Dear friends,

We have begun today the reading of the Gospel of Mark. Who will keep us company for this year.

This evangelist tells us nothing about the birth or the childhood of Jesus. He starts, instead his gospel with Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan.

What moved Jesus to take this surprising step of having himself  baptized?

We heard how the answer came “from heaven”: “You are my beloved Son, in your I take delight!”

In Baptism He took my guilt upon His shoulders.  Jesus felt our struggle and our need to be washed from the guilt of our sins. “The heavens being torn open,” conveys the wonderful good news that there is no separation between God and Jesus, God and us.

When we were baptized we were kind of wounded, branded by the fire of the Holy Spirit. We now belong to God and we are very dear to Him. God is not displeased with us, but He danced for joy the day we were born to life and reborn to the Church in the waters of Baptism.

We received also a mission: we are here on earth because we have to accomplish a project: “not to break the bruised reed and not to quench to smoldering wick”. In other words: we are called to win the much evil around us with goodness, to return a course with a blessing. To imitate God the father who makes His rain fall on good and bad people alike. For Him there are not bad people, only misled creatures