Today we celebrate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, the beginning of His public ministry. In the first reading, we hear Isaiah prophesize about One who is to come… “My chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit.” Isaiah goes on to describe what this Servant will do, and what He will be; “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.” In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew, we hear of Jesus’ baptism; specifically, that as Jesus was praying the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and God spoke from the heavens saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Jesus has just been revealed as the One of whom Isaiah spoke. In the second reading, Peter not only professes Jesus as the Messiah, but also that “in every nation whoever fears Him and acts uprightly is acceptable to Him.” As the Son of God, Jesus didn’t need to be baptized, and John, who through the Spirit knew who Jesus was, wanted Jesus to baptize him instead. However, Jesus insisted, and in doing so He showed His solidarity with the rest of humanity. He showed us the importance of baptism, and He showed His willingness to enter our sinful world to save us. And, maybe, Jesus needed to hear those words of encouragement at the beginning of His ministry.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus behaved just as Isaiah had prophesied. He also commissioned His disciples to carry on in His name. We have been given the same Spirit who descended upon Jesus at our baptism; we are all God’s beloved sons and daughters. Imagine God saying to you personally that you are His beloved…how awesome! Through our baptism we are called to continue Jesus’ mission. We are to be a “light for the nations”, to “bring out those who live in darkness.” As the new year is upon us and many of us are perhaps still finalizing our resolutions, we need to include finding new ways that we can each continue the work Jesus commissioned us for.