The Door Awaits...

Today is the day we celebrate the Baptism of Christ.

While baptism is performed with oils and water to purify, in fact the church teaches it creates an indelible mark on the soul.  One that can not be removed which is why Catholics are baptized once and not repeatedly.  Baptism is of course, the first Sacrament and thereby the door to all other Sacraments, but in keeping with the catholic tradition, baptism makes us "members of one another."  This unifying membership of Baptism creates a common dignity - an equality - when we are reborn through the water.  Congratulations, if you are baptized.  Baptism means you are an adopted child of God.  As things go, I am not sure what could be better?

There is an important element though of being baptized that may not otherwise be understood and that is submission.  The Church teaches that "efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions."  This is important because the sacramental grace that comes with baptism, or any sacrament for that matter, must be met by our own free will to uphold the inherent grace or instead of empowering us, it increases our shame.

Today's reading in Matthew 3:13-17 speaks of Jesus seeking to be baptized by John the Baptist who had been preaching and baptizing in the River Jordan.  Upon Christ's approach, he initially tried to reject Christ.  I can't do this.

"I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?”

Even though John knew who and what Jesus was, he attempted refusal initially.  He had to be reassured that this was required so that Righteousness could be fulfilled.  Can you imagine?  Most of us have trouble refusing questionable directives from our bosses which may have ethical complications, but to refuse Christ?  Yet, how many of us do it?  Every day.

This is significant because how many times do we counter Christ's request that we lead on a matter related to our local church?  How many times do we hope to follow and not walk in the path Christ has set before us?  For many of us it is difficult to walk through the door that allows us to be closer to Christ.  That faith may have been what Pope Francis was referring to when he said too many Christians had watered down faith in God.

Similar to John the Baptist's submission to Christ though was the faith that Elizabeth showed to Mary, Mother of God.  In Luke 1, you will remember she recounts the excitement of her infant in utero when Mary arrived at her home, but she also remarked "how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?"

Perhaps we should all be more excited when we find God visiting us whether it be to offer comfort or an opportunity to serve.  I think about this as I consider how welcoming the wider Church can be, but it does require submission to its doctrine.  The door for all of us to walk through awaits...