Message: A Life-Giving Awakening / John 1:29-34

Today we are in the season of Epiphany. Epiphany begins on January 6, the day we celebrate the visit of the wise men, and continues until the day before Lent. The word Epiphany comes from Greek and means “to reveal” or “to be manifest.” This is a season to reflect on the truth that Jesus Christ reveals, a truth that brings us life-giving awakening.

One important image for Epiphany is light. In darkness, nothing is clear. But when light shines, everything becomes visible. A 13th-century Persian poet, Jalaluddin Rumi, wrote:

    False gold can lie with real gold through the night,
    Though real gold’s waiting for the dawn’s first light;
    Gold says by means of its own inner state:
    ‘Daybreak will show the truth, fake, you just wait!’

Likewise, we need light to discover what is true in our lives. Often, we forget who we really are because we are busy with the work we have to do. All of us carry many roles. We are someone’s child, friend, partner, or neighbour. Some of us are parents. We may be students, workers, or volunteers. Each role comes with responsibility, and we try our best to fulfill what has been entrusted to us.

Carl Jung, one of the great psychologists of the 20th century, spoke about the concept of persona. Originally, it referred to a mask worn by actors in ancient theatre. Jung used this word to describe our social masks that we wear when we take on the roles of daily life.

In many ways, this is necessary. We wear social masks according to the roles we have in each situation. A teacher needs to act like a teacher, and a student like a student. We behave differently at work than we do at home. We move between many roles, wearing different masks to carry our responsibilities faithfully.

Because of this, life often feels hard. It is not easy to fulfill all our responsibilities perfectly. Sometimes we are asked to do things for which we were never prepared. No one becomes a mother, father, or spouse by learning perfectly. We make mistakes. We fail. We get hurt. And yet, we keep trying again and again. This is why growing older is not simple. Age is not just a number. It is a reflection of how long we have carried the weight of the struggles we have faced while living into the roles given to us.

The problem begins when we believe that our persona, our social mask, is who we truly are. When we allow a single role to define our true identity, we start to pretend or exaggerate. We push ourselves too hard to prove our worth through that role, which brings stress and anxiety. We hide our true feelings and needs. Sometimes, we even see others as threats when they appear to challenge our role. When that happens, life slowly begins to feel empty and dishonest.

In this sense, Jung says that real maturity begins when we become aware of the true self behind the persona. We live out many roles, but we should not confuse those roles with who we really are. Our positions, duties, and titles belong to the persona, not the true self. When we treat our roles as our whole identity, we remain emotionally immature, and this often leads to psychological suffering.

If so, what is our true self? To discover it, we are invited to the Jordan River, where Jesus’ identity is revealed. At his baptism, Jesus was named the beloved child of God. The heavens opened, and the Spirit came down upon him like a dove. A voice from heaven declared, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” This moment marked the beginning of his ministry. Jesus entered the world as the one beloved. Challenges came. Temptations came. Opposition came. Grief and suffering came. Yet through it all, he did not collapse, because he never forgot who he was.

In today’s Gospel reading, John the Baptist calls Jesus “the Lamb of God” and “the Son of God.” John recognizes Jesus as the one who reveals divine truth. Jesus gives his life to show us who we truly are. His baptism is a sign that God has already taken hold of us. Baptism is a moment when we come to realize our true self as God’s beloved. It is the moment when our identity is revealed as made in the image of God. Before any role we take on, in God’s sight, every person is already valuable.

This is not only a religious belief. Each person is one of the most beautiful works of the universe. From the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, the universe has been expanding beyond what we can fully imagine. In that vastness, on a planet that seems like a speck of dust, life appeared in many forms. It has changed, adapted, and continued to grow. From a scientific perspective, human beings are the remarkable heirs of this evolutionary journey, carrying within us the long history of the stars and the sea.

Yet what makes humanity valuable is not strength or intelligence. We are precious just as we are because we are living beings capable of compassion. We possess the ability to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. We can dream of peace, not only for ourselves, but for all creation. In our capacity for empathy, love, and care, we catch a glimpse of the image of God. That is why every human life has dignity. And that dignity can guide us toward God’s kingdom, where all living beings can live together in harmony.

Epiphany invites us to see ourselves as we truly are. It is a season when God’s light breaks through the fog of daily life and helps us remember the true self we may have forgotten. When life feels empty or overwhelming, we are invited to return to our own Jordan River, a place of spiritual renewal, and to hear the voice that brings true life: “You are my beloved. With you, I am well pleased.”

This life-giving awakening is not only for ourselves. It is meant to change how we see the world. When we truly believe that we are beloved, our vision begins to shift. We stop looking at people through their roles, their weaknesses, or their mistakes. We begin to see them as whole human beings, and this becomes the bedrock of true peace.

May the light of Epiphany renew us and flow through us to our families, our neighbours, our communities, our nation, and the world.

Thanks be to God. Amen.


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