Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 / Acts 10:34-38 / Matthew 3:13-17
The Christmas season is not just about the celebrating the birth of Christ.
We celebrated the birth of Christ on Christmas Day. The birth of Christ is then announced to the world in the feast of the Epiphany, when the wise men came to adore Jesus and present Him with the gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh, to symbolize His identity.
The mystery of the Incarnation at Christmas comes to its peak with the Baptism of the Lord.
And with the Baptism of the Lord, the mystery of salvation moves from the Incarnation to the Mission.
Christ came into the world to save sinners. At His Baptism, Christ was revealed to the world as the Beloved Son of the Father.
In this, we are also reminded of our own baptism, that we too, in Christ, are the beloved of the Father.
Indeed, love is the soul of mission. Without love, there can be no meaning or purpose or direction in life. Without love, there can be no mission.
Jesus came to save us by showing God's love for us.
Through baptism, we are united with Christ in His mission. May we show God's love for others. That is the meaning, the purpose and the direction of our lives.