Our Entire Identity
“To be baptized is a sign that everything we are – work and play, personality and character, commitments and passions, family and ethnicity – is gathered up and given shape and definition by our identity as one of God’s own children.” ~ Thomas G. Long
This is it. Today is the last day of the Christmas season. We celebrate it with the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord. Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by His cousin, John the Baptist. This marked the beginning of His public ministry. For the next few years, He would preach and teach, heal and raise the dead, all in fulfilling His Father’s mission.
At our own baptisms, the stain of original sin was washed from our souls and we were made sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. Jesus, at His ascension, entrusted His mission to us, His followers. Our baptism shapes us and gives us the identity that we claim as Christians.
If we claim the name of Christian, we need to live as Christians. We have to embrace God’s commands. We have to live as his faithful servants. We have to be humble in the sight of God and acknowledge that everything we have comes from Him. We also need to remember that everything we have has been entrusted to us so that we can benefit the lives of others.
Take some time today to review and renew your baptismal promises. If we keep them first and foremost in our minds and hearts, they will help to shape, guide, and guard our lives.
Do you reject Satan, and all his works, and all his empty promises? Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth? Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?
FAITH ACTION: Don’t just say your baptismal promises. Live your baptismal promises.