You’ve heard the old adage, “Times flies.” That certainly is true in our weekly look at the Gospel. Last weekend, we celebrated the Epiphany, when the Magi came looking for the child Jesus. This weekend we fast forward to the Baptism of Jesus when He was probably about 30 years old. This event marks the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. We might wonder why Jesus needed to be baptized at all. Many Fathers of the Church explain that “sinless Jesus” received the baptism of repentance to identify Himself with his people. This makes sense to me. Jesus wanted to be like us in things, but sin. The baptism of Jesus from John was a very important event in the life of Jesus. It appears to be a moment of decision by Him to begin His public ministry. The Baptism of Jesus was a moment of identification with us as human beings. God the Father spoke from the heavens during the baptism, “approving” and recognizing His Son. During the baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove, and gave Him the power of preaching and healing. The baptism of Jesus reminds us of our own identity. It reminds us of who we are and whose we are. By baptism we become sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, members of his Church, heirs of heaven and temples of the Holy Spirit. Whew! That’s a whole lot to consider. Jesus’ baptism reminds us also of our mission… to experience the presence of God within us…to acknowledge our own dignity as God’s children…and to appreciate the divine presence in others. Our baptism calls each of us to live as the children of God in thought, word and action… to lead a Christian life that is marked by love and service…and to grow daily in our relationship with God through prayer. Let us ask Our Lord each day to make us faithful to our baptismal promises and to preach Christ’s ‘Good News’ by our determined Christian lives of love, mercy, service and forgiveness. There is an old Hindu parable about a tiger cub raised by goats. The cub learned to bleat and nibble grass and behave like a goat. One night a tiger attacked the goats, which scattered for safety. But the tiger cub kept grazing and crying like a goat without getting frightened. The old tiger roared, "What are you doing here, living with these cowardly goats?" He grabbed the cub by the scruff, dragged him to a pond and said: "Look how our faces match reflected in water? Now you know who you are and whose you are." The tiger took the cub home, taught him how to catch animals, eat their meat, roar and act like a tiger. The tiger cub thus discovered his true self. Today’s Gospel seems to suggest that Jesus received from heaven a fresh flash of realization of who, and whose, he really was (his identity) and what he was supposed to do (his mission), on the day of his baptism in the river Jordan. GOSPEL QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Are you aware of what your own baptism calls you to?