Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

    Now Blessed Anne Catherine describes Jesus celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles that year sometime after 

His Baptism.

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 And she also describes two Sabbaths between the Baptism of Jesus and the beginning of the 

Feast of Tabernacles.

415

 That year the Jewish month of Tishri began on Thursday, Oct. 3.

416

 This places the 

solemn fast day of Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) on Saturday, Oct. 12. The Feast of Tabernacles then 

began on Thursday, Oct. 17, and ended on Thursday, Oct. 24. The two Sabbaths that Blessed Anne Catherine 

describes before the Feast of Tabernacles must then have been Saturday, Oct. 5, and Saturday, Oct. 12. Since 

there were two Sabbaths between the Baptism of Jesus and the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus must have been 

baptized before Oct. 5, but still on or after Sept. 30. 

    Blessed Anne Catherine also tells us that Jesus kept the Sabbath at the small town He had traveled to after 

His Baptism. It seems from her description that the Sabbath day was the day after Jesus arrived.

417

 If so, then 

Jesus was baptized on a Friday. The only Friday between Sept. 30 and Oct. 5 of 

A.D.

 15 was Friday, Oct. 4, 

which was also Tishri 2. Based on the chronological information in the writings of Blessed Anne Catherine, 

then, Jesus was baptized by John on Friday, Oct. 4 of 

A.D.

 15. 

    It is unlikely that Jesus could have been baptized on Thursday, Oct. 3 and Tishri 1, because the start of any 

month is a Jewish holy day, Rosh Hodesh (New Moon day), and the start of Tishri 1 is Rosh Hashanah 

(Jewish New Year's day). The Jews during Jesus' time kept the first day of each month as a holy day of rest.

418

Jesus and his disciples would not have traveled far on that day, but they did travel far on the day of Jesus' 

Baptism (which must have been the following day, Tishri 2).

419

    The Baptism of Jesus marked the beginning of His Ministry. Blessed Anne Catherine states that it was about 

10:00 a.m. when Jesus was baptized.

420

 The length of Christ's Ministry, from His Baptism on October 4 of 

A.D.

 15 to His Crucifixion on April 7 of 

A.D.

 19, was 3  years plus about 3 days. 

The First Sacrament of Baptism 

     And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending 

upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, `Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well 

pleased.'   (Mk 1:10 11). 

      ` for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'   (Acts 

1:5). 

     And he said to them, `Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?' And they said, `No, we have 

never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.' And he said, `Into what then were you baptized?' They said, `Into 

John's baptism.'   (Acts 19:2 3). 

     Jesus answered, `Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the 

kingdom of God.'   (Jn 3:5). 

    John's baptism was a baptism of repentance (Mk 1:4). Anyone baptized by John had to later be baptized in 

the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1 7). However, there is an exception to this rule. The Baptism of Jesus by John in the 

river Jordan was not a baptism of repentance, but rather the first true Sacrament of Baptism given to anyone. 

The Sacrament of Baptism requires water and the Spirit of God (Jn 3:5). When John baptized Jesus with 

water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus. In this way, the Human Nature of Jesus Christ received the 

Sacrament of Baptism from the Holy Trinity. 

     After this Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea; there he remained with them and baptized.  

(Jn 3:22). 

     Now when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more 

disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed 

again to Galilee.  (Jn 4:1 3). 

    During the Ministry of Jesus Christ, His disciples baptized people. Was this baptism the true Sacrament of 

Baptism, just as it is today, or was it as yet only the baptism of repentance, a baptism like that of John's? 

According to Sacred Scripture, the baptism given by the disciples of Jesus was carried out under His direction 

and authority. The Gospel of John states:  Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples .  This phrasing 

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