Our Lady of Guadalupe

Date: January, 11

The Baptism of the Lord concludes the Christmas Season and is the beginning of Ordinary Time.  It’s a feast of transition from Jesus’ hidden life to that of His public ministry.

This day commemorates the Baptism of Jesus in River Jordan by St. John the Baptist. It also echoes the theme of the Epiphany in that the Baptism of the Lord is another manifestation announcing Jesus’ divinity to all of His first followers and to the disciples of John the Baptist.

John preaches “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”  A crowd of sinners, tax collectors and soldiers, Pharisees and Sadducees, and prostitutes—come to be baptized by him. “Then Jesus appears.” The Baptist hesitates, but Jesus insists and receives baptism.

Then the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, comes upon Jesus and a voice from heaven proclaims, “This is my beloved Son.”  This is the manifestation (“Epiphany”) of Jesus as Messiah of Israel and Son of God.

• After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him. Mathew 3.16

PRAYER: 

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You came to me in my baptism and united me in my fallenness with You in Your divinity. I pray that I will continuously be aware of all that divides us and will never grow weary of repenting of my sin. I do repent once again, dear Lord. I beg for Your mercy and forgiveness and open myself more fully to You, Your Father, and the Holy Spirit. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I trust in You.