The baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan, which John the Baptist speaks of to his followers in today’s Gospel, was a moment when the world was changed for ever. Elsewhere the Gospels tell us that John the Baptist didn’t think it was necessary – or even appropriate – for him to baptize Jesus, who was more powerful than himself. John’s baptism required confession of sins and Jesus was without sin. Jesus was baptized in solidarity with the people, taking on the life of the people for the purpose of redemption.
As followers of Christ we share in the baptism of Jesus, the ministry of Christ, the death and the resurrection of Christ. That means that, just as God said to Jesus, “You are my beloved,” God says to each one of us, “You are my beloved.” This is amazing. God loves us and affirms us. God has chosen us too. What does all this mean for the world? God loves each one of us personally, individually and globally with an unconditional love. So if each one of us is a beloved son or daughter of God, like Jesus, that means each one of us is the beloved brother and sister of all God’s children, which means every human being on the planet is our beloved sister or brother, whether a child playing somewhere in China, or a woman making breakfast in Brazil, or a goat herder in the Sudan, or a family in the Philippines, or children in Iraq. Everyone is our sister or brother, so we are called never to hurt anyone. We are God’s beloved, so like Jesus, we are called to treat one another as God’s beloved. Life is good and precious and wonderful, so why waste it on negativity, resentment and cruelty?