Baptism of the Lord 2026
There is a popular old folk tale (which has found its way into several religious traditions, including Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist texts) which tells the story of three blind men who examine an elephant to try to determine what sort of animal it might be.
One grabs hold of the elephant’s tail and exclaims, “This creature is very like a rope.”
The second man runs his hand over one of the tusks, declaring, “This creature is very like a spear.”
Finally, the third man, patting the wide, solid side of the elephant, says, “This creature is surely a wall.”
Individually, each of the blind men grasped an aspect of the majestic creature, but their understanding was limited. But, if any one of them had all three insights at once, they would have understood a great deal more elephants than any one of them could have known alone.
The cycle of seasons and feasts of the Church year work in much the same way. Each season has a great centerpiece—a special celebration—on which we focus (like Christmas Day or Easter Sunday)… but each of these great feasts is also accompanied by other days of celebration that help to provide a fuller, truer picture of what those great days of rejoicing are all about.
Since December 25th, we have celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and the Solemnity of the Epiphany, as well as the feasts of great saints like Saint Stephen, Saint John, and the Holy Innocents. Each of these days help us to understand the mystery of the Incarnation and the birth of Jesus from multiple perspectives and different layers of meaning. Together, they create a mosaic that helps us enter more deeply into the meaning of Christmas—and of this Child who has been born for us—than our celebrations on that single day ever could.
And this is important for us to keep in mind as we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord—the last feast day of the Christmas Season.
This special day places before us the moment that we see for the first time the union of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—each an active agent in the story of Jesus’ baptism. But more than this, we see Jesus accepting baptism by John in the River Jordan and we understand that this act is a sign that Jesus—the Eternal Word-Made-Flesh—accepts humanity. He is truly one of us and he accepts our humanity with all of its limitations, its burdens, and, also, its hopes and its call to be something—to become something—more.
The Holy Spirit, who descends upon him “in bodily form like a dove” (v. 22), is a sign that with Jesus a new world is being initiated, a ‘new creation’ in which every person who welcomes Jesus into their life is invited to share. The words of the Father are also addressed to each of us, who have been reborn in Christ in baptism: “You are my beloved son/You are my beloved daughter; with you I am well pleased” (v. 22).
As one Benedictine spiritual writer has reflected, the Baptism of the Lord and the feast days of Christmas make the full meaning of Christmas clear:
“There can be no doubt about it: this Child is human, yes, but He is of heavenly as well as earthly origin. In this child’s light we all walk safely through the unknown. We are all here with the Magi, full of gifts to give in his behalf. What’s more, with the opening of the heavens on the bank of the River Jordan, we all have our first vision of that life beyond life to which we are called.” (Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB, The Liturgical Year)
Christmas is, ultimately, larger than a baby in a manger.
Christmas is the coming of a whole new world. And, more than that, Christmas is what makes that world possible.
