The Catholic Times featured an article on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord: How Did ‘Water’ Become a Symbol of Baptism? This Feast Day also brings the end to the Christmas Season.
In the Old Testament, water is an element of life... in the New Testament, it takes center stage in the baptismal rite through John the Baptist.
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (January 11) commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. The Gospels narrate Jesus’ baptism as the central scene of this feast, testifying that through this scene, Jesus’ identity and mission of salvation were publicly revealed.
On this day, the Church also reflects on the meaning of 'water' used in the sacrament of baptism. Water has symbolized creation, purification, and boundaries as a natural element, but through the event of Jesus’ baptism, it came to be understood within the Church as a sacramental sign revealing the grace of salvation. On the occasion of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we explore how water came to be established as the symbol of the sacrament of baptism.
In the Old Testament, water is both a natural element that sustains life and a symbol that reveals judgment and boundaries. Genesis describes water over the chaos, with the Spirit of God hovering above it. In this passage, water serves as the backdrop, representing the state prior to creation.
In Exodus, the waters of the Red Sea are presented as a boundary prepared by God to allow the Israelites to move from slavery to liberation. The power that accomplishes salvation lies not in the water itself but in God’s action of parting the sea. When the prophet Ezekiel declares, “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean” (Ezekiel 36:25), water also serves as a means through which God expresses his promise to give a new heart and a new spirit.
In the New Testament, water is central to the ceremony through the activities of John the Baptist. John proclaimed the baptism of repentance in the Jordan River and called for forgiveness of sins. However, John makes it clear that his baptism is not ultimate. "I baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." (Mt 1:8) The decisive moment when water began to be understood as a sign of baptism was the baptism of Jesus Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the baptism of Jesus as the event in which the sinless One became one with sinners and began his mission of salvation. In this way, water was originally an element of repentance and purification, but through Jesus's baptism, it became associated with the Paschal Mystery of Christ and a sign in the sacrament of baptism in the Church. This understanding is also directly connected to the lives of believers who are baptized with water.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines baptism as "the sacrament of rebirth with water and the word." (It also emphasizes the sacramental union of believers to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. "He must humble himself and enter into the mystery of atonement, immersed in water with Jesus and then come up again with Him. Only then will you be born again in water and in the Holy Spirit, become God's beloved children in the Son, and live a new life."
