Livestream/Mass Information for the Baptism of the Lord, January 12, 2025
The Baptism of the Lord Jesus
January 12, 2025
The Baptism of the Lord Jesus ends the Christmas Season and serves as a bridge to Ordinary Time which begins the day after the Baptism of the Lord to the Tuesday before Lent.
At the Baptism of the Lord the Church recalls Jesus’ second manifestation or epiphany (the first is the adoration of the Magi and the third is the changing of water into wine at Cana) which occurred at His baptism in the Jordan. Jesus descended into the Jordan to sanctify its waters and to give them and the water of baptism the power to wash away original sin and to give children and adults a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus came up from the waters of the Jordan, the heavens opened suddenly and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus like a dove. As this was happening a voice came from heaven which said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” This was the voice of God the Father.
Christ’s baptism in the Jordan is a “theophany,” a manifestation, God further revealing to the world the identity of Jesus. It was further a “theophany” in that the world was granted a revelation of the Holy Trinity. All three Persons of the Holy Trinity are publicly present at the Baptism: the Father testified from on high to the divine Sonship of Jesus; the Son received His Father’s testimony; and the Spirit was seen in the form of a dove, descending from the Father and resting upon the Son.
Many of the incidents which surround Christ’s baptism are insights of what happened at our Baptism. At Christ’s baptism the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus; at our Baptism the Trinity took its abode in our soul. At Jesus’ baptism Christ was proclaimed the “Beloved Son” of the Father; at our Baptism we become the adopted children of God. At Christ’s baptism the heavens were opened; at our Baptism heaven was opened to us.
https://youtube.com/live/xQ6ipVlDG3I?feature=share
You are welcome to watch our 10:00 am Sunday morning Mass on YouTube either live or later Sunday afternoon or evening.
