Luminous Mystery—Baptism Of Jesus [6 of 20]

"The Baptism of Christ," by Domenikos Theotokopoulos aka El Greco (1541-1614), egg tempera-on-panel work from the second half of the 16th century. El Greco's signature in art is the longer human forms painted in vivid colors

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irst Luminous Mystery—Baptism Of Jesus. And when Jesus was baptized,... the heavens were opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on Him, and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "this is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" (Mt 3:16-17).

Here we begin with a mystery in the life of Jesus that we might not see his mother being part of the scene. Admittedly, I found great difficulty also in finding the connection. But as I patiently persisted, lo and behold, it was Mary who came to tell me "I am just here!" Thanks to Mary for showing me the way to her Son through her.

The baptism at the river Jordan is a testament to the way Mary has brought up Jesus. Who else could ever teach Jesus the ways of becoming a good Jew, an obedient son, and most of all a humble person? I am putting aside the debate regarding how much knowledge Mary had on the divine identity of Jesus, not to mention, the debate regarding how much self-consciousness the human Jesus possessed as regards his Divine Sonship. The main interest of our meditation on the baptism of Jesus is that Jesus was humble enough to submit himself to be baptized by his cousin John and Mary was a significant influence in his life and value system. Jesus did not need to be cleansed by the waters of baptism by the mere fact that there was nothing to be cleansed in him. Thanks to Mary for being the Immaculate Conception, by virtue of which, Jesus was spared the stain of original sin. Jesus, when he was born with human flesh, still inherited the fallen human condition, i.e., hunger, suffering, mortality, etc. but was guilty of no sin. Hence, Jesus need not go through baptism. But he did it to become truly one of us humans.

We put in the picture also the role played by the Jewish community of Jesus and his parents. Jesus is a product not only of his parents but of the whole Jewish community as they go through their day-to-day life. Mary did not have to think of raising Jesus up all by herself. God gave her Joseph first, even before the Angel Gabriel told her about conceiving God's Son. Mary and Joseph mingled with the Jewish elders and listened to their good advice. The baptism is a testament to being reborn in solidarity with God's entire human family, i.e., amidst the company of friends, relatives, and neighbors.

Additional Material:

Finding The Child Jesus In The Temple [5 of 20]

Wedding At Cana [7 of 20]

Three Symbolisms Of The Waters Of Baptism

Fr JM Manzano SJ