As we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Christ and the coming forth of all future Baptisms of the Spirit and water, we are reminded of what the Church is supposed to be: the conduit of God’s Grace and Love into our world of need.

Peter Edwards, a scholar of the New Testament, wrote that on an October night in 1958—and within a few hours of his election as pope—Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli—now Pope John XXIII—spoke of being shocked at his election as Supreme Pontiff and said the first thing he wanted to do as pope was to visit Regina Caeli—a prison on the outskirts of Rome. “It was gently suggested to the Pope that there were one or two other things he might have to do first.” He finally made that prison visit at Christmastime, and up-on entering the prison he told the inmates, “I come as Joseph your brother.” He also mentioned that a couple of his own relatives had done time in prison. “I want my heart to be close to yours,” he told them. “I want to see the world through your eyes.” Today those words are inscribed on a plaque in the prison chapel.

First-hand reports of that day’s visit say that he touched the hearts of many in that congregation, and that there were tears in the eyes of some of the prison guards as well as the inmates. The pope had come to them as one of them.

Today in this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord we celebrate the same fact that Jesus came into our world as one of us—and associated Himself with sinners and has been baptized at the hands of one of His own creatures.

To be sure, the baptism that John did that day—and all his baptisms—were not the sacrament of baptism as we know it today. They were public pronouncements of sin, of sorrow, and of a desire to receive God’s forgiveness. But what is powerfully clear is that Jesus who is the completely sinless One and not in any need of a public ritual, joins the human race and gets in line for the baptism. John protests this move by saying, “It is I who need baptism from you.” But the Lord brushes it aside by saying: “Leave it like this for the time being” and goes on to explain that “this is the way to fulfill all that righteousness demands”, all that God plans to do through Jesus. Let us listen to the Prophet Isaiah in today’s first reading: Jesus is “God’s Chosen One,” endowed with God’s own spirit, sent to bring “true justice to the nations,” and always acting with gentleness and compassion, especially towards sinners: He will not “break the crushed reed, nor quench the wavering flame.” Already at the Jordan River this ministry has begun.

But was John’s concern about baptizing Jesus misplaced? No. As Christ emerged from the water the Holy Spirit descends upon Him and the voice of God is heard: “This is my Son, the Beloved, my favor rests on him.”

Like the action of Pope John XXIII, Jesus’ baptism carries a powerful message. His going into the water at the Jordan, along with sinners, and with the revelations that are to follow, is a sign to us of who Jesus is: The beloved Son of God; but also of whom He is for us—our saving Lord; our dearest friend, our loving brother.

In baptism we are all adopted daughters and sons of God and thus brothers and sisters to Christ—and so as a family gathered together in the Church on earth— we are called to follow the example of John XXIII and Christ associating ourselves with those in need. As our current Pope Francis often states: Our Church is not a hotel for the righteous but a mobile hospital for the sick.