Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord 

 

"As we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord this Sunday, let us ask Him to renew in us the grace of our baptism and to make us, with all our brothers and sisters, true children of God and living members of His body, the Church." - Pope Francis, General Audience, St Peter's Square, 01/08/14

 

 

 

"Jesus comes out of the water, drawing the world with Him and raising it up when it had hitherto been sunk in the abyss... Here all is in perfect harmony, for the testimony comes from heaven, just as He to whom the Spirit bears witness has come down from heaven."- St Gregory Nazianus

‘Looking at the events in light of the Cross and Resurrection, the Christian people realised what happened: Jesus loaded the burden of all mankind’s guilt upon His shoulders; he bore it down into the depths of the Jordan. He inaugurated his public activity by stepping into the place of sinners.’ - J Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth, Bloomsbury 2007, p18

COMMUNION ANTIPHON (Today's Liturgy)

Behold the One of whom John said:  I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION (Today's Liturgy)

Nourished with these sacred gifts,

we humbly entreat your mercy, O Lord,

that, faithfully listening to your Only Begotten Son,

we may be your children in name and in truth.

Through Christ our Lord.

 

 

"Many of the incidents which accompanied Christ's baptism are symbolical of what happened at our Baptism. At Christ's baptism the Holy Spirit descended upon Him; at our Baptism the Trinity took its abode in our soul. At His baptism Christ was proclaimed the "Beloved Son" of the Father; at our Baptism we become the adopted sons of God. At Christ's baptism the heavens were opened; at our Baptism heaven was opened to us. At His baptism Jesus prayed; after our Baptism we must pray to avoid actual sin." - Msgr. Rudolph G. Bandas

“ … the risk is to lose the memory of that which the Lord has done in us, the memory of the gift that we have received. We end up considering it as only an event that happened in the past - and not even by our own will, but that of our parents -, that no longer has any effect in our present … We must awaken the memory of our Baptism!” – Pope Francis, General Audience, St Peter’s Square, 01/08/14.  The full text of the pope's audience remarks is available online in English and Spanish.