The Commemoration of the Baptism of the Lord
In Commemoratione Baptismatis Domini
On the thirteenth of January, the octave day of the Epiphany, the Church commemorates the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan, when the heavens opened and the Holy Trinity was made manifest.
On the thirteenth of January, the octave day of the Epiphany, the Church keeps the Commemoration of the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Baptism in the Jordan is one of the three mysteries gathered into the feast of the Epiphany, and on this octave day it is recalled in its own right. The Gospel relates how Jesus came from Galilee to John, to be baptized by him in the river Jordan (Matthew 3:13–17).
The Lord in the Jordan
John at first resisted, saying that he had need to be baptized by Jesus; but the Lord answered that it was fitting to fulfil all justice. Though He had no need of cleansing, being without sin, the Saviour willed to be baptized that He might sanctify the waters and open to mankind the way of the Sacrament of regeneration. The Fathers teach that Christ did not receive holiness from the water, but gave holiness to it, so that the waters of Baptism might thereafter bring forth the children of God.
The manifestation of the Trinity
At the Baptism of the Lord the mystery of the Holy Trinity was revealed. As Jesus came up from the water, the heavens were opened, the Holy Ghost descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father was heard from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Thus the Father bore witness to the Son, the Spirit rested upon Him, and the world beheld the one God in three Persons. For this reason the Baptism is counted among the great manifestations of Christ, made known on this day as the eternal Son of God.
The grace of our own Baptism
In commemorating the Lord’s Baptism, the Church bids the faithful call to mind the grace of their own. By His descent into the Jordan, Christ gave to water the power to wash away sin and to make of the baptized new creatures, sharers in His divine sonship. The feast invites each Christian to give thanks for the gift of Baptism, by which he was made a member of Christ and an heir of heaven, and to live in fidelity to the promises then made in his name.
The Collect
Patronage
The mystery is honoured throughout the universal Church and is closely joined to the Epiphany and to the grace of Christian Baptism.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar, the Baptism of the Lord is observed as a feast on the Sunday after the Epiphany (or, where the Epiphany is transferred, on the following Monday), rather than as a commemoration on 13 January.
Common Questions
When is the Commemoration of the Baptism of the Lord?
It is kept on 13 January, the octave day of the Epiphany, as a Second Class feast in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal.
Why was Jesus baptized if He was without sin?
The Lord had no need of cleansing, but willed to be baptized to fulfil all justice and to sanctify the waters, so that Baptism might thereafter give new birth to the children of God. He gave holiness to the water rather than receiving it.
How was the Holy Trinity revealed at the Baptism?
As Jesus came up from the Jordan, the Holy Ghost descended upon Him as a dove and the voice of the Father proclaimed Him the beloved Son. Thus the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were all made manifest.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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