The Baptism of Christ
The Baptism of Jesus is the first Luminous Mystery of the Rosary. At the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus and the Father names him as his beloved Son. The sinless Lord receives John's baptism as he begins his public ministry.
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Scripture
Matthew 3:16-17
Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him. Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Spiritual fruit: openness to the Holy Spirit
Jesus enters the Jordan
The first Luminous Mystery opens the public ministry of Jesus. He comes to John at the Jordan and is baptized. The heavens open, the Holy Spirit descends, and the Father's voice identifies his beloved Son. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are revealed together at the Jordan.
Jesus is without sin. His baptism is therefore not a confession of wrongdoing. He willingly stands among those who have come seeking repentance and takes up the mission for which the Father has sent him. The Gospel account in Matthew 3:13–17 helps us see his humility and obedience.
The fruit of openness to the Holy Spirit
The Spirit descends upon Jesus as the Father's voice declares him the beloved Son. Openness to the Holy Spirit is a customary fruit of this decade. We ask for the grace to hear God's word and respond to it.
Remember your own Baptism with gratitude. Through this sacrament, we are freed from sin and born into life in Christ, becoming members of his Church. If you know the date of your Baptism, you might keep it as a day of thanksgiving. Pray too for catechumens preparing to receive the sacrament, and for the sponsors who accompany them. Families bringing children to the font are also preparing for the life of faith that follows Baptism.
A beginning rooted in the Father's love
The Father's declaration of love precedes the preaching and miracles of Jesus' public ministry. Our own Baptism is likewise a gift of grace from which Christian life grows, sustained by the sacraments and by prayer.