We hear in today’s Gospel that at the moment of Jesus’ baptism, “a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’” We can hear these words as a simple proclamation of who Jesus is – the beloved Son of God – but also as a proclamation of who we are called to be: the beloved adopted sons and daughters of God. We sometimes forget that we are also called beloved. We mistakenly think that our value depends on our accomplishments or on our faithfulness, but the truth is that our status as beloved is due to our being made in the image of my Creator. If we allow ourselves to absorb the full meaning of that, it will not only affect how we view ourselves but also how we relate to one another. You see, Christ didn’t come only to show us the truth about who we are. His coming also invites us to see one another as beloved. As Peter reminds us in our second reading, “God shows no partiality”. May we strive to see the belovedness that God bestows on us and on all people.
Jesus entered fully into our humanity, including entering into communion with each of us through our common baptism, to allow for us to one day share in the perfect exchange of love of the Trinity. Our call is to take on Christ’s mission of love here on earth – to speak and act in a way that proclaims the truth of who God is and who he has made us to be. How can we remind our families, our neighbours, and even our enemies of their nature as beloved children of God? And by recognising our own nature as beloved, we allow God’s grace to flow through us. We then trust that God will make himself known as the source of love itself.
Take time this week to reflect on what it means to be a beloved son or daughter of God. What would it be like to hear, “You are my beloved child, with whom I am well pleased”? Once we root ourselves in this truth we can ask ourselves, “What act of kindness, what consoling word might I offer, what goodness might I do for others around me to help them experience a glimpse of their own belovedness?” Then, do it!
