– 11 January 2026 –

The Baptism of the Lord 

Gospel Text: Matthew 3:13-17
vs.13  Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John.
vs.14  John tried to dissuade him. “It is I who need baptism from you” he said “and yet you come to me!”
vs.15  But Jesus replied, “Leave it like this for the time being; it is fitting that we should, in this way, do all that righteousness demands.”

At this, John gave in to him.

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We have three sets of homily notes to choose from.
Please scroll down the page to read them.

Michel DeVerteuil :     A Trinidadian Priest, fmr director of National Centre of Biblical renewal .
Thomas O’Loughlin:  Professor of Historical Theology, University of Nottingham
Donal Neary SJ:         Editor of The Sacred Heart Messenger

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Michel de Verteuil
Lectio Divina with the Sunday Gospels  – Year A
www.columba.ie

Textual Comments
The story of Jesus’s baptism is told in all four Gospels – an indication that the early Christians considered it an important event in the life of Jesus.
There are two aspects to the event:
– verses 13 to 15: something happened between Jesus and John the Baptist;
– verses 16 and 17: something more happens to Jesus.

• Verses 13 – 15
Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist seems to have caused much soul searching among the early Christians – how could the sinless Jesus subject himself to John’s “baptism of repentance”? The soul searching can be inferred from the way the successive gospel accounts tell the story:

Parallel texts are not directly a concern in lectio divina, since the method requires that we focus on the text before us – St Matthew’s in this case. However, parallels with other texts can give us an insight into the text, and for this reason we may want to refer to them (although it is never necessary to do so).

In today’s meditation we are free to focus either on Jesus or John the Baptist. In either case, awareness of the soul-searching behind the text reminds us that from time to time we too have to make choices which can be misunderstood. As happened with Jesus’ baptism, our communities may need time to clarify misunderstandings; we can be confident that once we do “what righteousness demands,” later “evangelists” will explain our actions to those who come after us.

a) Jesus: We can see a progression of thought from Mark to Matthew in explaining how Jesus came to “appear” on the banks of the Jordan. Whereas St Mark says that Jesus came from Galilee “and was baptised”, Matthew says he came from Galilee “to be baptised”. St Matthew stresses therefore that Jesus sought baptism by deliberate choice; he chose to leave his familiar surroundings and join the rest of the population in the national renewal movement.

He explains his position to John by saying, “We should do all that righteousness demands.” This is biblical language which must be interpreted. “Righteousness” means more or less the same as “salvation”, so Jesus is saying in effect, “There is an important work of salvation taking place in our country at this moment, and here and now (“for the time being”) I cannot stand aloof but must be part of it.” He is accepting fully the consequences of the Incarnation, the Word has truly become flesh and he must dwell among his brothers and sisters. He was to continue making this choice right through his life – the model of leaders who lead not “from above” but by “being with.”

b) John the Baptist becomes aware that he is ministering to someone greater than himself but still goes ahead with his ministry – “he gave in to him.” This is an experience that we have from time to time as parents, teachers, spiritual guides, community leaders. We become aware of our unworthiness and that we are the ones who “need baptism”. The result is that we accept our responsibility but with greater humility – it is only “for the time being.” This was also the response required of St Joseph when he was told, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife” (cf. 4th Sunday of Advent).

-Verses 16 – 17 : Jesus’ experience
Jesus’ baptism was a turning point in his life. Up to then he was a carpenter at Nazareth, now he would begin his ministry as an itinerant preacher of the Kingdom. The baptism therefore fits into the biblical pattern by which a call to do God’s work is preceded by a deep religious experience, e.g. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Gideon in the Old Testament, Mary and Zechariah in the New. Many saints of the church had similar experiences before embarking on a new stage in their lives, e.g. St Augustine, St Ignatius of Loyola, St Teresa of Avila and St Margaret Mary.

This shows us that God does not invite people to do his work without first assuring them of his undying love. We can recognise this truth from experience – ours and that of people who have touched our lives. God’s way of acting is a model for all who invite others to work with them – parents, spouses, community leaders.

“My favour rests on you” says that God’s love is permanent. We are reminded of Jesus’s words at the Last Supper: “As the Father has loved me so I have loved you, remain in my love” (John 15:9). St Matthew says that the experience came “after he came up from the water.” It was the fruit of his humility, “he who humbles himself is exalted.”

Jesus’s experience was first in symbols and then in words.
a) Verse 16 – Signs and symbols.
– “The heavens opened” – the barrier between God and humanity is removed, they can now communicate freely. We remember similar experiences of reconciliation with God: we thought that the heavens were closed to us, then “suddenly” (i.e. unexpectedly) they were opened.

Scriptural Reflective Prayers
“I am a shepherd who with his people has begun to learn a beautiful and difficult truth – our Christian faith requires that we submerge ourselves in the world.”
…Archbishop Romero in his acceptance speech when he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Louvain

Lord, we pray that your church may always, like Jesus, who
choose to go from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John.

“Between the silence of God and the silence of my own soul stands the silence of the souls entrusted to me.”   …Thomas Merton

Lord, often in life moments of grace come after great trials.
We remember a time when we felt overwhelmed with troubles,
and it was as if we were drowning.
Somehow we survived, and as we came up from the water
the heavens opened and we felt your love descending on us gently like a dove. We knew that we were your beloved, and that your favour rested on us.

“The church herself knows how richly she has profited by the history and developmnt of humanity.” …Vatican II, Document on the Church in the Modern World

Lord, in our time you have given humanity some

“God communicates himself to all persons, redeems them and stamps their being with an orientation towards sharing his life.  … Karl Rahner

Lord, the role of the church in society today is to proclaim
that every human being is one for whom the heavens opened
and the Holy Spirit descended.
Lord, we remember with gratitude times when we had a deep experience:
* at the end of a retreat;
* at the Easter vigil liturgy in our parish;
* in the sacrament of reconciliation celebrated after many years.
As we came out, the heavens opened and we felt your Spirit descending upon us, and we knew that your favour rested on us.

“Faith is like a canoe at evening coming in, like a relative who is tired , like a woman coming back to your house.”  ... Derek Walcott, Caribbean poet

Lord, we thank you for the gift of faith,
the kind we experience quite suddenly coming out of the sea one day
when we know that the heavens have opened,
that your Spirit has come down upon us and your favour rests on us.

“Proud as I was, I dared to seek that which only the humble can find.”   …St Augustine

Lord, we thank you for the times when you gave us the grace
to humble ourselves before you.
As soon as we did this and were coming up from the water,
suddenly the heavens opened and we saw your Spirit
descending like a dove and coming down on us,
and we heard a voice that spoke from heaven,
telling us that we were your Beloved and that your favour rested on us.

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3. Thomas O’Loughlin,
Liturgical Resources for Advent and Christmas
www.columba.ie

Introduction to the Celebration

Let us pause and reflect that we are here because we believe that Jesus is
‘the Anointed One,’‘ the Christ,’ ‘the Messiah,’ ‘the One who does the Father’s will’.

Homily Notes

1. This is a good opportunity to give a simple catechetical homily whose aim is to impart some simple linguistic clarity in order to help people reflect on the gospel’s image more fruitfully.

2. We use the words ‘Jesus Christ‘ over and over again. Indeed, we use these two words so often side-by-side that we can easily forget that they have any meaning. Sometimes, we almost think that the word ‘Christ‘ is just a surname tacked on as if one needed to distinguish several people called ‘Jesus‘. Most Christians use the words interchangeably. I have even seen history books with the index entry: ‘Christ, J.‘ followed by page numbers. When I asked a student what was the significance that her essay kept varying between using ‘Jesus said’ and ‘Christ said’, her answer was that she changed the usage simply to make it sound less repetitive! So this is a phrase whose significance we cannot take for granted.

3. But our confession of faith is that ‘Jesus is the Christ: The word ‘christos‘ means the marked one, the one who has been smeared with oil. But why use this as a description of Jesus? The people of Israel looked forward to the new David, the new King who would institute the Day of the Lord and his victory. David had been marked out as the chosen one of the Lord: ‘Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward’ (l Sam 16:13). ‘To be marked out with oil’ is the same as ‘being the Anointed One‘ or, if one uses Hebrew, ‘the Messiah‘ or, if one uses Greek, ‘the Christ‘ or to say ‘he is the Chosen One of the Father:

5. To say ‘Jesus is the Christ’ is to utter a basic creed which only makes sense when we imagine that statement within the scene we have just read in the gospel. To say ‘You, O Jesus are the Christ’ is to offer praise through the beloved Son to the Father in the Holy Spirit.

For meditation
As soon as Jesus was baptised he came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. (Mt 3:16)

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Donal Neary SJ
Gospel Reflections for Sundays of Year A:  Matthew
www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

‘You are beloved…’

Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist had a different meaning from ours. It was more a baptism of sorrow for sin and of forgiveness; in this plunge into the river, Jesus identified with his people in his  baptism.
At the baptism he heard the best words he could hear; You are my beloved. God led Jesus to  John to hear these words.
One of us, one with us, he could now be one for us. Joy flooded his heart as he heard these words. Something happened for Jesus at that moment that only he could know – like bells ringing that only he could hear. Have you heard it in your life? At times we face the huge mysteries love, beauty, friendship, birth, death. And we know in the middle of it all , that we are beloved.

Our call is to be fully involved in life and love.

Let the word ‘beloved’ echo in your mind and heart.
This is God’s word for you today.
Lord, thanks for calling me ‘beloved’

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