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.

For prayer and reflection

“Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord. It occurs at the River Jordan, where John — for this reason known as the “Baptist” — performs a rite of purification, which expresses the commitment to renounce sin and to convert. The people go to be baptized humbly, sincerely, and as the Liturgy says, “barefoot and bare of soul”, and Jesus goes there too, inaugurating his ministry. He thus shows that he wants to be close to the sinners, to have come for them, for us all who are sinners!”—Pope Francis

Spiritual bonus

On this day we also remember Blessed Nicholas Bunkerd Kitbamrung. A native-born priest from Thailand, he served as a pastor in Thai parishes and as a missionary in Vietnam. In 1941, as tensions were mounting between the French colonials and the anti-French Viet Minh (this would eventually lead to the Indochina War), Nicholas was arrested and accused of being a spy for the French. Sentenced to ten years in prison, Nicholas contracted tuberculosis which, combined with the harsh conditions in the prison, led to his death on January 12, 1944. It was later revealed that he spent those years in prison still serving as a missionary among his fellow prisoners, baptizing at least 68 inmates. Blessed Nicholas Bunkerd Kitbamrung was beatified in 2000 and is honored as the first martyr-priest of Thailand.

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 Father Silas Henderson, S.D.S.