Last Sunday, we celebrated the Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord which is the manifestation of God in the person of Jesus Christ to the world. This Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord, which is considered as the “second manifestation” of our Lord Jesus Christ. How is this?

Well, if the Solemnity of the Epiphany of Jesus Christ emphasizes the revelation of the light of salvation who is Jesus our Lord, this “second manifestation” of our Lord Jesus Christ marks the beginning of His public ministry.

Historically, the Baptism of the Lord has been associated with the celebration of Epiphany. Even today, the feast of Theophany, celebrated on January 6th by the Greek Orthodox Church as a counterpart to the Roman Catholic Feast of the Epiphany, focuses primarily on the Baptism of the Lord as the revelation of God to man. Why do we remember the Baptism of Jesus? Because the Church wants to stress through this liturgical feast the importance and significance of baptism in our Christian lives.

Through baptism, we not only become members of the institutional Church, which makes baptism the Rite of Initiation, but we are also given a mission to proclaim the Good News of Salvation to all. That is why many theologians today regard baptism as a sacrament of commissioning, that is, through this sacrament, we are being sent to the world to announce the goodness of the Lord. It is precisely because of this that Jesus willed that He be baptized by John the Baptist. He did not need cleansing. But He simply wanted us to realize that like Him, we, too, are called to evangelize. This is our baptismal calling.

And so, as we remember today Jesus’ Baptism in the River Jordan, we call to mind our own baptism. We, too, have been called to proclaim the Good News of Salvation. May we all be faithful to that mission and show to the world that we are true followers of the Lord.