Beloved Sons and Daughters of God!

Saturday, January 6, 2024

1 Jn 5:5-13; Mk 1:7-11

The baptism of Jesus in today’s Gospel helps us think about being the beloved children of God.

God calls Jesus ‘his beloved son with whom He is well pleased.’

But what makes Jesus the beloved son of God? 

It is Jesus’ love for God that makes him God’s beloved son. 

Jesus has shown that ‘to love is to suffer with joy’ and that true love can make anything possible.  

Jesus emptied himself in his act of obedience. His incarnation, baptism, and crucifixion are impeccable examples of Jesus’ obedient love for God’s grand plan of salvation for humanity. 

In his obedience, Jesus glorified God, and ‘because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored far beyond anyone or anything’ (Phil 2:9). 

We learn from Jesus that unconditional love is voluntary, self-emptying, and vicarious. 

If and when we are capable of such love, we too are ‘beloved sons and daughters of God!

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar