Last Sunday, on the Solemnity of the Epiphany, I shared a prayer experience I had during retreat, holding Jesus in my arms, which helped me understand the Incarnation more deeply. Providentially, during that same retreat I was also given Matthew’s account of the Baptism of Jesus, which we just heard proclaimed today, to pray with. That prayer helped me understand more deeply how baptism is the will of God. I would like to share that experience with you and then reflect on what today means for us.

After reading the passage, I prayed for the desire to learn to love as God needs me to love. I closed my eyes and allowed the Holy Spirit to engage my imagination. I found myself right in the middle of the conversation between John the Baptist and Jesus at the edge of the Jordan. John seemed frustrated and said, “No, I won’t do it. I’m not going to do it. That’s not possible. You don’t need baptism. If anything, I need to be baptized by you.”

Jesus replied with a firm voice, “Allow it now.” I could totally relate to John. I felt the same way when I was asked to hold the baby Jesus. I did not want to. It did not feel right. I felt I should be the one in Jesus’ arms, not the other way around. So I joined in protest and said, “But you are God. What is it with you and depending on others?”

He replied sternly, “I am not depending on you because I cannot do it. I am God. I can do anything. I am asking you to cooperate with me. I am giving you the choice to love me back. Allow it now.” He basically told us both to be quiet, and so we did.

They walked into the river, about waist deep, and the baptism took place. I expected a dramatic moment, the heavens opening, light breaking through the clouds, a dove descending, and a voice that would shake the earth. But no. The signs were there, but they were subtle.

The voice was a quiet thought that came to my mind, “This is God’s beloved Son, with whom He is well pleased.” As for the dove, it was just a simple bird that flew from above the hills, stood at the river’s edge, took a drink of water, and then disappeared over the hill.

They came back to shore, and I asked Jesus, “God the Father is pleased with you. What pleases the Father?”

He replied, “The willingness to depend on one another. That requires the choice to love. That is the only way relationships are built. I let you hold me as a baby so you could learn to love me. I let John baptize me to show my desire to work together. This is the will of the Father for humanity. This is my vision for the Church.”

I then asked, “Do I please the Father? You trusted me enough to hold you as a baby. I must be doing something right, right?”

I was looking for positive affirmation, hoping to hear those same words spoken to me, “With you I am well pleased.” But He did not say anything. Instead, He let out a sigh, as if saying, “You still have a lot to learn,” splashed me with water, smiled, and walked away. I was left with a sense of incompletion, but also with hopeful optimism, and my desire to love as God loves grew even stronger.

I realized that my resistance to Jesus’ insistence on depending on others revealed my own desire to be self-sufficient. I had learned to believe that the way to please others was by not inconveniencing them. As a result, I tended to be overly independent, doing things on my own, suffering silently, and even triumphing selfishly. If God was calling me to be a priest in His Church, that desire had to change.

That is where baptism comes in. The Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord does more than simply mark the transition from Christmas to Ordinary Time. It reminds us that the Church is the will of God, and that she is centered on two things, covenant and mission. If we lose sight of either one of these fundamental aspects of our identity as Church, then we lose everything.

Covenant is the organizing structure of the history of salvation. The goal of salvation is the overcoming of divisions among human persons, to establish a united humanity in which every person, created in the image of God, can flourish.

The prophet Isaiah puts it this way:

“Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
upon whom I have put my spirit.
I have formed you and set you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations.”

These words come at the beginning of salvation history, the establishment of Israel as a light for the nations. But Israel’s history took a tragic turn. Instead of enlightening the nations, Israel was conquered by them.

From this failure emerges the figure of the Servant of Yahweh. The prophets come to recognize that no exercise of human power, not even the power of Israel’s king, can achieve the goal of salvation. A united humanity will only come through the transformation of human desire itself.

The prophets speak of a servant who will establish a new covenant by accepting a tragic death inflicted by the violent desires of the people. It is this death that sets in motion a new stage of salvation history, one in which human desire can truly be transformed and unity can finally become possible.

The baptism of Jesus is symbolic of Him taking on that task. He is the Servant of Yahweh who establishes the new covenant by being submerged in the sins of the world, caused by evil desires that will eventually lead Him to the cross. Through His death and resurrection, humanity must confront the truth that God responds to our evil desires not with anger, but with mercy, compassion, and love. This realization becomes the foundation of salvation, beginning with baptism into the new covenant, the start of the transformation of desire. The identity of the Church begins with covenant.

Next comes mission. In the rite of baptism, parents, godparents, and the entire community are asked, “In seeking baptism for your children, you are accepting the responsibility of training them in the faith. It will be your duty to bring them up to keep God’s commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?” Immediately, the mission of the Church is made clear, to love God and neighbor.

The success of this mission depends on our willingness to continue being transformed. After baptism, that transformation involves growing in knowledge of the faith and participation in the Eucharist.

Mass is more than something we do to fulfill an obligation. It is the means Jesus has given us for the continual transformation of our desires. To get the most out of Mass:

First, do what you can to arrive on time, without rushing, so you can prepare yourself and pray, “Lord, may my participation at Mass today continue to transform my heart, that I may desire what you desire.”

Second, become aware of which desires in you need transformation, so that you are not deceived. When the priest says, “Let us acknowledge our sins and so prepare ourselves to celebrate these sacred mysteries,” that is an invitation to be honest. Reflect on where your desires led you that week and ask Jesus to transform them. “Lord, this week I was tempted to think of someone other than my spouse or significant other, transform this desire. Lord, this week I was tempted to take the easy way out and cheat, transform this desire. Lord, this week I became angry at what is happening and wished harm on someone or a group of people, transform this desire.”

Third, receive the power for transformation. Only the love of Jesus has the power to transform, and we receive Him through the proclamation of Scripture and the Eucharist.

These three moments of the Mass are crucial, so that when we are dismissed and return to a conflict-filled world, we can respond as Jesus would, loving as Jesus loves, and being pleasing to the Father.

Two realities that are keeping the world on edge right now are the conflict involving Venezuela and immigration enforcement. The desires of many hearts in need of transformation are being revealed, bringing out calls for violence, vengeance, and hatred, often hidden behind a false sense of justice, and coming from all sides.

As a people of the new covenant, who are in the process of being transformed and entrusted with a mission of unity, our response to these conflicts is the Gospel, the good news that the Kingdom of God is here. We offer not anger or insults, but the very power we receive, the love of God, the only power capable of moving the human family toward reconciliation.

This is the Gospel that has helped confront human conflict in every generation since the Incarnation, and it is the Gospel that recent popes have consistently reminded us of.

Pope Leo recently led the first consistory of his pontificate, a consultative gathering of cardinals where current issues facing the Church and the world were discussed. One of the main focuses was the mission of the Church. In continuity with Pope Francis’ exhortation The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Leo reaffirmed that in a culture shaped by global economics and digital technology, where human desire is constantly manipulated, the Church exists for the purpose of evangelization and living communion. The Church does not advance by pressure, but by attraction. It is Christ acting through her who attracts others and converts hearts.

Family, the Baptism of Jesus reminds us that before the Church does anything, she must first be something, a people rooted in covenant, allowing Christ to reshape our desires, our reactions, and our love. Mission begins with transformed hearts, with us here at Mass. When we respond to conflict with patience, to disagreement with listening, and to fear with hope, Christ continues His mission through us.

So today, standing at the Jordan with Jesus, seeking to be pleasing to the Father, we ask for one grace, the grace to be transformed, the grace to love like Jesus loves, as the world needs to be loved right now.