At the end of the funeral Holy Mass, the priest is instructed to incense the body of the deceased. This is the first thought that came to mind while I was reflecting on the feast of the Baptism of our Lord.  

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19 

As a sacred place, our body which is sanctified by the Holy Spirit through the waters of Baptism, and is nourished by the Eucharist, is worthy of being incensed; and it is incensed not only when lifeless in death, but also every time we participate in a Holy Mass in which incense is used. 

Today’s three readings (Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7; Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38; Luke 3:15-16, 21-22) provide us with valuable suggestions on how to be always opened to grace from above, to nurture our bodies with the proper Christ-like attitudes, to adopt the type of behavior that is pleasing to God and to avoid behavior unbecoming of those who hold the Holy Spirit in their bodies as in a temple. 

The essential inner disposition of all baptized must be humility, quite visible already in John the Baptist and in Jesus. 

Humility generates joy because, as on this feast of the Baptism of the Lord Jesus, we realize that our God dwells in us with the richness of his mercy, gentleness and kindness. 

Humility is a constant acknowledgment of God’s direct interventions that are always unmerited by us. 

At Jesus’ Baptism, humility was on full display as, although totally sinless, he approached John’s baptism of water as a common sinner seeking mercy, gentleness and kindness. 

Thus, it would be spiritually very beneficial if, occasionally, we look at our Baptism as a repeat of what happened in the Jordan River when heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. Luke 3:22 

In total humility and renewed trust, we should enter often into the temple of our body. It should be as often as we can in order to find some quiet and silent moments to be alone with ourselves. 

But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. Matthew 6:6 

Yet, there are also extraordinary times in which we must hurry into the temple of our body. 

For example, whenever our baptismal commitment proves demanding and challenging, we should remember that Jesus’ prayer is also for us, who are one with him through Baptism. 

Full of mercy, Jesus attains for us that the sky be rent open again when it gets closed by our hubris and rebellious spirit.  

Another case would be when we might be going through a difficult period of our life, filled with frustrations and dissatisfactions, and everything else loses flavor and enjoyment.  

We might also be embarrassed as we take out our frustrations on those people who are dearest to us. 

That must be the time to be truly humble; humble to the point of asking people closest to us, including those who get hurt by our rudeness and curtness to pray for us, as we are mindful that, in Jesus, the skies are rent open again by his sacrifice and God listens to heartfelt, humble prayers.  

As we get in touch with God in the temple of our body, another source of comfort must be awareness of the Holy Spirit who, like a dove, makes us a new creation after the devastation brought about by some particularly embarrassing sins. 

Being made into a new creation has the additional benefit of Jesus opening again our ears to the Father’s communication of words of loving pleas and guidance. 

From our silent reflection on today’s 2nd reading from Acts of the Apostles (10: 34-38), we receive assurance that our heavenly Father shows no partiality.  

He loves and cares for all his children. For him, who possesses the wealth of the whole universe, ranks, titles, riches, status, power, nobility, are totally unimpressive!  

What impresses our heavenly Father is a docile heart which is willing to carry out, with full dedication, the dream which he has for us individually. 

What the 1st reading (Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7) reveals is that the attributes present in each dream the Father desires to come true for each one of us, are mercy, gentleness and kindness: the attributes that Jesus wants us to learn from him. 

…and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. Matthew 11:29 

Indeed, the gospel passage from Luke, describing Jesus’ Baptism by John, ushers in a time of mercy, gentleness and kindness.  

Looking down from heaven, the Father must be painfully aware of all the wounds we have caused each other with our violent ways of relating, our overt and/or subtle forms of aggression, our attempts at controlling others, and all forms of interacting which expose our self-interest.  

Inspired by Jesus’ conduct at his Baptism and throughout his public ministry, we know now how to use our bodies in ways pleasing to the Father.  

Relying constantly on the help of the Holy Spirit, we pledge to use our tongue, our hands, our arms, our feet and, especially our hearts, to continue the mission of Christ Jesus as described so masterfully by Isaiah in the 1st reading. 

We pledge to use our bodies to extend the mercy, the gentleness and the kindness of our God because we have learned that with unkindness, we have all to lose, while with kindness we have all to gain!