Baptism of the Lord: Meaning, Feast Day and Gospel

The Baptism of the Lord is the moment when Jesus was baptized by John in the river Jordan, the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit came down like a dove, and the Father said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” It marks the beginning of Jesus’ public life. The Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on the Sunday after the Epiphany, the last day of the Christmas season (January 10, 2027). Below is the Gospel, why Jesus was baptized, what it means for our own baptism, and a prayer.

The Baptism of the Lord in the Gospel

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan, unto John, to be baptized by him.
But John stayed him, saying: I ought to be baptized by thee, and comest thou to me?
And Jesus answering, said to him: Suffer it to be so now. For so it becometh us to fulfill all justice. Then he suffered him.
And Jesus being baptized, forthwith came out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened to him: and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him.
And behold a voice from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Why was Jesus baptized?

John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, and Jesus had no sin. So why did he ask for it?

To be one with sinners. “The baptism of Jesus is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of his mission as God’s suffering Servant. He allows himself to be numbered among sinners” (CCC 536).
“To fulfil all justice.” He obeyed the Father’s plan, anticipating the “baptism” of his death.
To sanctify the waters. The Church Fathers taught that by going down into the Jordan, Christ made water a means of grace for our baptism.
To reveal the Trinity. The Father speaks, the Son is baptized, the Spirit descends: the first clear revelation of the Holy Trinity.

What it means for our baptism

At our baptism the same Father calls us his beloved children, the same Spirit comes upon us, and we are joined to Christ. The feast is a good day to:

remember the date of your baptism and give thanks for it,
renew your baptismal promises, rejecting sin and professing the faith,
bless yourself with holy water as a reminder of baptism.

See the Catholic baptism guide and the Apostles’ Creed.

When is the feast?

The Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the Sunday after the Epiphany. In countries where the Epiphany is moved to Sunday and falls on January 7 or 8, the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated the next day, Monday. In 2027 the Epiphany is on Sunday, January 3 (in the United States), so the Baptism of the Lord is on Sunday, January 10, 2027. It ends the Christmas season, and Ordinary Time begins the next day. See the Epiphany and Ordinary Time.

The traditional prayer

In the older calendar the Baptism of the Lord was commemorated on January 13, the Octave of the Epiphany. Its collect, from a 1916 daily missal:

O God, whose only begotten Son appeared in the substance of our flesh, grant, we beseech thee, that through him whom we recognize as outwardly like ourselves, we may deserve to be inwardly made anew. Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

The first Luminous Mystery

The Baptism of the Lord is the first of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. See the Luminous Mysteries.

A prayer for the feast

Written for this page:

Father, at the Jordan you called Jesus your beloved Son.
Thank you for my baptism, when you called me your child.
Holy Spirit, renew in me the grace I received,
and help me to live as a son or daughter of God,
faithful to Christ all the days of my life. Amen.

Frequently asked questions

Where was Jesus baptized?

In the Jordan River, at a place Christian tradition identifies near Bethany beyond the Jordan, close to the Dead Sea.

Who baptized Jesus?

St. John the Baptist, his cousin. See the St. John the Baptist prayer.

What Luminous Mystery is the Baptism of the Lord?

The first Luminous Mystery.

More for the Christmas season and baptism

Texts and sources

Scripture: Matthew 3:13–17, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
Collect: The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), Octave of the Epiphany, public domain (archive.org).
Catechism of the Catholic Church 535–537.