Today Christ entered the River Jordan to wash away
the sin of the world. John himself attests that he came for this reason:
"Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sin of the world". Today
the servant clings to his Lord, a man clings to God, John clings to Christ. He
clings to him in order to receive pardon, not to grant it. Today, as the
prophet says, 'The voice of the Lord is over the waters. What voice? "This
is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
Today "the voice of God is over the
waters," because God the Father, in order to verify his Son's lineage, is
present himself as his own witness to assert: "This is my beloved
Son," because the Son has no one else to provide testimony. The sanctuary
of the Father has no observer; the divine generation knows no witness. The
divinity of Christ receives no investigation from outside, as the Son himself
says: "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father
except the Son.
Today the Holy Spirit hovers over the waters under
the appearance of a dove, so that, just as that dove announced to Noah that the
flood that inundated the world had subsided, so too by this sign it would be
known that the unremitting shipwreck of the world had come to an end. But it did not carry a branch from the old
olive tree, as that one did, but pours out rich, new chrism all over his head
as Parent, in order to fulfill what the prophet said: "God, your God, has
anointed you with the oil of gladness before your fellows."
Today "the Lord is over the waters."
Correctly does it say "over the waters," and not "under the
waters," because Christ is not a servant to his Baptism, but he has
authority over the sacraments. Today "the God of majesty thundered."
And if the Father thunders from heaven, if the Son stirs up the waters of the
Jordan, of the Holy Spirit appears in bodily fashion from on high, why is it
that the Jordan, who fled at the presence of the Ark of the Covenant, did not
run away when the whole Trinity is present? Why is it? It is because the one
who shows homage and deference begins to be fearful no longer.
Here the Trinity puts all its grace into operation
and expresses all its love for the world; on that prior occasion God took hold
of the elements in order to instruct his little servants to fear him.
Nevertheless, in the midst of these events so awesome and great, John stands
undaunted, because he is unable to be afraid, since the angel has testified
that he was born entirely for the love of God.
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