Renew your Baptism.

From Safari…

With the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the

Christmas season ends. Short period of

Ordinary Time begins Monday, as February

18th is Ash Wednesday.

By his baptism by John, Jesus’ forever changes the nature

of baptism. For John the Baptist, baptism was an

outward expression of turning one’s heart to God. Jesus,

already at one with the Father, is baptized by John, as act

of self-emptying, sharing in our human nature. The

descent of the Holy Spirit, is another epiphany, as we hear

in the Gospel, “And a voice came from the heavens, saying,

‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’”

Baptism for most of us happens shortly after our birth.

Our parents brought us to the waters of new life because

of their conviction that Jesus is our Savior. In baptism we

are washed clean of original sin. Not that an infant as

sinned, but born into a world filled with temptations, the

graces of baptism assist one in resisting temptation. Even

with baptism, most of us surrender to temptation at

times. Despite our failures, we are assured God will

forgive us and will help us be stronger the next time.

Baptism awakens us to the fact that we are God’s son or

daughter, and are holy and precious in God’s sight. We

also come to know that eternal life is ours already. For the

Gospel writer Matthew, eternal life is not something to

come, but is here and now. Our life’s quest is to come to

the fullness of eternal life in heaven.

Baptism is an important event in the life of the

community and for this reason, I like baptisms during the

Mass. Witnessing a baptism, is a reminder of our own

baptism and the call to bring the Good News to all we

meet. It is also reassuring to the parents that there is

support in their duty as Christian Parents.

Patricia Sánchez, a biblical scholar, reminds us that baptism is

more than a onetime event. Each and every day, we need to

renew our baptism. Sánchez once wrote, “Since, through

baptism, each of us is initiated into the life of the one God,

Father, Son and Spirit, doesn’t that make us brothers and

sisters to one another? That relationship makes each of us

responsible for the other. Am I my brother’s keeper? Am I my

sister’s caretaker? Yes! If another has need, is homeless or

hungry, is sick or lonely and afraid, and I am aware but do

nothing, then my baptismal vows are false; my faith is a sham.

We who are signed with the cross and washed in the blood of

Jesus are charged to renew daily the baptismal promises that

make us who we are.”

May our daily prayer this week, help us integrate the faith we

profess with our lips at every Eucharist.

Fr. Ron