The Commemoration of the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ

On this day a special Mass is said in the Catholic Church to commemorate the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. This was when the heavens opened and the Eternal Father’s voice was heard to say, “This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.” In dramatic simplicity and clear revelation, the voice of God the Father let us know that the Child of Mary the Virgin is both true God and true Man. No one who does not believe this can be saved. The Baptism of Jesus also commemorates the institution of the sacrament of Baptism–of Baptism by water, essentially necessary for salvation. The presence of Jesus in the River Jordan sanctified, on this day, all the water of the world for this purpose.