Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as a Church, we celebrate today the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. While this event was one of the foundational events from which our celebration of baptism arose, we are, nonetheless, invited to reflect deeply on the transformative power of baptism and what it reveals about God’s love for us and His call to mission. The readings for today carefully weave together a profound message about change, hope, and new beginnings.

The prophet Isaiah speaks familiar words of comfort and renewal: “Every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, and the rough country, a broad valley.” (Isaiah 40:4) This vision of a transformed landscape is not just poetic imagery—it speaks to the change (i.e., the transformation God desires in our lives and our world). We are invited to conform our hearts and minds to His in all things! God’s promise is to make a way, to clear paths, and to bring us into communion with Him. In short, it is to make the impossible or the unthinkable, possible. This change requires trust, humility, and an openness to let God reshape the contours of our hearts, to streamline the hills and valleys in making a new highway where we can commune with the divine. 

In the Gospel, we recount Luke’s narrative of the Baptism of Jesus—a moment of profound change and revelation. As Jesus emerges from the waters, the heavens open, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the voice of the Father proclaims, “You are My beloved Son; with You, I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22) Though Jesus is without sin, His baptism made the water holy and marks the beginning of His public ministry, a turning point that sets the stage for His mission to proclaim the Kingdom of God.

Indeed, baptism, for each of us, is a moment of transformation—a change of direction. It is a dying to sin – to all sin - and a rising to new life in Christ. In baptism, we enter into the mystery of Christ’s death and then we rise with Him all glorious and radiant. As St. Paul reminds us in his letter to Titus, “[He saved us], …not because of any righteousness deeds we had done, but, because of His mercy, through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5) Baptism is more than a mere ritual; it’s a reorientation of our entire being, aligning our lives, in a definitive way, with God’s purpose. We, then, belong to God!

We know that change is not always easy. It can be slow, or it can be sudden. It can be planned or unplanned. It can be my own doing, or it can be an act of God that awakens us. This past week, a winter snow and ice storm here in northern Alabama reminded us of the power of nature in shaping our daily life. We are at the mercy of nature sometimes. In addition, the horrific and devastating fires in Los Angeles, which seem far away geographically but close if we have family or friends there, remind us just how sudden and dramatic change can be - when we think we are safe and then tragedy strikes. When the landscape of our lives shifts away from our comfort zones —whether through loss, challenges, or unexpected events—we are often left searching for certainty, for stability and meaning – looking to get our moorings once again. Yet, even in these moments of upheaval, God invites us to discover a deeper hope. A hope which is Christ Himself. Like a forest that eventually renews after a fire, our faith assures us that God can bring new life and even a new hope out of even the most difficult circumstances.

This year, we also embark on a Jubilee Year for the entire Church. It is a time to renew our identity as “pilgrims of hope.” As baptized pilgrims, we are summoned to journey with purpose, trusting that God’s Spirit will guide every step of the way. Hope, born of change, is not merely a passive optimism; it is a confident expectation in God’s promises. His will be done! When we embrace the transformation that baptism signifies, we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, becoming truly ourselves—beloved children of God imbued with talents and gifts to be sent on mission.

This transformation we have been speaking about today, when seen through the eyes of faith, is not something to fear. It is an opportunity to grow, to let go of what weighs us down or prevents us from moving forward, and to step forward into a fuller experience of life that God has prepared for us. Like Jesus at His baptism, we are called to hear the Father’s voice declaring, “You are My beloved son” or “You are My beloved daughter,” and to allow that truth to shape everything we do.

As we reflect on today’s feast, here are a couple questions we can ask ourselves: “What valleys in my life need lifting up? What mountains need to be made low? Where is God inviting me to experience renewal and hope?” Indeed, we re-commit ourselves to our baptismal call to be people of faith, people of hope, and people of love—pilgrims on a journey to cooperate with God in building His Kingdom here and now.

May Our Lady, who marveled at all that was happening, continue to guide us to her Son, and may the Lord, Who has begun this good work in us, bring it to fulfilment so that we can experience the joy of living fully as God’s beloved children. May God bless you all!