Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Baptism is the foundational sacrament for Catholics. It is the sacrament that allows us to be called “Christian.” It is the doorway to the other sacraments. It frees us from sin, makes us members of the Church (the Body of Christ), gives us the status of the children of God, and bestows on us the promise of eternal life. Wow! And there are many other blessings that come to those of us who have been baptized.
Jesus was baptized, not because he needed it — he was the redeemer, already free of all sin, and the only Son of God. He entered the waters of baptism so that he would be with us in the waters of our own baptism. When we enter the baptismal waters with him, he cleanses us from original sin (and for those baptized as adults, he forgives every other sin we have committed intentionally).
Yes, original sin! Something we don’t always talk about, but we were all born with it. What is original sin? Well, any sin is a separation from God. Original sin is the inherited separation from God that exists from the moment we are conceived (except for Mary, who was conceived without sin). Blame Adam and Eve for that!
Baptism closes the gap between us and God. It unites us to God by pouring God’s life into us, a divine reality, something we call sanctifying grace. Talk about a great reunion of God and the human person brought about in baptism. God lives in us and we live in God. We can thank Jesus for uniting earth to heaven, humanity to divinity, and the baptized to God.
When we were baptized, we rose up out of those waters fully alive with God present in our lives. That’s why St. Paul could say, “You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead” (Col. 2:12).
Let us live our baptism — and hear the call of baptism — to be a child of God, a servant of the Lord, and a disciple of the Gospel.
And, finally, may we want to bring others to baptism. The possibility of life with God is good news. Let’s not keep it a secret.
Have a blessed week everyone!