Baptism: It is not Enough To Be, It Is Necessary to Live - 2

Antoni BigCuore Casagrande *

Date: 01/12/2020, Sunday.
Location: Sao Paulo, SP., Brazil

“The baptism of Jesus plunges us into the mystery of redemption, for He stripped Himself, lowered Himself by being baptized by John, and by washing the disciples' feet that day. He wants to touch us closely, to touch our hearts. Therefore, he invites us to make the new exodus to be, in fact, the new people of God, listening to the voice of the Father: Listen to my beloved son! Now is the time for us to live our baptismal priesthood, assuming our mission as Christians with Jesus. ”(Cf. op. God with us, Sanctuary Editor, January / 20, page 63);

This Sunday's gospel is very interesting and moves us to reflect on it.

Our church commemorates the baptism of the Lord Jesus. He comes from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist. John protests saying, “I need to be baptized for you, and you come to me? But Jesus answered him, "For now let it be, because we must fulfill all righteousness!" And John agreed. After being baptized, Jesus immediately came out of the water. Then the sky opened and Jesus saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and coming to rest on Him. And from heaven came a voice saying, "This is my beloved son, in whom I have pleased." (Mt 3: 13-17).

Note that John the Baptist preached baptism of conversion. From Jesus, the church began to perform baptism as we know it today. Jesus, ever obedient, submitted to the great prophet John the Baptist, the greatest born of woman, setting an example to others of the importance of such an act.

Thus reads canon n.1.213 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, verbis: “Holy Baptism is the foundation of all Christian life, the door of life in the Spirit (“ vitae spiritualis ianua ”) and the door that opens access to too many sacraments. Through Baptism we are set free from sin and regenerated as children of God, we become members of Christ, we are incorporated into the Church and made partakers of her mission: “Baptismus est sacramentum regenerationis per aquam in verb - Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration by water. in the Word. ”(p.340 - Loiola Editions).

Imagine a person looking for a job. She undergoes all the tests and once approved, she participates in the life of that company. The employee "wears" the shirt of the company, he is incorporated into the life of that company, enjoying the benefits it provides. (implies rights and obligations).

In a very simple comparison, this is more or less what happens with baptism.
The person, after a good preparation, is anointed by the priest (who has powers delegated by the bishop) with the water that says to him: I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. From then on, the Christian goes from being a creature of God to a child of God, thus enjoying all the gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit of God and having obligations to the community.

This is why Baptism is one of the main sacraments of our Christian Catholic religion. Once baptized, we are potential missionaries. We have a moral obligation to be good citizens and especially Christians in our community. We have to use our TALENTS for the benefit of the entire community. This is the great mission of the baptized.

My brothers and sisters, we must keep in mind whenever Baptism has been granted to us by God, to immunize us against sin, to live a Sanctified life, and to be lights in this world of sinful darkness. Baptism frees us from the bonds of the devil!

As a result, it is not enough to be baptized; it is imperative that we live our baptism as the Holy Roman Apostolic Catholic Church commands.

Our catholic Christian faith is founded on the following pillars: the word of God, written in the Holy Scriptures and the Sacraments, especially baptism, confession and the Eucharist. They all culminate in the EUCHARIST, which is the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ !!!

The sacraments are sensitive signs of God's grace and give us the strength to continue fighting, living with hope, and facing all the obstacles of daily life.
A happy and blessed Sunday to all! Save Mary!

(*) Author is a Catholic writer and singer in SP. His book is called, The Health of Soul and Body, by Editora Orecado Ltda. (2003). Original text: 11.01.2005, Tuesday, at 14.23. His link poetic: www.recantodasletras.com.br/autores/antonibigcuore
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