Don Bosco Philippines South Province

Homily on the Feast of the Lord’s Baptism, 11 Jan 2026, Shrine of St. John Bosco, the Dreamer, Lawaan

A few days ago something so amazingly impressive happened here in the Philippines in two separate places one after the other. The first took place here in Cebu – the penitential walk with Jesus on the first day of the Novena to Senyor Santo Nino. The second happened in Manila – the procession of the Holy Image of Jesus carrying the cross on the feast of the Black Nazarene. In both events hundreds of thousands up to millions of devotees followed the images of Jesus along the city streets leading back to the church. Both events have clearly shown how we Filipinos are still strong and steadfast in our Catholic faith despite all the trials that we had to face last year. Even if we had been submerged by the floods of calamity and corruption or shaken by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, we want to proclaim to the whole world that no matter what happens we will always emerge much stronger in our faith and continue to follow Jesus who walks with us at every step of our lives.

But why? Why do Filipinos keep following Jesus? And you? Why do you keep coming to Mass? What is it in Jesus that makes us follow him?

Today we have come to celebrate the feast of the baptism of the Lord in the River Jordan. This feast is a kind of a second epiphany revealing to us who Jesus really is. By the way, the word epiphany means the uncovering of what has been veiled or hidden from our eyes. In short, it simply means revelation or manifestation. As we all know the first epiphany happened in Bethlehem, when the shepherds from the countryside and the Magi from the East came to visit the Baby Jesus laid in a manger. On that day the holy infant, though looking just like any ordinary baby, was revealed as the longed-for-Messiah and King of the Jews. That was the feast we celebrated last Sunday.

The second epiphany happened at the Jordan River when Jesus was baptized by John amidst a crowd of Jews who came from different parts of Israel. On that day Jesus, after emerging from the flowing water, though looking just like any ordinary man, was revealed as God’s beloved Son. At that particular moment, the sky was torn open and the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove. And then, a voice from heaven said: “This is my beloved Son; with whom I am well pleased.” In this second epiphany, Jesus was revealed as God’s Son.

What could the event really mean? And why are we celebrating it every year? Jesus’ baptism marked a new chapter in his life. All the while up to that moment Jesus had been living a simple, hidden life with his own family in Nazareth. He was doing ordinary things day by day: household chores, preparing meals, washing dishes, working as a carpenter, bonding with Joseph and his Bl. Mother Mary. He was also reading and studying the Scriptures, attending weekly worship, relating with difficult neighbors and even suffering with the people under the Roman conquerors, etc.

And all through those years he did not clearly and exactly know who he really was and his real mission in life. We can only guess that, most probably, he had a strong feeling that Joseph was not his real dad.

If you would recall, the boy Jesus at twelve years old was brought by his parents to the temple in Jerusalem. And while he was there he felt something different towards God. It was a kind of feeling he did not have towards Joseph who raised him up. And I believe that would somehow explain why he seemed to have been lost in the temple for three days. However, I believe it was not as though he got really LOST. No, surely he just got too absorbed by the ecstatic feeling of being so close to God that he totally LOST the sense of time.

Nevertheless, however, when his “parents” found him after three days, he humbly went home with them back to Nazareth where he would show himself to be an obedient son, because he was still a child and he needed to learn many more lessons about life under the guardianship of Joseph and the motherhood of Mary.

Fast forward…, many years later when Jesus reached thirty and had been working full time as a carpenter, one day he must have heard of a certain man named John preaching repentance in the desert, and baptizing people at the river Jordan. I guess Jesus himself must have felt the urgent call to leave his shop, go there, listen to this man and submit himself to be baptized by him.

But why did Jesus have to be baptized? All his life He had never committed a sin. Yes, He might not have sinned, but He certainly must have felt a strong sense of solidarity with his fellow Jews who were sinners. He desired to be one with the suffering people who were in dire need of salvation. For thirty years He had been immersed in their life day in and day out. He must have seen how much suffering there was all around him. So, Jesus must have purposely come forward to be immersed in the flowing river together with his people in order to be washed and cleansed from the sins that have been causing the world so much suffering.

The good news is this. After being immersed into the water a new man emerged in Jesus, confirmed and convinced about his true identity as God’s beloved Son. Henceforth, filled with the Holy Spirit, He finally decided to begin his messianic mission, his new ministry of preaching the good news of salvation through his words and deeds.

Today many of us do not know what the future holds. Many of the young people here still do not clearly know what they are going to be after their graduation. But here is the secret. In our close encounters with God in the liturgy and in our personal prayers, we can discover what God could be revealing to us about our future mission. Just think about it today. What could be the new person wanting to emerge in you?

We have been submerged into our own problems, hurtful conflicts and difficult trials. We have experienced sickness, separation and suffering, and worst of all, the loss of loved ones. The good news however is this: today the Lord wants to pull us out of the waters that have been drowning us, to make us realize that we are not at all being punished (this is not karma); we are simply being immersed in order to be cleansed and purified. This 2026 is surely God’s way of offering us another opportunity, so that the old self in us may be drowned and put to death, and a renewed person may emerge.

Today is in fact the right time for us to allow a renewed person to emerge, this time a much better person, more configured to Jesus’ image and likeness; …this time ready to take up the mission God is entrusting to us within his much bigger plan of salvation for all humanity.

Allow me to close with a special exhortation. This year Don Bosco Lawaan is celebrating its Golden Jubilee since its establishment in 1976. Aside from this, the Association of Salesian Cooperators (ASC) is also celebrating the 150th anniversary of their canonical foundation by St John Bosco way back in 1876. As we give thanks to God for the blessings of these past 50 years of Don Bosco’s mission in Lawaan, and these past 150 years of the Salesian Cooperators’s presence worldwide, let us pray that the Salesian Family may keep growing here in this community so that Don Bosco’s “Dream at Nine” of wolves turning into sheep and lambs may continue to take place for many more young people especially the poor and the underprivileged.

Let us also pray for ourselves that we may allow the Eucharist to bring out a renewed person in us knowing that like Jesus we are GIFTED to GIVE of ourselves for the good of others. GiGsss!

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