Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?" Jesus said to him in reply, "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed him. After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened (for him), and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove (and) coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to him.

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus I place myself in your presence. I have set aside this moment for you, so that you can speak to me and I can listen to your words. Speak to my heart! I believe that you are present, with all the graces I need right now, in the current circumstances of my life. I hope in you Lord, because I know I cannot place my hope in the things of the world. May this meditation bring me one step closer to you. I love you Lord and I know how much you love me. When I look at the crucifix I am reminded of how great your love is. My heart still hasn't given as it should. I am so easily distracted. I offer you this meditation, Lord, so that you can purify me and make my love more perfect, more like yours. I place all I do in Mary's hands. I ask her to teach me how to pray and especially how to listen to your words, contemplating them in my heart.

Petition: Lord, increase in my heart a desire to know and follow your will.
 
1. Seeking Our Father's Will. The Catechism (#536) states, The baptism of Jesus is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his mission as God's Suffering Servant. Jesus accepts the Father's will with love. He invites us to do the same. But how can we know the Father's will for us? At times it can be hard to know. We wish the sky would burst open and a heavenly voice resound: be a priest! Consecrate your life to God! Or, get married! Fortunately, God doesn't work this way. Life would become very dull. We would just sit around waiting for the heavens to split open for us. We might even become spoiled, expecting God to tell us at every moment what we want to know. Let's be thankful that making a choice to follow one's vocation requires faith. Let's give thanks because God respects our freedom. Let's be grateful, for God expects us to roll up our sleeves and work in order to find out what his plan for our life is. He has made life interesting. He has made it full of adventure. He wants us to prove our love for him by actively seeking to know his will.

2. The Holy Spirit's Inspirations. St Athanasius, a Father of the Church, wrote, Because Jesus became man for our sake, it is evident that the Spirit's descent on Him at the Jordan was also a descent upon us, for Jesus bears our nature. It did not take place to exalt the Word, but for our holiness. The Holy Spirit has been given to us to make us holy and show us God's plan. But how do we distinguish the Holy Spirit's inspirations from our own whims, emotions, and impulses?

The Holy Spirit's inspirations are always directed to our intellect or to our will or to both. For example, being inspired to a deeper understanding and knowledge of the faith is a certain indication of a light of the Holy Spirit. We all receive lights from the Holy Spirit directed toward our will. They are anything that inspires action towards active holiness in our life: a yearning to imitate Christ; to charitably serve others; to deny ourselves; to trust in God; to embrace the cross. These are, without doubt, true signs of the Holy Spirit leading us towards God's will.

3. Stepping Out of the Current onto the Bridge. No matter your specific calling, God's overarching plan for you is to grow in holiness. Inspired by this passage from Matthew, one of the Church's greatest saints and spiritual writers, St Catherine of Siena, wrote in her Dialogues that growth in holiness is like crossing a bridge erected between our own generosity and God's plan for our life. This bridge is the imitation of the Christ, who invites us to follow him. The waters flowing under the bridge are symbolic of the current or temptations of the world whose force bears the danger of carrying us off course. By being in God's grace, and generously striving to live our Christian life, we step out of the river onto the bridge of Christ, who leads us to know the Father's plan for our life. We need to be keenly aware that following Christ is our first priority before all else.

Conversation: Come, Holy Spirit! Fill my heart. Teach me what I should think, do, and say. Help me to listen for your inspirations. At Jesus' baptism, you took the form of a dove. Help me to notice your inspiring presence amid this world so full of noise and distractions.
 
Questionnaire:

1. Do I put all the effort I can into hearing God's will for me? What concrete steps can I take to improve my efforts: a prayer schedule, a re-commitment to receive the sacraments more frequently, etc?

2. What obstacles or distractions are present in my life that makes it difficult for me to listen to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit? Am I prepared to remove them?

3. Do I truly believe that God's grace is powerful enough for me to become a saint? How often do I ask the Holy Spirit for help?