Imagine this hypothetical situation. You suddenly find out that you are not baptized even though you always thought that you were. Would that make a difference to you? What would you do? Would you panic? Would you reflect and say something like: “Well, I’ve done quite nicely so far without being baptized. What difference does it make?” But, then, that nagging question remains: isn’t baptism like a “boarding pass” for heaven? We need it to get in and get a good seat? Well, today, we celebrate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan by John the Baptist. Surely, Jesus and John did not understand baptism to be a boarding pass to heaven. Rather, they knew, as we do, that baptism is the time for us to believe in God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as He has revealed Himself and to change our direction in life so that it conforms to what God expects of us. Here’s an imperfect analogy about baptism. Some people like to meld perfectly the small sliver of soap left from a large bar into a new bar so that the small sliver becomes perfectly enmeshed or grafted into the larger piece. It’s funny how little things can give us pleasure. Well, in baptism we are like the little sliver of soap that tries to be grafted to the larger piece, in this case Jesus himself. In Baptism, we want to become one with Christ, one with his body, the Church. In this event, we have a visible demonstration of Jesus as both God and man. God the Father speaks from heaven, and Jesus lowers himself in his human condition to be baptized by John. So, too, without baptism, we retain original sin, the sin passed on to us from our first parents. Baptism removes that original sin and takes us from the water to the embrace of God our Father. Baptism is the moment when, like the small bar of soap, we become grafted to Jesus. We become part of his life, and he shares his life with us. We think of baptism as a baby sacrament. We baptize infants because parents want for their children what is best for them, a relationship with Jesus. However, that bonding with Jesus needs nourishment. Baptism is a once in a lifetime event that needs constant attention. How do we nourish our baptism? It starts with the basics. Weekly participation in the Eucharist is necessary. Sunday worship is the hallmark of the Catholic’s life. Nothing can be more important for a Catholic than regular Sunday Mass. Missing Sunday Mass is stating that something else is more important than God in one’s life. Prayer is another essential element of nourishing our faith. Without regular conversations with God in prayer, our faith life will be weak. Also, living God’s law is a visible demonstration of our commitment to our relationship with God. When a couple presents a child for baptism, the child will be baptized in the faith of the parents since the child cannot express for himself his faith and the desire to avoid evil. If the parents have not been practicing their faith, the priest or deacon may challenge them about their level of commitment in raising the child as a Catholic. After all, family is the place where children learn their faith. So, our celebration focuses on a historical event that displays the humanity and divinity of Jesus. Likewise, we have an opportunity for us to review how we, as humans, are doing in our grafting with the Lord. Are we becoming one with Him, letting him lead or are we going our own way without him? Tough questions that require a personal response. We believe that all human beings are made in the image and likeness of God. That image and likeness confers a human dignity on all persons. Baptism augments that dignity by making us brothers and sisters with Jesus in his Church. This little prayer may help us understand how important it is for us to be one with Christ: |
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