Once Jesus is reinforced in who He is - the beloved Son - He's ready for what comes next.

But notice: His identity flows from His relationship. The Father speaks. Jesus hears. There's communion, intimacy, connection. Jesus' whole life is about this relationship with the Father, and it's from that relationship that His identity is secured.

And from that relationship and identity, His mission becomes clear.

Isaiah's prophecy in our first reading describes what that mission will look like: "I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice, I have grasped you by the hand; I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness."

Opening eyes. Freeing prisoners. Bringing light to darkness.

Relationship. Identity. Mission.

This is the order. It always has been, and it always will be.

Your Relationship with God Establishes Your Identity

Just like Jesus, you need to know who you are before you can live out your mission.

And you can only know who you are through relationship with God.

This is why we started the Emmaus 15 journey with prayer, with the Eucharist, with examining your own heart. Because evangelization doesn't begin with techniques or strategies. It begins with your relationship with Jesus.

When you spend time with Him in daily prayer, when you receive Him in the Eucharist, when you listen to His voice speaking over you in Scripture and in the quiet of your heart - that's when you come to know who you are.

You are His beloved child. You are chosen. You are called. You are treasured beyond measure.

That's your identity. And it's not something you achieve or earn. It's something you receive, in relationship with Him.

The people in your life who don't yet know Jesus - they're living in a kind of darkness. Not because they're bad people, but because they haven't encountered the Light of the World. They're confined by worldviews that can't satisfy their deepest longings. They're blind to the beauty and truth of the Gospel.

You get to be part of opening their eyes. Of bringing them light. Of helping them find freedom in Christ.

That's your mission.

But you can only live that mission from a secure identity. And you can only have a secure identity through deep relationship with God.

When the Order Gets Reversed

Here's what happens when we get this backwards:

If you try to establish your identity through your mission - if you think "I'm valuable because I'm doing something important for God" - you'll burn out. You'll become anxious, driven, desperate for results. You'll need your friend to say yes, to come to Mass, to convert, because somehow that proves you're worthy.

And people can sense that. They can tell when you need something from them. And it pushes them away.

Or, if you try to have a mission without relationship, you're just going through the motions. You might invite people to church, you might say the right words, but there's no life in it. No authenticity. No overflow of love. Because you're not drawing from the well of intimacy with Jesus - you're just performing.

But when you live in the right order - relationship first, which establishes your identity, which then empowers your mission - everything changes.

You share from a place of overflow: "I am loved by God, I've encountered His goodness, and I want you to experience this too."

You invite from a place of freedom: "Come and see what I've found. No pressure. I just want to share this gift with you."

You persevere from a place of security: "Whether you say yes or no, whether you come to faith now or years from now or never, my identity doesn't depend on your response. I'm God's beloved. And I'll keep loving you, keep praying for you, keep being faithful - because that's what flows from who I am."

That's compelling. That's authentic. That's the kind of witness that actually draws people.

The Holy Spirit Empowers the Mission

Notice one more thing: As soon as Jesus is affirmed in His identity as the beloved Son, the Holy Spirit descends on Him.

Relationship. Identity. Then power for mission.

You're not doing this work of evangelization in your own strength. The same Holy Spirit who descended on Jesus at His baptism, who empowered Him for ministry, is available to you.

In your Baptism, you entered into relationship with God as His adopted child. You were claimed as His beloved. You were anointed by the Holy Spirit. You were commissioned for mission - to be a witness to Christ in the world.

That's not just for priests or deacons or religious. That's for every baptized Christian. That's for you.

Peter, in our second reading, describes how "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him."

God is with you too. The Spirit who empowered Jesus empowers you. You're not alone in this mission.

But the power comes when you're rooted in relationship and secure in your identity. The Holy Spirit empowers those who abide in Christ, who know they're beloved, who are drawing from that deep well of intimacy with the Father.

Returning to the Foundation

Maybe you're reading this and thinking about someone specific - a friend, a family member, a coworker - who needs to encounter Jesus. Maybe you've been trying to figure out how to reach them, what to say, when to invite them.

Before you do anything else, pause and return to the foundation. Return to relationship.

Spend time with Jesus. Not time planning your evangelization strategy. Not time figuring out what to say. Just time with Him.

Sit in His presence. Receive Him in the Eucharist. Pray. Listen. Let Him speak over you: "You are my beloved."

Let your identity be established - not by what you accomplish in evangelization, but by who you are in relationship with Him.

And then, from that place of deep relationship and secure identity, ask Him: "Who do you want me to reach? How do you want to use me? Where are you already at work, and how can I join you?"

That's the order. Relationship. Identity. Mission.

When you live in that order, mission becomes not a burden but a joy. Not something you have to do to prove yourself, but something you get to do because you're overflowing with the love you've received.

✍🏼Reflect:

🙏🏼Pray:

"Father, thank You for inviting me into relationship with You. Thank You for claiming me as Your beloved child in Baptism. Help me to rest in that identity, not to strive for it. Teach me to prioritize time with You above all else - because everything else flows from that.

Holy Spirit, empower me to be a light to others, just as You empowered Jesus. Show me who You're calling me to reach, and give me the courage and love to do it - not from a place of proving myself, but from a place of overflow.

I trust that You're with me. Help me to live in the right order: relationship with You first, secure identity in You second, and then mission flowing naturally from both. Amen."

This Sunday, as you hear these readings proclaimed at Mass, listen for the Father's voice speaking over you: "You are my beloved."

Rest in your relationship with Him. Let that relationship establish your identity. And then go - empowered by the Spirit, secure in who you are - to help others hear that same truth and enter into that same relationship.

Relationship. Identity. Mission.

Always in that order.