "and behold, the heavens opened." If at the time of his death would then pierced the veil of the temple (Mt 27.51), by God until this moment is no longer hidden from our eyes. Indeed, the same wish fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah is here: "Oh, you would rend the heavens and come down! Before you would have shaken the mountain "(Is 64.1). In this way God made himself visible through its transparent look and deeper than is he who sees Jesus ("he saw"), after that the heavens are wide open, "the Spirit of God descending. "
Who is this Spirit that Jesus sees with His eyes, leaving that invades your heart forever? Where this is expressed full solidarity with the men, then it also becomes clear the fullness of love. As if the sky itself is pouring everything on earth. This Spirit that is now falling on him, it will be also delivered, in virtue of Christ, each of us from the experience of the cross, "had cried again with a loud voice, gave up his spirit" (Mt 27.50) .
The Spirit, in fact, is "like a dove", hovering over the waters, transforms the cosmos out of chaos: "The earth was without form and empty, darkness was upon the face of the deep and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters "(Genesis 1:2). So the baptism of Jesus inaugurates a new creation, finally overcoming the chaos caused by the flood, "the dove returned to him in the evening, and behold, he had a fresh leaf in its beak an olive. So Noah knew that the waters had fallen on the earth "(Gen 8:11).
You start a new spirituality. In Jesus, God not only sees but feels, actually, "And a voice from heaven." In fact, God is above all a "voice" that expresses the same word becomes, then, turning in his Son, who already It embodies and identify it, irradiation. So, if I were to truly listen, we too could become 'like' him: "And a voice from the cloud saying, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear'" (Mt 17:5) .
Why, then, Jesus is "my beloved Son"? He is truly "these" because it can not be that way. With these traits and not others. Why is "my beloved Son", meaning "beloved." Even the term refers to the image of solemn dell'intronizzazione son of the king. In fact: "'I am', he will say, 'I set my king on Zion, my holy mountain. I will declare the decree: the Lord said: Thou art my Son, today I created thee '"(sl 2:6-7).
is in the Son that God has called for what it is. In fact, in Him I am well pleased. " God, even in Him, He was totally told the men. Only through the humanity of Jesus This and only this, it fills him with immense joy and satisfaction. As if only by doing this, doing that is what the Son himself will decide to do, God would feel really accomplished. Identified. This brings me to the full completion of your own love. Of His being love. God, from the Son has nothing to say. Has nothing to wish for our love.
Dear friends, dear friends, from Sunday to Sunday we are given the great grace to continue to approach to some aspect, some fragment of this unique and divine revelation. The great grace, not just to 'have' God, but to be able to stand before Him to meet him, loving him. Just as he himself has taught us.
To all a good Sunday still
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