| Feast of the Baptism of the Lord | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Observed by | |
| Significance | Baptism of Jesus |
| Date | Sunday following theEpiphany of the Lord; or when Epiphany is celebrated on January 7 or 8, the Monday following it |
| 2024 date | January 8 |
| 2025 date | January 12 |
| 2026 date | January 11 |
| 2027 date | January 10 |
| Related to | Epiphany |
TheFeast of the Baptism of the Lord, orTheophany, is thefeast day commemorating thebaptism of Jesus in theJordan River byJohn the Baptist. Originally the baptism of Christ was celebrated onEpiphany, which commemorates the coming of theMagi, the baptism of Christ, and thewedding at Cana. Over time in the West, however, the celebration of the baptism of the Lord came to be commemorated as a distinct feast from Epiphany. It is celebrated in theCatholic Church as well as theAnglican andLutheran Churches on the first Sunday following The Epiphany of Our Lord (January 6). SomeLutheran churches celebrate it on the Sunday beforeLent, orQuinquagesima.
In theEastern Orthodox and theEastern Catholic Churches, the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated as an integral part of the celebration on January 6, theGreat Feast of theTheophany. For those churches which follow the traditionalJulian calendar, January 6 falls on January 19 of the modernGregorian calendar (seeEpiphany (holiday) andTheophany for details).
The Baptism of the Lord is observed as a distinct feast in theRoman rite, although it was originally one of three Gospel events marked by the feast of theEpiphany. Long after the visit of the Magi had in the West overshadowed the other elements commemorated in theEpiphany,Pope Pius XII instituted in 1955 a separate liturgical commemoration of the Baptism.
Currently, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is usually celebrated the Sunday after Epiphany. The exception is when Epiphany is observed on January 7th of 8th; this causes the Baptism to be celebrated on the Monday immediately following Epiphany.[1] When celebrated on Sunday, the Baptism is part of Christmas Time, but when displaced to Monday it falls in Ordinary Time.[2]
TheTridentine calendar had no feast of the Baptism of the Lord for almost four centuries. Then the feast was instituted, under the denomination "Commemoration of the Baptism of our Lord", for celebration on 13 January as amajor double, using for the Office and the Mass those previously said on the Octave of the Epiphany, which Pius XII abolished; however, if the Commemoration of the Baptism of Our Lord occurred on Sunday, the Office and Mass were to be those of the Feast of the Holy Family without any commemoration.[3]
In his revision of the calendar five years later,Pope John XXIII kept on 13 January the "Commemoration of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ", with the rank of a second-class feast.
A mere 14 years after the institution of the feast,Pope Paul VI set its date as the first Sunday after January 6 (as early as January 7 or as late as January 13) or, if in a particular country the Epiphany is celebrated on Sunday, January 7 or Sunday, January 8, on Monday, January 8 or Monday, January 9, respectively.[4]
Pope John Paul II initiated a custom whereby on this feast the Pope baptizes babies in theSistine Chapel.
In the past, the Lutheran Churches as with other Western Christian Churches, commemorated the Baptism of the Lord on the octave of the Feast of the Epiphany.[6]
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated today in many Lutheran parishes as a separate feast, on the first Sunday after the feast of the Epiphany.
Lutheran Churches with Scandinavian history, such as theEvangelical Lutheran Synod celebrate the Baptism of Christ on the final Sunday beforeLent onQuinquagesima Sunday. Chronologically, the Temptation of Jesus, heard on the 1st Sunday in Lent, immediately follows the Baptism of Jesus. This order follows the lectionary whichJohannes Bugenhagen included in his church order he brought to Denmark.
In theChurch of England, Epiphany may be observed on January 6, or on the Sunday between January 2 and 8. If Epiphany is observed on a Sunday on January 6 or before, the Baptism of Christ is observed on the following Sunday. If the Epiphany is observed on January 7 or 8, the Baptism of Christ is observed on the following Monday, on January 8 or 9. In the Church of England,Ordinary Time does not begin until the day after thePresentation of Christ in the Temple.
In theEpiscopal Church [USA], Epiphany is always celebrated on January 6, and the Baptism of the Lord is always celebrated on the following Sunday. It is not clear as to whether or not the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord[7] is the end of Christmastide for the Episcopal Church. On one hand, the Prayer Book refers to the "Twelve Days of Christmas,"[8] and clearly distinguishes the Christmas and Epiphany seasons, the latter extending until Ash Wednesday.[9] On the other hand, the Prayer Book allows for the continued use of Christmas prayers and readings on the weekdays following the Epiphany and leading up to the Baptism of our Lord.[10] Further, the Epiphany and the Baptism of Christ are viewed as specially connected,[11] allowing the interpretation that Christmastide does extend through and end with the Feast of our Lord's Baptism on the Sunday following the Epiphany.
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated in many Methodist parishes on the second Sunday in January, after the feast of the Epiphany has already occurred.[12]
