Mark loves to surprise his readers. God, in fact, is never how you expect him to be or imagine him. His ways are not our ways and knowing him demands the courage of a conversion, an exodus from our own prejudices to rely on the unprecedented novelty of his revelation, so different from our expectation and, precisely for this reason, capable of fulfilling it. Thus it comes about in the readings we have today. Wisely, the liturgy precedes the narration of baptism with the final lines of the Baptist’s messianic proclamation:”After me comes the one who is stronger than me… ». John prophesies, and now finally the Expected One comes, but in a completely disconcerting way with respect to the expectation aroused by the words of the Baptist. In fact, we await one stronger than him, able to baptize not in water, but in the Spirit. The strongest submits to the baptism of the weakest; the one who possesses the superior baptism of the Spirit himself receives the lower baptism of water, mixed with his sinner brothers. How can we not be surprised? Yet this is our God, who manifests himself through a way of solidarity and sharing. Just as Jesus lives in the most radical form possible his fraternity with sinners, the voice of the Father proclaims him “My Son, the Beloved”!

Commentary by Comunità di Dumenza

Translation by f. Mark Hargreaves, Prinknash Abbey