The Christmas season ends with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan river. It is an interesting way to conclude a season that is almost entirely focused on the early life of the Child Jesus.
After celebrating Jesus' birth and the visit of the magi, the Church immediately dwells on the inauguration of Jesus' public ministry when he was around 30 years old.
While there are many spiritual connections between the two feasts, there are also many differences.
Christmas and the Baptism of Jesus
St. Proclus of Constantinople provides a commentary on the differences between the two feasts in a homily that is included in the Office of Readings.
He begins by comparing the reaction of the earth and the sea:
On the feast of the Saviour's birth, the earth rejoiced because it bore the Lord in a manger; but on today's feast of the [Baptism] it is the sea that is glad and leaps for joy; the sea is glad because it receives the blessing of holiness in the river Jordan.
One of the biggest differences is the particular age of Jesus on each feast:
At Christmas we saw a weak baby, giving proof of our weakness. In today's feast, we see a perfect man, hinting at the perfect Son who proceeds from the all-perfect Father. At Christmas the King puts on the royal robe of his body; at [the Baptism] the very source enfolds and, as it were, clothes the river.
St. Proclus concludes his homily recalling the connection between Jesus' baptism and the flood in Genesis:
Come, consider this new and wonderful deluge, greater and more important than the flood of Noah's day. Then the water of the flood destroyed the human race, but now the water of baptism has recalled the dead to life by the power of the one who was baptised. In the days of the flood the dove with an olive branch in its beak foreshadowed the fragrance of the good odour of Christ the Lord; now the Holy Spirit, coming in the likeness of a dove, reveals the Lord of mercy.
The Church provides for us a fascinating way to conclude the Christmas season, preparing us for the upcoming feast of Easter that will quickly be here.
