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This Sunday, we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. When talking about this celebration, Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa asked, “Was it that Jesus also needed to be baptized, as we do? Of course not. With that gesture, he wanted to show that he had become one of us. Above all, he wanted to put an end to the baptism of ‘water’ and inaugurate that ‘of the Spirit.’ It was not the water in the Jordan that sanctified Jesus, but Jesus who sanctified the water. Not only the water of the Jordan, but that of all fonts of the world.”
The newly baptized is a new creature, reborn by water and Spirit. He or she is a child of God, member of the Body of Christ, the Church, and a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Our Heavenly Father pronounces over every child or adult emerging from the baptismal font the same words he pronounced as Jesus emerged from the Jordan: “This is my beloved son or daughter, in whom I am well pleased.”
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, may we appropriate the words that you said during Jesus’ baptism, so we may know in our hearts that we are your beloved sons and daughters. Amen.
Catholic Schools: Plan now for a great Catholic Schools Week (January 25–31)! Find a recent GROW blog post with a new saint resource here.
Videos of Sunday’s Gospel
Use these videos as you discuss today’s Gospel. Please preview all videos you plan to share with your class:
• Faith, Fun and Celebration—Christmas
• Gospel Reading and Reflection for Kids
• Holy Heroes
• The Baptism of Jesus
• John Baptizes Jesus
• The Baptism of Jesus
• Sunday Setup—Weekly Video and Post (courtesy of the Diocese of Bridgeport)
Other Resources
• Pope Leo XIV and the Papacy
• Special Message from Pope Leo to Young People (NCYC | November 21, 2025)
For Catholic Schools
• Albert’s Expeditions Join Albert, a fierce yet friendly Peregrine Falcon, named after Saint Albert the Great (who even gave the Peregrine Falcon its name 800 years ago!) on scientific expeditions all around the globe. From under the soil to the sky full of stars, discover the stunning natural world full of life that God has created. Meant for children ages 5–10 and all families who want to learn more about their beautiful world around them and the Divine Creator who formed it all.
Seeds
Lesson Theme: Jesus is the Son of God.
For this lesson, you will need crayons, scissors, Baptism photos and memories, a baby doll, a water basin, water, towels, a shell, paper towels, envelopes, copies of the story coloring page (one per child), and a Church Year calendar.
Jesus’ baptism is an event of Jesus’ manifestation as the Son of God. Use this opportunity to reinforce what the children learned about Jesus as they prepared for and celebrated Christmas. Note that we still celebrate Jesus’ birth 2,000+ years later because of his great importance—Jesus is the best gift ever!
For the section on the doctrine (yellow box on page TG2-35), we suggest that the children pretend to baptize a doll. Hands-on activities like this remain in the children’s minds for years to come. We recommend that you have plenty of towels on hand!
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
• Gospel Reflection and Saint of the Week with Miss Heidi
• Bible Bag Gospel Lesson with Mrs. Cole
Promise
Lesson Theme: God is Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
For this lesson, you will need scissors, a single-hole punch, copies of the story coloring page (one per child), lengths of yarn (one per child), and a Church Year calendar. You may wish to arrange for an aide to assist with cutting, lacing, and tying. We suggest that you separate pages 1–2 from 3–4 in advance. If you plan to make a church visit, arrange for this in advance also.
Jesus’ baptism is an event of Jesus’ manifestation as the Son of God. Use this opportunity to reinforce what the children learned about Jesus as they prepared for and celebrated Christmas. Note that we still celebrate Jesus’ birth 2,000+ years later because of his great importance—Jesus is the best gift ever!
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Word of the Week
Seasonal Resources
Videos
• Gospel Reflection and Saint of the Week with Miss Heidi
• Bible Bag Gospel Lesson with Mrs. Cole
Good News
Lesson Theme: We are baptized into God’s family.
For this lesson, you’ll need pencils, crayons, drawing paper, and a Church Year calendar. Plan ahead for a short visit to your parish church.
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is the final day of Christmas Time. Jesus’ baptism is an event of Jesus’ manifestation as the Son of God. Use this opportunity to reinforce what the children learned about Jesus as they prepared for and celebrated Christmas. Note that we still celebrate Jesus’ birth 2,000+ years later because of his great importance—Jesus is the best gift ever!
The Three Divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity are revealed at Jesus’ baptism. The children will connect the words of Baptism, the Apostles’ Creed, the Sign of the Cross, and the Glory Be to the Father to the importance of our belief in the Blessed Trinity.
Note that this lesson is the final lesson of Unit 2. You may wish to use the unit assessment to see how well the children have retained what you taught them.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Video
• Our Baby’s Baptism (end after 1:57)
Venture
Lesson Theme: Baptism makes us members of God’s family.
For this lesson, gather pens or pencils; scissors; tape, stapler, or tacks; coloring tools; butcher paper, blue crepe paper, or a long rope; bowl of water; small towel; large candle; and a Liturgical Year calendar.
Make sure to celebrate the Baptism prayer service (pages 6–7). Assign the children roles in preparing for and celebrating the prayer.
Note that this lesson is the final lesson of Unit 2. You may wish to use the unit assessment to see how well the children have retained what you taught them.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Video
• Sacrament of Baptism
Visions
Lesson Theme: Jesus invites us to be like him.
For this lesson, you will need pens or pencils, coloring tools, scissors, and Bibles (one per student). You may wish to prep enough cards so that there is one set for each small group that you will assign for “The Family Feelings Game” (pages 7–8). You may choose to make photocopies of page 8 so that the student lessons are left intact.
The Baptism of the Lord introduces the ministry of Jesus that the young people will study in the upcoming weeks in Ordinary Time.
This is the last lesson in this unit. You may wish to use the unit assessment to see how well the children have retained what you taught them. It can be used as an individual assessment, or you may choose to create a trivia game to assess the students’ knowledge.
Teaching Guide
Parent Teaching Pages
The Gospel at Home
Weekly Review Template
Lesson Assessment
Seasonal Resources
Videos
• Sacrament of Baptism
• Tijuana Information Video
• Baptism—Catholic Central
Image credit: Adam Jan Figeľ/stock.adobe.com
