EXERCISE 22: Awakening to God’s Love – Jesus’ Baptism
- Find your inner stillness.
- Read Matthew 3:13-17, several times to familiarize yourself with the scene. We have already done this meditation. We do it again, both because it is so important that we experience God’s loving presence and in order for us to understand why Jesus did what he did throughout his life.
- See if you place yourself by the Jordan River, watching the scene… Jesus walks into the water… John the Baptiser is waiting… John talks with Jesus for a bit… can you hear what they are saying? (imagine it!)… Then you hear God’s Voice: ‘This is my beloved in whom I well pleased.’
- Watch Jesus… What does he do next?
In the Gospels, after his Baptism, Jesus is said to have gone into the desert to pray by himself. Why do you think he would do that? What do you do when you have realized that God loves you?
If at first you don’t get anything out of this Exercise, try it again at another time. Get your objections out of the way. We’ll worry later about whether or not this love is deserved, whether it’s real, etc.
Close this Exercise with an expression of gratitude. Note your experience in your journal.