Jesus went to the synagogue and taught. This gives us a couple of standards we need to examine ourselves in. First, Jesus attended synagogue. Today, we have our churches. Let us visit Our Lord in our churches. There we find the portal to eternal iffe, not eternal death. Second, Jesus taught. As Christians, we need to teach others the truth of all kinds. How do we chase this standard?

Jesus calls Peter, James and John in today's gospel. Prior to that move, however, he calls everyone who would listen that since the Kingdom of God was at hand, then they needed to repent of their sins. God wants to forgive our sins so that he could call us and send us to the mission he had in mind when he created us. Sin is what holds us back!

The Lord sought baptism from his cousin John the Baptist. That was an interesting move. Why did he seek that? He was not a sinner, since he was God. John was convinced after initially hesitating to accede to Jesus' request to be baptized. Listen to the homily to find out the meaning of the Baptism of Jesus.

Today, we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus Christ. Learn more about it by listening to the homily.

Today's gospel reminds us to find our place and role under the sun. God creates each of us for a clear and definite purpose. Our task is to discover it and pursue it. It this way, can we be happy here and later in eternity. We need to accomplish that role. We do not have to envy anyone since we are each different from any other in the past, present or future. St. John had no problem in giving way to Jesus. He knew he was assigned by God to be the herald and precursor of the Messiah. He did his job so well that people thought he was the Mashiach or the anointed one.

Jesus as the Messiah long awaited by Israel fulfilled all the messianic prophecies about him in the Scriptures. Today, he declares it openly. Man, then, reacts to him. Admiration and thanksgiving were spontaneous. But he also begins to have enemies out of envy for him.

Let us learn more about what happened to Jesus after He multiplied the loaves of bread and fish to feed a crowd of at least five thousand men

Now that Jesus has grown up more, the Church presents our Savior as the Prophet. Little by little Jesus takes up his role that was and is the reason He came to become flesh and be with us and be identified with us sinners. It is not that He only was beginning to save us. He was saving us since second number one of becoming flesh. Let us watch him, not like the Pharisees were doing to catch him doing something wrong, but in a contemplative way. God loves us!

The Church begins a shift in her gospels to a mature Jesus. Christmas season is about to end. Jesus is now presented as a mature adult. Today's gospel tells us about Jesus moving out of his home in Nazareth to Capernaum, which is by the sea of Galilee. He fulfills a prophecy in the Old Testament that as Jesus approaches the next stage of His stay on earth, He is preparing the stage for His launching into preaching in His public life where He will provide the Light that He is to a dark world.

The Church celebrates today Jesus' manifestation to the Gentiles through the appearance of the Wise Men from the East in the stable to see Jesus. While the shepherds represented the Israelites that God wanted to show Himself to to save them, He let the Wise Men from the East find Him to mark God's resolve to save the Gentiles also. The Epiphany means manifestation.