The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord falls on the Sunday after the Epiphany. At times, when the Feast of the Epiphany is not celebrated on 6 January but on the Sunday between 2 and 8 January, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the Monday following the Epiphany. 

This day marks the end of the liturgical season of Christmas. Christmas is God's self-revelation to the Jews, and the Epiphany celebrates God's self-revelation to the Gentiles. In Baptism, Christ reveals himself again to repentant sinners. The Baptism is the first public revelation of all Three Persons in the Holy Trinity: the Son being baptized, the Holy Spirit descending, and the Father speaking from the heavens. It also marks the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Our Lord voluntarily submitted himself to the Baptism of St. John, intended for sinners, in order to 'fulfill all righteousness.' Jesus' gesture is a manifestation of his self-emptying" (CCC 1224). As we reflect on Christ's Baptism, we are reminded of our own baptism. Pope Benedict XVI explains Baptism as the: "communion with the One who conquered death and holds in his hand the keys of life. Belonging to this circle, to God's family, means being in communion with Christ, who is life and gives eternal love beyond death."

Prayer

Almighty ever-living God, who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him, solemnly declared him your beloved Son, grant that your children by adoption, reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, may always be well pleasing to you.

Prepared and updated by:

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,

Penampang, Sabah Malaysia.