My Dear Friends,

WWJD – What Would Jesus Do is a popular acronym? A reminder and guide to us ‘re’ our behaviour. And to be honest I thought about WWJD when I began reflecting on the Baptism of Jesus that we celebrate today. For as I read Luke’s gospel I was overwhelmed by the faith of the people who came to John to be baptized, moved by their quiet hope and curiosity: A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ.

John clarifies his role and assures the people that Christ is coming by telling them: ‘I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’ But rather than arriving in a blaze of glory, Jesus quietly gets in line with the others and gracefully asks John to baptize him. From the beginning of his ministry Jesus provides a template of how we should live with humility.

I wonder how I might have reacted if I’d seen the Holy Spirit in a the form of a dove, descending on Jesus, and heard the voice of from heaven proclaiming: ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you’. Not so much WWJD, but what would I do? For in those words, God the Father expressed His pleasure that Jesus had embraced His Mission and He’s equally pleased with us when we continue it too. We know that we can make a difference in the world by uniting ourselves to the One who changed the world with His Life, and today, on this great feast day we’re being reminded that we can, and must, continue the Mission of bringing Jesus Christ to our world.