Beloved

Last Sunday we celebrated the last feast of the Christmas season, the Baptism of the Lord. We hear about this baptism every year as we close the season, whether we are reading from the gospel of Matthew, Mark or Luke, and each of these gospels closes with the same line: "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." It's amazing to me, then, that in all of my years of listening, I have never appreciated what John Shea (The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers) has pointed out, that these very words are said to each of us at our baptism as well! This is God's sacramental affirmation of us, conveyed in such words as 'welcomes, anoints, clothes, Christian dignity' etc. We know, from our very inception, that we are beloved, but as with every other sacrament, the words are precious and priceless. Even with faith, though, we sometimes fall into disbelief of our belovedness. We fail to be able to forgive ourselves for certan actions or faults, and live as less - less aware of who we are in God's eyes, less grateful for God's amazing gifts to us, less aware of our ability to respond by releasing ourselves from this self-centered paralysis. May you today experience yourself as the beloved of God, and be as gentle with yourself as God is. And if this is a struggle, may you fall on your knees and pray as we read in Mark 9: "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief."