Monsignor Enrique Díaz Díaz shares with Exaudi readers his reflection on the  Gospel of this Sunday, January 11, 2026, entitled “Look at my servant, in whom I am well pleased.”

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Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7:  “Behold my servant in whom I delight”

Psalm 28:  “We praise you, Lord”

Acts 10:34-38: “God  anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit”

Matthew 3:13-17:  “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he saw the Holy Spirit descending on him.”

After the Synod, Pope Francis emphasized the foundation of synodality and the shared missionary responsibility of all members of the Church, affirming that “we are all baptized, we are all children of God.” And today, as we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, we also celebrate the baptism of each one of us.

The Christmas season closes with one more manifestation of Jesus: his baptism. Little by little, the face of the one who will be our Savior has been revealed to us, and today he is fully revealed in all his splendor: he is the beloved Son of God, anointed by the Spirit and sent with a special mission: to manifest God’s love to all people. Three characteristics help us recognize Jesus at his baptism, but at the same time, they help us understand the true essence of being a Christian. We are all baptized in the same baptism as Jesus and grafted onto his body and his very mission. If we contemplate the manifestation that today’s readings offer us about the Messiah and the Anointed One, we can understand the importance of our baptism, which we have often reduced to mere ritualism, custom, or even just a social act. We are baptized and Christian, but only in appearance, and we do not live out the full meaning of being a Christian.

The first characteristic revealed to us about Jesus is indicated by the voice heard after his baptism:  “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”  This voice echoes the words proclaimed by Isaiah to the servant of Yahweh:  “I, the Lord, have called you, I have taken you by the hand, I have kept you and made you a covenant for the people, a light for the nations.” These are words attributed to and lived in their fullness by Jesus, but having been grafted onto him through our baptism, they are also addressed to each one of us. Therefore, today, knowing ourselves to be baptized, we must recognize ourselves as loved, held by the hand, and formed with profound affection by our Father God. Each of us has incalculable value according to God; we are his beloved children. The first attitude of the baptized should be to recognize that they are loved in a special way by God, to experience his protection and care, and to live this love fully.

Saint Peter, amazed by the action of the Holy Spirit, acknowledges in the Book of Acts that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the power of the Holy Spirit, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed. This is the mission that the Spirit entrusts to Jesus, and the same mission entrusted to every baptized person. Isaiah emphasizes this in the mission of the servant: “He will faithfully bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged until he has established justice on the earth… I have made you a light to the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison and from the dungeon those who sit in darkness .” Thus, baptism is not merely a receipt or a certificate, nor a pretext for a social celebration, but a serious commitment we undertake to work toward building a society that lives in justice and peace. How sad that in a country where almost everyone is baptized in one denomination or another, darkness, injustice, and lies hold sway, as if our baptism were merely a facade. We will have to live with it within ourselves, with all its consequences. A baptized person must be in love with justice and a person of hope. That is why it is said that he will not break a bruised reed, nor quench a smoldering wick. The true Christian, having Christ as his firm rock, will always seek the paths of hope that awaken faith and sustain the struggle for justice and truth. Alongside the poorest and most vulnerable, he is called to uphold the light in this world of darkness.

If Christ came to break down all the walls that divided humanity and with his cross broke the chains that separated peoples, if Saint Peter recognizes that God shows no partiality but accepts those who fear him and practice justice, why have we turned baptism into a bland rite, experienced individually and serving only as a document of belonging or, worse, of separation from others? Through baptism we become part of that great community called the Church, we begin to be part of Jesus’ dream of uniting all people in one family, and we are grafted onto the Body of Jesus to be active members who care for one another, who feel the pain and joy of other members, and who rejoice or grieve with our brothers and sisters who become flesh of their flesh and spirit of their spirit. What have we done with baptism? Do we recognize the great commitment, the great dignity, and the beautiful mission we have acquired in baptism? As we contemplate Jesus being baptized, let us listen attentively to each of the words addressed to Jesus and to us, and let us reflect on the greatness of our own baptism.

God, Good Father, who proclaimed that Christ was your beloved Son, anointed by the Spirit, grant to your children, also reborn through water and the Spirit, to recognize their dignity as baptized persons, to embrace the mission of servants, and to build your great human family. Amen.