Fr. Jorge Miró shares with Exaudi readers his commentary on the  Gospel of Sunday, January 11, 2026,  entitled “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

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With the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which we celebrate today, the liturgical season of Christmas concludes.

The baptism of Jesus is the acceptance and inauguration of his mission.

In the Gospel, we contemplate the striking scene of Jesus allowing himself to be numbered among sinners and approaching to receive baptism from John, who is astonished by Jesus’ presence. But Jesus’ presence is a sign: He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is what John the Baptist calls him, revealing that Jesus is both the Suffering Servant who silently allows himself to be led to the slaughter and bears the sin of the multitudes, and the Passover lamb, symbol of the redemption of Israel when it celebrated the first Passover. Christ’s entire life expresses his mission:  to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many  (Catechism  608).

This celebration invites us to remember and relive the baptism we received one day, through which we have gained access to the salvation that Jesus won for us through his death and resurrection. It is the baptism by which we have been immersed in Christ’s death and have risen with him (cf. Catechism  1214).

But baptism is not simply a ritual. Baptism is the beginning of a new life. In Baptism we have received the seed of a  treasure, which is  faith, and  the gift of the Holy Spirit, which makes us beloved children of God in Christ and introduces us into the community of disciples of Jesus Christ: the Church.

Today the Lord invites us to take care of the seed so that it can grow and bear fruit.

To do this, each day you must listen to and accept as spoken directly to you the word that the Holy Spirit whispers in every beat of your heart, reminding you that you are God’s beloved child, his chosen one. Each day the Spirit assures you that God loves you, that he created you out of love, and that he is weaving with you a story of love and salvation. This is the key. When you accept this freely given love, life is completely transformed.

This celebration is an invitation to experience this love story with the Lord. An invitation to rejoice in baptism. To live this new life, to live a personal and intimate relationship with the Lord, a relationship of love. Because faith is living a life to be enjoyed. A life we ​​must cherish.

We nurture it by listening to the Word of God, a Word that has eternal life. We nurture it by living the faith not in an individualistic and solitary way, but united with all who profess that Jesus is Lord, living the faith in the family of Jesus’ disciples, which is the Church.

We nurture our faith when we celebrate the Eucharist, when we confess our sins, and when we go through life doing good, as Jesus did. Likewise, we nurture our faith when we pray and live in intimacy with the Lord. Until we reach the goal, which is heaven, eternal life,  where no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind can imagine what God has prepared for those who love him  (1 Corinthians  2:9).

Open your heart to the Lord! Do not be afraid! He who began the good work in you will bring it to completion!

Come, Holy Spirit!