Beyond the Collapse
Julián Carrón - Notes from a homily by Julián Carrón January 11, 2026
““The collapse of certainties is not the end of the road, but the beginning of a new epochal change where the human ‘I’ is forced to rediscover its foundation in the face of reality.””
Why does God remain constant in his way of acting?
God does not change His method. From the very beginning of salvation history, He has upended our expectations—not necessarily in what He promises, but in the way He chooses to bring that salvation about. His is a humble method, one that runs exactly counter to the mentality of those who believe they can change the world through power, force, or imposition.
We contemplated this during Christmas. What could be more provocative—to any human project of transforming Reality—than God choosing to give birth to His Son as a child? A helpless newborn, in need of care, entrusted to human hands. Yet, one might have thought this method was limited to the beginning—that while a man must be born as a child, once he reaches adulthood, he would finally take the reins of divine power and change the world in a "truly effective" way, using the familiar categories of force and success.
How does the Liturgy clarify the logic of Bethlehem?
The feast of the Baptism of the Lord, an integral part of the Christmas season, exists precisely to clarify this decisive point: God does not change His method. What we saw in Bethlehem was not a temporary tactic; it is the very logic by which God acts.
To show us this, the Church guides us through today’s liturgy. In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah describes the one God has chosen: "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one, in whom I delight." The one God chooses is not a ruler or a titan, but a servant. This is not a compromise: He is the chosen one in whom the Father is pleased. To fulfill His mission, He is not filled with worldly power, but with the Spirit. This Spirit—not force—is what enables Him to bring justice to the nations.
What distinguishes God's method from the violence of power?
If this weren't clear enough, the text continues: "He will not cry out or raise his voice... A bruised reed he will not break." Nothing is further from the violence of the powerful. There is no imposition, no oppression.
Yet, God knows that for this plan to be fulfilled, this servant must be generated. We often take for granted the "subject" who is supposed to bring about change. Instead, God surprises us with His method: "I, the Lord, have called you... and taken you by the hand; I have formed you."
How does self-awareness prevent the temptation of force?
God Himself is the architect of the servant’s life. He insists on this because He wants the servant to be hyper-aware of Who created him. Without this clear self-awareness, the servant will succumb to the temptation of using force to change the world.
True change does not come from an act of force, but from a new generation: a Presence that becomes "a covenant of the people and a light to the nations." With this awareness of God’s revolutionary method, the servant sees why the Lord acts this way: to open the eyes of the blind and set the prisoners free.
What did the disciples see at the Jordan?
The Baptism of Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter confirms this by looking at what he and the disciples saw with their own eyes: "You know what happened... how God consecrated Jesus of Nazareth in the Holy Spirit and power." What did they actually encounter? A man who "went about doing good," because God was with Him.
Where does the Son’s mission begin?
The origin of this way of being in Reality is found in the Gospel account of the Baptism. As Jesus emerges from the water, the Spirit descends and the Father proclaims: "This is my Son, the beloved." Invested with the Spirit, the Son is ready for His mission. He does not need to shout or break the bruised reed to heal the world.
In the light of what they see fulfilled in Jesus, the disciples finally grasp the weight of Isaiah’s words. They see the Event happening in that servant.
How does Christ’s method challenge us today?
God does not change His method. What began in Bethlehem is revealed at the Jordan and fulfilled throughout the life of Jesus. This method, so distant from the logic of the world, continues to challenge us today. Anyone who has received His Spirit in Baptism has everything they need to face Reality just as Jesus did.
