THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

The Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord is closely connected with the Solemnity of the Epiphany; both are biblical manifestations of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. In the church’s liturgical year, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord concludes the Christmas season. Although traditionally Christmas is still being celebrated all the way up to the second day of February, the fortieth day since Christmas, marking a traditional forty days of Christmas season. But this day marks that transition from our focus and emphasis on the birth of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, and into His ministry and works in this world, with the moment of Baptism marking that significant new beginning and change. The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. This feast is also referred to as Theophany because at the baptism of Christ in the River Jordan God appeared in three persons. The voice of God was audibly heard to declare to the gathered crowd, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Originally the baptism of Christ was celebrated on Epiphany, which commemorates the coming of the Magi, the baptism of Christ, and the wedding at Cana. Over time in the West, however, the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord came to be commemorated as a distinct feast from Epiphany. It is now celebrated on the first Sunday following the Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord. This year, the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord is celebrated today, Monday, January 8, 2024.

The baptism of Christ in the Jordan is the second epiphany, or manifestation, of the Lord. The past, the present, and the future are made manifest in this epiphany. Pope Pius XII instituted in 1955 a separate liturgical commemoration of the Baptism. The Tridentine Calendar had no feast of the Baptism of the Lord for almost four centuries. Then the feast was instituted, under the denomination “Commemoration of the Baptism of our Lord”, for celebration on 13 January as a major double, using for the Office and the Mass those previously said on the Octave of the Epiphany, which Pius XII abolished; but if the Commemoration of the Baptism of Our Lord occurred on a Sunday, the Office and Mass were to be those of the Feast of the Holy Family without any commemoration. In his revision of the calendar five years later, Pope John XXIII kept on 13 January the “Commemoration of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ”, with the rank of a second-class feast. A mere 14 years after the institution of the feast, Pope Paul VI set its date as the first Sunday after January 6 (as early as January 7 or as late as January 13) or, if in a particular country the Epiphany is celebrated on Sunday January 7 or Sunday January 8, on Monday January 8 or Monday January 9.

Pope John Paul II initiated a custom whereby on this feast the Pope baptizes babies in the Sistine Chapel. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1213: “Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other Sacraments”. At His baptism Jesus sanctified the earth’s waters, giving water the power to beget sons of God through the Sacrament of Baptism. Through the cleansing waters of baptism Jesus heals our sinful nature and clothes us with His own Divine life, bringing us into the Kingdom of God. It is by imitating Our Lord in His Baptism that a person becomes a Christian, the first sacrament of initiation into the Church.

Through our own baptism, when we were welcomed into the Church, be it as infants or as adults, each and every one of us have been made part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, the same Body of Christ, the united assembly of all the people who are faithful in God, and counted among the flock of those whom God had called and chosen. Each and every one of us has professed our faith in the Lord, and renewed them every time we renew them ever since at Easter. Now, the question is, are we all truly aware of what we have been called to do as Christians? Are we aware of the missions and vocation which God has entrusted to each one of us in calling us all to walk in the path of righteousness and grace? Baptism is not the end of the journey of faith, especially for all those of us who have gone through the period of catechism and catechumenate, leading to our baptisms as adults. Baptism is the beginning of this new phase in our lives, as we enter into a life of holiness, free from the bondage and the tyranny of sin, evil and death. However, we can always fall back again into sin, and be corrupted again by the many temptations present all around us. Hence, it is important that we remain vigilant, and strive as always to live our lives as worthily as possible, in obeying the Law and commandments of God, and in ensuring that our whole lives, our every actions, words and deeds are always full of faith and grace of God. Let us all therefore recall the moments when we were baptised, and initiated into the Church and in receiving this Christian faith, and hence let us all recall the promises and commitments we have made at our baptism, and heed the Lord’s call for us to follow Him and walk in His path. Let our lives be truly faithful and full of Christian virtues, at all times, and each one of us become the shining beacons and examples of our faith to others around us. The Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, brings to an end the liturgical season of Christmas as we begin the first part of the Ordinary Time tomorrow. 

PRAYER: God of light, You sent Your Spirit down upon Your Son Jesus at His Baptism. Send us your Spirit too, so that we may be filled with the courage to do all that you ask of us. May the Lord our God be with us always in this journey of faith, and may He continue to bless our every works, good efforts and endeavours, done for His greater glory, now and always, forevermore. Amen🙏

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