My car is coming up on
45,000 miles. The initial warranties and
the maintenance agreement that I purchased when it was new are about to
expire. Within the next month or so, I
will leave it at the service center for scheduled maintenance, as well as a
thorough check. I more than suspect I
need new brake pads.
This weekend we celebrate
the Baptism of the Lord, which brings to a close the Christmas season and opens
up onto the life and public mission of Jesus Chris.
The Second Vatican Council
fifty years ago re-emphasized that Baptism is the foundation of every
Christian’s identity before God and among men, and confers Divine and eternal
life on all who receive it. This sublime
identity and this great power are not to be neglected, but by uniting every one
of the Baptized into the one People of God, makes them sharers in the mission
of the Church, and as members of the Body of Christ, gives them great power to
reconcile all things in Christ. The hope
was that the faithful baptized would see that they not passengers on the ship
of salvation, but rather the skilled sailors and crew. The well being of the ship, and the possibility
of reaching her heavenly destination, depends upon their care and work, not
simply that of the captain.
Our current liturgical
calendar, as revised after the Council, gives us today’s feast in order emphasize
our own Baptism. In reflecting upon what
God has done during Jesus’ Baptism, we understand that in our Baptism, God has
made us His children and heirs. In
responding to the admonition the Listen
to Him, we hear His commandment to Love
one another as I have loved you, which we can fulfill only because of our
Baptism into His life.
We associate Baptism with
children – infants even. It is a time
for cake that is sweet and gifts that are sweeter. Family comes from all over to witness and
participate, posing for pictures and enjoying the party. Is your Baptism still in an album somewhere,
or has it grown into adulthood with you?
I am not asking whether
you can find your certificate or your candle, much less whether you would fit
into you gown. I am asking whether by
your behavior you demonstrate that you have received Baptism; whether you grasp
Christ as your one true light, and you wear your washed and whitened soul as
your most precious garment. In what condition
is your own Baptism today?
Have you continued to
learn about the Faith, or are you relying on the last class you took, in high
school, or eighth grade? We need to
continue to read and learn. A great resource
for this would be the video series Catholicism
from Father Robert Barron and the Word on Fire Institute. Do your nourish your faith with reflection on
the Word of God in Scripture, through private study and careful attention
during liturgies, and with the very Body and Blood of the Lord in the Eucharist? Our engine will gum up something fierce
without the frequent oil and filter changes of sacramental Penance to remove
the gunk called sin from our system. Our brakes will fail to save us from disaster
unless we recondition them by fasting and abstinence.
I have to maintain my car because
if I do not, it will cease to function.
Our Baptism is much the same way.
Both the years and the miles can wear down the power of our Baptism. But He who sanctified the waters is the One
who makes all things new. That will
include us -- so long as we give our Baptism His suggested maintenance.
Monsignor Smith
