Baptism of the Lord

January 12, 2026

Jesus, God’s beloved, was commissioned into ministry for others, as am I

Matthew 3:13-17

Then Jesus appeared: he came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. John tried to dissuade him, with the words, “It is I who need baptism from you, and yet you come to me!” But Jesus replied, “Leave it like this for the time being; it is fitting that we should, in this way, do all that uprightness demands.” Then John gave in to him. And when Jesus had been baptized he at once 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. And suddenly there was a voice from heaven, “This is my Son, the Beloved; my favor rests on him.”

REFLECTIONS ON THE GOSPEL

Commentary on Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7; Acts 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17 from the Irish Jesuits

Today brings to an end our Christmas celebrations. We see the third and last of the three great manifestations by which were made known to us that our God had come among us in a very special way. As mentioned in a recent commentary, the sign that Jesus gave in Cana is also a special manifestation of God’s presence in Jesus, and may be considered a fourth manifestation. Of the three, the first of these manifestations was through the story of the birth of Jesus in the stable at Bethlehem. The first people privileged to experience this manifestation were the shepherds, representing the poor, the sinful, and the social outcasts on whom Luke’s Gospel is especially focused. The second manifestation, the Epiphany, celebrated this past week, reflects Matthew’s emphasis that Jesus was born not only for his own people, but for people of every country and every race everywhere. This third manifestation of God’s presence among us through Jesus, depicted in today’s Gospel, is found in all four Gospels. While the first two manifestations are linked with the birth of Jesus, this one comes at a much later date, at the moment when Jesus is about to begin his public life.

Why baptise Jesus?
We might very well wonder, like John the Baptist did, why Jesus needed to be baptised. John said to Jesus: I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? All those others being baptised in the Jordan by John were doing so as a sign of repentance for their sins, and as an expression of their desire to turn around their lives. How could Jesus, the Son of God, be part of this? The first answer to this question is that Jesus, in so doing, was expressing his total solidarity with the human race, of which he was a member. He identified with them, not as a sinner, but as a fellow human being. The expression of that solidarity is a much higher priority for him than any social status he might lose by being seen in the close company of confessed sinners. It was a risk he would constantly take because the needs of the sinner were more important to him than his reputation with the self-righteous. It will have its final dramatic expression as Jesus dies on a cross, executed with, and like, two convicted criminals. For Jesus, there was never such a thing as ‘face’, i.e. being valued purely on external appearance.

A ‘missioning’ experience
However, in order to understand what is happening at the River Jordan, we have to go far beyond seeing Jesus’ baptism as a matter of dealing with sinfulness. What is being really emphasised here is the positive element of Jesus’ being totally accepted and confirmed by his Father. Jesus, as he stands there in the River Jordan, is being ‘missioned’ by his Father for the work he is just about to begin. He is here getting the total endorsement of his Father for that work. As he steps out of the water, the heavens open and the Spirit of God comes down on Jesus to fill him with all God’s fullness. This is my Son, the Beloved [Greek, agapetos—the object of God’s agape, his outpouring love], with whom I am well pleased. This, we might say, is Jesus’ Pentecost experience. It is what the baptism in the Jordan is really about. And it is something that only those with eyes of faith can see. We might also add that this is what our Baptism is really about.

Baptism and anointing
In the Second Reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter in his sermon to Cornelius, the first Gentile to be baptised by the Apostles, says that: …God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power… In the case of Jesus’ baptism by John, the anointing is by water. The anointing of Jesus by God, of which Peter speaks, implies that Jesus is being made King and Lord, and Kings were typically anointed with oil. The title ‘Christ’ [Greek, Christos] which we give him, means ‘The Anointed One’, and corresponds to the Hebrew word we write as Messiah. Finally, as we said earlier, this scene is also a ‘missioning’ ceremony for Jesus as he embarks on his public life.

‘My servant’
All this is beautifully described in the passage from Isaiah which is the First Reading for today’s feast. The opening words echo Matthew’s description of the baptism scene: Here is my servant…my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him… The mission that will be Jesus’ is then spelt out in some beautiful phrases over which we could reflect with great profit. The prophet writes: 
—He will not cry out or lift up his voice…
—a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench…
—he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth…
—I have called you in righteousness… [i.e. to serve the cause of right]
—I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
Those final phrases will be quoted by Jesus himself as the proclamation of his mission in the synagogue of his home town, Nazareth (Luke 4:18-20). All of this is contained in this simple but majestic scene with John the Baptist in the River Jordan. It is, as already said, a great manifestation of God’s presence among us through the Person of Jesus our King and Lord.

Our own baptism
As a final reflection, it would be useful for us today to reflect on the meaning of our own baptism and how it relates with that of Jesus. We often hear a very simplistic description of the effects of the Sacrament of Baptism as “taking away original sin and making us children of God”. Many, especially those baptised as infants, may see it as a one-off ceremony, imposed on them by parents to bind them to a way of life in which they have no further say. People have even been heard to say, “Oh! I wish I hadn’t been born a Catholic!” After honest reflection, some people may choose to renounce their Catholic faith in favour of a way of life which they feel is more meaningful to them. However, if one truly understands the full meaning of our baptism, this is unlikely to happen. Baptism is not, as is true of all the Sacraments, an isolated ritual. It takes place in the context of our whole life. Whether we are baptised as children or as adults, what primarily is happening is that we become incorporated, ’embodied’, into the Christian community. We become—not passively, but actively—members of the Body of Christ. It can never be something imposed on us against our will. That is why, for adults, there is now a long process of initiation leading up to Baptism and, hopefully a further process of community support after the Baptism has taken place. It is why adult baptism is now celebrated in the presence of the whole parish community and at the Easter Vigil. ‘Original sin’ is taken away, not so much by some spiritual sleight of hand or by the mumbling of some magic formula. Rather, if one becomes truly incorporated into a living Christian community, the sinful influences that pervade our world become reversed by our exposure to the vision of Jesus and the lived experience of a community based on love, justice and sharing.

A social event
Baptism does not, and cannot, produce its effects in a social vacuum. That is why the Church will not baptise those who have no likelihood of experiencing Christian community. Then, of course, like Jesus, our baptism brings with it a serious obligation to share our faith with others both by word and example. It involves much more than simply ‘saving our souls’ and ‘leading sinless lives’. We are called to be living witnesses of the gospel, to be the salt of the earth, to be a city on a hill, a candle radiating light in the surrounding darkness. We are called, in short, to be united with the others in our Christian community in the building up of God’s Kingdom. Sadly, one wonders how often this is the reality, when one sees so many Catholics acting like total strangers to each other at a Sunday parish Eucharist! All those words of Isaiah, quoted above and applied to Jesus, are to be applied to each one of us as well. Our baptism is not simply some past event recorded in some dusty parish register. It is a living reality which is to be constantly deepened and enriched. Let God our Father be able to say of us as he said of Jesus: This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.

Homily: Giving Blessings

“This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.”

Fr. Ron Rolheiser, one of the great modern theologians and spiritual writers, in his book called “Sacred Fire” explains that over our lifetime, our discipleship is divided up into three stages or components. The first is Essential Disciple; the second is Radical Discipleship; and then the last one is Mature Discipleship. Each of these have their own hallmark or theme. In the first stage, we are getting our life together. We are young and we have a longing for something outside of ourselves, what he calls a “holy longing” we seek the Lord and we seek meaning for life. The second stage is Radical Discipleship. In this stage we are giving our life away. We constantly give away everything that we have. This is where most parents and grandparents are. They give their life to their children; they have already made themselves in the world and now they are giving themselves away. The third stage is Mature discipleship and this is where we give our death away. We give others the way to remember us and hold us close. At one point, he gives a wonderful metaphor about this mature discipleship and talks about how give blessings to others, something that is so desperately needed in our modern world. To illustrate he talks about the opposite, giving curses and he does not mean cursing in the sense of four-letter words. He says cursing is when we do not speak well of people. So, we bless people when we speak well of them. Actually the root word for "bless” in Latin, benedicere, actually means “to speak well of.” That is exactly what God does for his Son, Jesus in today’s gospel. The better translation is, “This is my blessed Son with whom I am well pleased.” He says that not only to Christ but for all of us as adopted sons and daughters. God blesses Jesus and offering him to the world and Jesus does the same thing for all of us. He blesses us and speaks well of us. Rolheiser gives an example of how this blessing can work in practice. An older lady goes to a younger girl or young lady and says, “You look wonderful. You sounded wonderful. That’s amazing. What a wonderful gift you are to our world.” Engaging a girl in this way will enable that young lady’s shoulders will rise up because somebody has spoken well of them. And the same is true of an older man to a younger man. An older man to a boy: “Aren’t you a fine young man the way you have done that. And how polite you are when you shook hands very well. I am really proud of the way you accomplished this or that.” Again, that young man’s shoulders will rise up and he will feel wonderful that somebody has recognized him. That somebody thinks well of him. That somebody else speaks well of him. That somebody has blessed him. It is not just man to boy or woman to girl. It goes in all directions.  But how often do we do that?How often do we speak well of somebody and lift them up? This is what God does constantly for Jesus and of course Jesus does it in turn for everyone he meets. He lifts them up; the downtrodden, the broken, the wounded. He lifts them up. He touches them. He raises them up. He says you can come to dinner. “I am going to dinner at your house tonight.” “Come. Be touched. I want to heal you.” And he is constantly lifting people up and having them feel good about themselves. Not just good but actually that they are truly blessed by being in the presence of Christ. As Fr. Rolheiser points out, we are called to model ourselves after Jesus’ discipleship; that is we are modeling ourselves after his way. If he does that then we are called to bless people by speaking well of them; by lifting them up. “How wonderful it is that you sung today. Why, your voice is beautiful.” I love the way you did this or did that; to be encouraging; to bless them; to speak well of them.Here is the challenge: We cannot give what we do not have. Right? We cannot speak well of someone else if we do not think good thoughts of people. I am not even going to notice what you do if I am not already lifting my mind and heart up to God and then I find you a blessing in my life. There lies the challenge. We have to work at this interior reality before we can give it away. Fr. Ron Rolheiser illustrates this very colorfully with a Buddhist parable and it goes something like this: “The young soldier, who was young and fit and trim was walking by and noticed the Buddha with his legs folded up and meditating on the side of the road. And he noticed how fat he was. The young soldier says to the Buddha, “You look like a pig.” And the Buddha smiled, paused gently and returned back, saying, “And you look like God.” The soldier was taken aback and asked, “Why do you think I look like God?” And the Buddha said, “Well, I sit here all day and I ponder God and so therefore, what I ponder I project out onto everything that I see and feel in the inside. And when I see you, I see God in you. I guess you, you have been pondering something else.” We generally project out what we actually have interiorly. We have all had experiences with this when somebody lashes out at us and it has nothing to do with what we have done but they are angry from something else and it all just spews out. We cannot give what we do not have. If we want to give blessing then we must allow the Lord to say to us: “You are my beloved and blessed son or daughter with whom I am well pleased.” When we feel that and allow that love, that blessing into our hearts to heal us; to give us consolation, then we can pass on that blessing to speak well of others. What an amazing world we would have if all of us would find only blessings to give away and not curses; that we would only speak well of people; and not speak ill of people. Maybe this could be one of our new ways for this new year as we head into a new ordinary time. We promise this year, we are going to allow the Lord to bless us and to say to us “You are my beloved son; you are my beloved daughter in whom I am well pleased.” Then we are ready to pass that blessing onto others and say: “You are my beloved, my blessed son and daughter with whom I am well pleased.” May we give blessings not curses to each other.. “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.”

PREPARATION FOR THE SESSION

Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025

Presence of God: Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence. Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you. ( 1-2 minutes of silence)

Freedom: Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others. Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love. ( 1-2 minutes of silence)

Consciousness: Where am I with God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life. (2-3 minutes of silence)

OPENING PRAYER

Lord, as I reflect on my own baptism and my own spiritual journey thus far, help me to remember to thank your Holy Spirit for the graces I have received, the help in dark times, and the strength to do your will.

COMPANIONS FOR THE JOURNEY

From “First Impressions” 1/5/2026, a service of the Southern Domiican Province

The baptism of Jesus is not simply a moment in his life; it is a revelation meant to shape ours. In today’s Gospel, Jesus enters the Jordan not because he needs repentance, but to stand fully with a searching, vulnerable humanity. He steps into the water to make it holy, revealing a God who meets us where we are – not after we have tried and failed to purify ourselves in a futile effort to become “worthy.” At his baptism, Jesus reveals both who He is and who God is for us. The heavens open, the Spirit descends, and God’s voice declares, “You are my beloved Son.” The Trinity is present and active. Baptism, then, is more than membership in a community; it is a declaration of identity. Before we are called to follow Jesus or sent on mission, we are named and claimed as God’s beloved children. The baptism of Jesus marks the beginning of his mission – and, through him, ours. Immediately afterward, he goes forth to proclaim God’s kingdom, to heal the broken, and to confront injustice. So, it is with us. We are not baptized for private holiness alone, but into a shared vocation: to live the Gospel publicly through mercy, forgiveness, truth, and self-giving love. Jesus does not emerge from the waters to claim privilege or power over others. His way is humility and obedience to God’s will. Our baptism, then, is not about status but about service – service shaped by compassion and sustained by hope. The opening of the heavens at Jesus’ baptism signifies that the divide between God and humanity has been bridged. As baptized people, we are invited to trust that the heavens remain open – that God’s Spirit is at work in us even when the waters of life feel cold, uncertain, or unwelcoming. Our reading from the Acts of the Apostles helps us understand why this feast matters, both personally and as Church. Peter is in the home of Cornelius, a Gentile who had been directed by an angel to summon him. There Peter proclaims the heart of the Gospel: “God shows no partiality.” He then offers a brief summary of the kerygma: “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” This proclamation reaches back directly to the baptism of the Lord, when Jesus was anointed by the Spirit and publicly revealed as God’s chosen one. Today’s feast celebrates not an isolated event, but the beginning of a Spirit-driven life of service. The Spirit is revealed not in sentiment, but in action – doing good, healing, and liberating. The Spirit is purposeful and concrete. Peter’s declaration that “God shows no partiality” deepens the meaning of this feast. Jesus’ baptism reveals a mission that is universal. Just as Jesus stands in the waters with all humanity, Peter now stands in a Gentile household announcing that God’s saving work is for everyone. Our baptism, then, calls us to dismantle barrier – racial, cultural, social, and religious – and to reflect God’s inclusive love in our lives and in the Church. This feast holds up a mirror to our own baptism. If Jesus was sent by the Spirit to “go about doing good,” then baptism is not a once-for-all initiation, but a lifelong calling. We are anointed and sent into our workplaces, parishes, families, prisons, hospitals, and streets to be instruments of healing, justice, and peace. Peter says of Jesus, “God was with him.” At Jesus’ baptism, heaven opened to proclaim God’s presence. In our baptism, that same promise is made--we are never sent alone. We are called to continue what began when Jesus stepped into the Jordan and emerged on mission for us. Jesus’ baptism assures us that we are beloved, sent, and accompanied by the Spirit. We are invited to live each day as people who have heard God’s voice spoken over our lives: “You are my beloved; with you I am well pleased.” One final word from today’s reading from Isaiah. The prophet promises that God’s servant will “bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon those who live in darkness.” We know that dungeons are not only places of concrete and iron bars. Many carry what might be called a “portable prison” – darkness inherited from anxious beginnings, broken relationships, or the accumulated weight of a troubled world. Just as Jesus entered the Jordan alongside the repentant, so he enters our places of darkness and confinement today. He is the one promised by Isaiah, who brings prisoners into freedom. He goes to the hidden places that keep us locked in, to the restricted patterns of living we excuse by saying, “That’s just the way I am.” Jesus does not remain a distant observer. He steps into the waters and into the darkness with us, helping us face what binds us and leading us out – just as God promised through the prophet Isaiah.

LIVING THE GOOD NEWS

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion? Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions or the meditations which follow:

Reflection Questions

What do I think Jesus was experiencing at the time of his baptism?

Have I ever felt called by God for any reason?
How did I feel at the time?

Has there been a time in my life when what seemed the “right” path/action/career, was just not what God had in mind for me?

Have I ever been “surprised” by God’s actions in my life?

Do I truly believe Jesus is God-Among-Us?

What is the Spirit of God, for me?

What was Jesus’ world expecting from God?
Did they get it?
What do I expect from God?

What “new life” was Jesus re-born into?

Have God’s plans for my life been revealed to me slowly, in life’s events, or in a moment of “revelation?”
Am I still waiting to hear what my calling is?

I think of a time when I was asked to do something and was unprepared or unready. How did I respond?
How do I feel?

Can I thank God for my virtues?
What else do I need to do/ pray in this prayer of thanksgiving in order to avoid self-congratulation?

How do I understand “This is my beloved Son”?
Do I think this applies to me?

Do I ever do things because it gives a good example rather than because they are required?

How has Baptism transformed my life?

From First Impressions 2026:
Has there been a cost to me for being a Christian?
Have I experienced God’s help when being a Christian came with a price?

CLOSING PRAYER

Jesus, help me to remember that I am your beloved, always your beloved. Help me to remember that God is well pleased with me, and let me act with confidence that I am loved by you, not because I am perfect, not because I am good, but because I AM. And help me to act on that confidence, bringing your light and love to others.

FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

Weekly Memorization: Taken from the gospel for today’s session…This is my Son, my Beloved; my favor rests on him.

Meditations:

A Meditation in the Augustinian Style/Relationship (From Sacred Space, a service of the Irish Jesuits 2026): This is one of the three times the Father speaks to us in the gospel story. Here it is to acknowledge that Jesus is his beloved, the one he loves with a passion. During the first millennium this came to be the way Christians saw themselves, especially as they realized the meaning of Jesus’ words: “As the father has loved me, so I have loved you. Abide in my love. (John 15:9). If you would like to ponder this prayerfully, quieten yourself for a short while by relaxing your body. Then listen to the Father call you his beloved a few times, and when you have savored his words, tell him how you feel about this.

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination (Meditation on John the Baptist, Jesus’ Baptism, and mine): As I reflect on the sacrament of Baptism, I recall the beginning of Jesus’ ministry when John the Baptist baptized him. I imagine myself there with Jesus: I see a small, wiry man, dressed in rags and tatters. His clothes are dirty and hang off his too-thin frame. They say he eats little--locusts and honey gathered from the parched land he and the other Essene inhabit in the hills. Stranger and stranger. But there is something about the man that forces me to stay and listen to what he has to say. His voice, his eyes, speak eloquently of the passion which drives him… The conviction that time is short and the kingdom of Heaven is near rings out over the crowd. He makes us feel that we and the world we inhabit are at a crossroads. Something momentous is upon us. His name is Jesus. We must repent. Repent.

Repentance-Metanoia--more than a confession of sins.
More than guilt and anxiety.
More than fear of the Lord’s wrath.
Metanoia.
A complete change of heart.
To turn one’;s very soul around.
Away from self-centeredness, selfishness and self-aggrandizement.
Away from meanness, from sniping at others to make myself more secure.
Away from greed, clutching frantically at what I have, holding it close because of anxiety that there might not be enough. Enough time, enough money, enough attention, enough love.
Away from evil.
Away From envy of what others have achieved or acquired, envy fostered by the fear that someone might just have more of something than I do.
Metanoia.
A turning around.
A turning back.
Back to goodness.
Back to kindness.
Back to loving.
Back to God.

How would I respond to John the Baptist if I were sitting by the River Jordan listening to him? Would my heart be touched by the Spirit and would I experience the deep conviction that I must, MUST realign my will to God’s a live my life accordingly? Do I realize the hardships this might entail? Or pleasures I might have to forgo ,or defenses I might have to abandon in order to be open to God’s call, to God’s living presence? I agree to be immersed in that holy river and start anew. I step toward the Baptist, my eyes fixed on his as he summons, COMPELS me with his presence and his conviction to take the risk, to let go of the past and embrace a radically different future. The water is cold; cold against the skin warmed that desert sun. It shocks me into realizing the enormity of what I am about to do. I am going to die to a lot of my old ways, to my old life. As the waters close over my head, I am suspended between life and death, between the old world and the new, between the old me and the new me. I stay under as long as I am able, pulled into the past and a little afraid of the future. What will this new life bring? As I feel the spirit of God invade my very being, touch my heart with love and strength, I emerge from the depths, gasping for breath, heart pounding, eyes wide open in wonder. John says those holy words which confirm the presence of the Lord in my heart, and in my very being, in my soul. I look around and see the world with new eyes. The brown, parched earth seems somehow touched with gold. The breeze, soft and mild, caresses my cheek. I look heavenward at a sky suddenly made bluer. I look at the faces of those around me, rendered indistinct by eyes filled with tears. I see their love and concern, their curiosity, and from some, their scorn. None of it matters. I am one with God.

POETIC REFLECTIONS

The practical prayer advice contained in The Cloud of Unknowing forms a primary basis for the contemporary practice of centering prayer, a form of Christian meditation developed by Trappist monks William Meninger, Basil Pennington and Thomas Keating in the 1970s. How is it a metaphor for ur spiritual journey?

I came into the unknown
and stayed there unknowing
rising beyond all science.

I did not know the door
but when I found the way,
unknowing where I was,
I learned enormous things,
but what I felt I cannot say,
for I remained unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

It was the perfect realm
of holiness and peace.
In deepest solitude
I found the narrow way:
a secret giving such release
that I was stunned and stammering,
rising beyond all science.

I was so far inside,
so dazed and far away
my senses were released
from feelings of my own.
My mind had found a surer way:
a knowledge of unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

And he who does arrive
collapses as in sleep,
for all he knew before
now seems a lowly thing,
and so his knowledge grows so deep
that he remains unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

The higher he ascends
the darker is the wood;
it is the shadowy cloud
that clarified the night,
and so the one who understood
remains always unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

This knowledge by unknowing
is such a soaring force
that scholars argue long
but never leave the ground.
Their knowledge always fails the source:
to understand unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

This knowledge is supreme
crossing a blazing height;
though formal reason tries
it crumbles in the dark,
but one who would control the night
by knowledge of unknowing
will rise beyond all science.

And if you wish to hear:
the highest science leads
to an ecstatic feeling
of the most holy Being;
and from his mercy comes his deed:
to let us stay unknowing,
rising beyond all science.

—John of the Cross

Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt very understood and affirmed by a parent? How do you think Jesus felt when he heard the words: “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” Do you realize that God feels that way about you?

Thank you, Dad
It really is quite
Amazing how seldom
We praise our children
Or friends or even the
One closest to being
Our true heart mate
For it seems we are
Troubled by some
Dismaying anxiety
That if a nice word is
Even whispered the
Beneficiary will have
A head that explodes
From arrogance

But the gracious Lord
Who made us will have
None of this stupid worry
For he gives praise every
Single time he calls each
And every one of us one
Of His beloved children
And he does this every
Second of our lives
So it is like a never
Ending encore of
His pledging love
Again and again
And yet again

So perhaps
Instead of rejecting
The pledge of love
We need to seize a
Cue from this mentor
Who as he completed
Baptism by John was
Said to have heard the
Father say that he was
His beloved child and
Is it not likely that in
His heart the newly
Baptized one
Said simply
Thank you
Dad

—©2003 Rev. Michael J. Kennedy