Who We Really Are
Simone Riva - The method of Christmas is confirmed in the Baptism of the Lord: God descends to the point where humanity can truly meet Him.
“One alone immersed Himself, yet raised all with Him; one alone descended into the water so that we might all ascend into Heaven; one alone took upon Himself the sins of all so that in Him the sins of all might be washed away.”
This is how St. Ambrose comments on the event of Jesus’ Baptism, which the Church commemorates today. After thirty years of living an ordinary life—studying, working, praying, and forming friendships—Jesus devoted His final three years to His “public life.” What an intriguing disproportion! Thirty years in relative obscurity and three years in the public eye. Yet those final three years were the same as the thirty that preceded them. What changed? Even before then, He could be encountered and heard.
John the Baptist, who witnessed the beginning of this new phase of Christ’s life, reveals its significance when he says to the Pharisees, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one whom you do not know” (John. 1:26). Jesus’ Baptism marks the moment when He chooses to make Himself known. The following three years, as the Gospels illustrate, are the fruit of His decision to reveal Himself to the world—a decision that, in truth, quickly appears to be an initiative of the Trinity itself. Luke records: “While all the people were being 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 Son, the Beloved; in You, I have set My delight’” (Luke. 3:21–22).
St. Bede the Venerable comments, “The Son of God is baptized in the man He assumed, the Spirit of God descends as a dove, and God the Father is present in the voice: in Baptism, the mystery of the holy and indivisible Trinity is proclaimed. It was fitting that He who would instruct the ministers of His sacraments to teach all nations and baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit should first reveal that the entire Trinity was personally present at His Baptism.”
The method of Christmas is confirmed in the Baptism of the Lord: God descends to the point where humanity can truly encounter Him. It is striking how freely He enters the depths of our human reality—standing in line with sinners, submitting Himself to the scrutiny of those who had seen Him only the day before and now discover a man they realize they never truly knew.
And what about our own Baptism? On the day we became participants in the mystery of Christ’s person, God revealed who we are. In our relationships, we see how difficult it can be to know, understand, and connect with one another truly. In order for another person to comprehend me, he must carry something of me within himself. That is why the Word became flesh, He chose to be baptized, and He shared in all the drama of our human condition—even death—so that we might discover ourselves in Him. Otherwise, God would not have been able to “learn” man, and from our perspective, He would have remained an eternally distant stranger. The same principle applies if we truly want to embrace life, relationships, time, and reality: It would be wonderful to look at ourselves and others with this awareness—a continual discovery, a daily unveiling.
The author hasn’t reviewed the text translation.
