Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

The meaning of the celebration

+ On the Sunday after the Solemnity of the Epiphany, we recall that moment when Jesus, having been baptized in the River Jordan, the Father reveals to the world that Jesus is his “beloved son.”

+ With the visit of the Magi and the wedding at Cana, the baptism of Jesus forms part of the three-fold mystery of the Epiphany.

+ Originally celebrated as part of the Octave of the Epiphany, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the end of the Christmas Season (Magnificat antiphon for the Solemnity of the Epiphany).

For prayer and reflection

“Today let us do honor to Christ’s baptism and celebrate this feast in holiness. Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men, for whom his every word and every revelation exist. He wants you to become a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world.”—Saint Gregory Nazianzen

Spiritual bonus

On this day we also remember Saint Agatha Yi. Raised as a Christian during one of the periodic persecutions of Korea’s Christians, she was imprisoned with her father and mother. Agatha was repeatedly interrogated and tortured, as the authorities tried to force her to renounce her faith. She remained steadfast, even after the prison guards lied to her, telling the young woman that her parents had denied Christ and been freed. Agatha’s father, Yi Kwang-hŏn Augustine, was beheaded on May 24, 1839, and her mother, Kwon Hŭi Barbara, was executed on September 3, 1839. After nine months of imprisonment, Agatha was strangled to death on January 9, 1840, at the age of 17. Saint Agatha Yi—as well as her parents—were canonized with other Korean martyrs in 1984.

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.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.