Jesus' baptism

Today we celebrate the baptism of Jesus.  Following his baptism, the Spirit led Jesus out into the desert to test Him and prepare Him for His ministry.  In the desert, Jesus rejects Satan and all his works—his lies and his power to deceive—and upholds the Father’s will, our salvation. At Jesus’ baptism the Spirit descended upon Him, publicly proclaiming  Jesus as the Messiah, the Holy One of God , sent into the world to set prisoners free, to bind up wounds, to give sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, to  “bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching (Is. 42: 1-4, 6-7).

The Spirit that descended upon Jesus at his baptism, overshadowed Mary at the Annunciation  and descended upon the apostles and the disciples at Pentecost, making them  bold proclaimers of the Good News in word and deed.  At our baptism and later through the sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist, and Confirmation, we too have been equipped to assume our  role as active proclaimers of Jesus’ death and resurrection, in short, empowering us, in word and deed as well,  to do what Jesus did:  cast out demons , enable the crippled and those bent over to walk upright,  heal the sick, right the wrongs, forgive the sinner in ourselves and in others, confront injustices, forgive debts,  open the eyes of the blind  to see  and the ears of the deaf to hear, including our own,  and setting “prisoners” free, ” not by crushing the “bruised reed,” or quenching the “smoldering wick” but  by responding compassionately and lovingly to the brokenhearted and, where possible,  righting the wrongs in their lives. Yes, our baptism and confirmation stamped us as disciples. Have we, and do we, consummate our discipleship by the way we live the Christian life?