In the first centuries of the Church, the Feast of the Epiphany took priority over Christmas, and even pre-existed Christmas. The Epiphany, sometimes known as the Theophany, celebrates the public manifestation of the Lord to the world. Still today our brethren of the Eastern Churches rank it higher than Christmas. Traditionally the Feast has a triple focus: the visit of the Magi at Bethlehem, the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, and the first miracle at Cana in Galilee, when Jesus turned water into wine.
In the mediaeval Latin West the Epiphany was celebrated on 6 January as a major Solemnity, extended over the following week with its own Octave. But the visit of the Magi came to occupy almost the whole focus of the feast. The Lord’s Baptism was referred to in the Benedictus and Magnificat Antiphons, but otherwise scarcely at all. On the Octave Day, 13th January, the liturgy remained that of the Epiphany, but with a proper Gospel. That was from St. John, with his passing reference, at least, to the Baptism of the Lord. Then in 1962 there was a rather minor reform of the Roman Missal. No substantial change was made to the Epiphany liturgy, but for the first time ever, the 13th of January was named as the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Very soon afterwards the Post-Conciliar liturgical Reform was carried out, and today’s Feast was established. Liturgically speaking, this was absolutely an innovation. The previous Chant repertoire lacked material for such a Feast, so today’s Mass Chants in the Graduale Romanum are all borrowed from elsewhere. On the other hand: the 2005 Solesmes Antiphonal offers us a rich set of Antiphons for today. We feel their unusual quality, because almost all of them are translated and adapted from the Greek liturgy. (Happily for us, this adaptation was carried out at the Court of Charlemagne around the beginning of the 9th century. The material then fell into disuse for some 1000 years, until modern scholarship recovered it).
Of course the novel institution of a Feast of the Baptism reflects a desire to return, at least to an extent, to more ancient sources and emphases. We had an indication of such ancient emphasis in the set of magnificent Patristic readings we’ve been treated to at Vigils here this past week. Their setting is the Epiphany, but their focus is not on the visit of the Magi, but on the Baptism in the Jordan. These authors we have heard were from both West and East: none later than the 6th century. Let me just, with honour, run through the list in the order we had them: St. Peter Chrysologus; Pseudo-Hippolytus (or an anonymous author of the early 3rd century); St. Proclus of Constantinople; St. Cyril of Alexandria; St. Maximus of Turin; St. Leo the Great; St. Gregory Nazianzen; St. Gregory of Antioch. Many more authors from this period could have been added. All of them anyway consider the Baptism of the Lord to have very great significance for us, and for our salvation. Above all, all of them understand this mystery as the inauguration of our own Baptism.
These authors delight in drawing out the paradoxes of the event. Divine majesty and human lowliness are brought together, so that heaven is here brought down to earth, and earth is raised up to heaven. These authors love also to weave into their expositions of the Gospel text a range of Old Testament allusions or echoes. They refer for example to the rivers of Paradise, now washed by contact with Christ; the flood of Noah, now reversed, with this water bringing life rather than death; the destructive seas of chaos, now dancing for joy at the Lord’s presence and blessing. A pillar of fire preceded the Israelites through the Red Sea. Just so, here a divine fire goes ahead of us into the waters of Baptism, thereby sanctifying them and giving them saving power.
John (the Baptist) said: Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am. Who is he? The Gospels give us many signs of his divine nature and origin. His miraculous birth is prepared for by prophetic visions and testimony, and is preceded by Angelic messages. His identity is confirmed by a voice from heaven. He manifests his power over nature, turning water into wine, walking on the water, calming the storm, healing the sick, multiplying loaves, commanding demons, raising the dead. Finally he himself will rise, invincibly, from the dead.
On the other hand, the Gospels also give us many indications of his perfect humanity. As a child, Jesus is dependent and vulnerable and in danger. He suffers hunger and thirst and weariness. He toils. He is patient with his slow disciples and malevolent enemies. He submits in obedience, and finally he suffers death on a Cross. Through all this we see his humility: a more astonishing wonder, surely, and a greater sign of God’s love for us, than any display of miraculous powers.
In today’s mystery of the Baptism Jesus identifies himself not just with humanity, but explicitly with sinful humanity. He asks for Baptism from John, as one who needs cleansing, and forgiveness, and mercy. He does so with us, and for us, as our representative and our mediator. We see Jesus standing here, then, as one against whom heaven is closed; as one with whom God is displeased; as one who is cut off from the indwelling Spirit. But then, of course, as he comes up from the water, heaven is torn open, and the Spirit descends, and the Father’s voice is heard.
The Collect of today’s Mass asks that we might continually persevere in God’s favour. Or in other words, it asks that we might live out our baptism; that we might never fall away from our union with Jesus. How do we do that? How can we always live so as to hear it said: you are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased? Well of course we have to live the virtues. We have to obey the commandments, to do our duty, to practise humility, to be charitable and forgiving and the rest. But more radically, and as necessary condition for all that, we have be turned towards God our Father, as Jesus was. We have to live out our adopted Sonship by the power of the Holy Spirit. That means, above all, we have to pray. We have to pray a lot. We have to walk with God, before God, in God’s love, with open hearts and attentive minds, always in an attitude of adoration, of worship; ever and again hearing his words of divine favour, knowing his mercy, trusting in him. According to St. Paul, all that expresses itself in a simple and spontaneous cry, full of gratitude and love and joy. With Jesus, and in the Holy Spirit, we cry to God: Abba! Father! May the Lord grant us this grace to the end, according to our desire, and his holy will. Amen.