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Baptism: The beginning of salvation
There is a beautiful French Christmas story that tells of the imaginary visit of an elderly lady to the manger where Jesus was.
With her back bent over with a heavy weight, her face deeply lined, with old and dirty clothes, the woman, who seemed older than time, knelt before Baby Jesus and placed a gift at his feet, which at first neither Mary nor Joseph could see.
Suddenly, as soon as she left the gift, the old woman began to shine brightly, her back was straightened without the weight, and full of tears and joy, she walked away, standing upright. When Mary and Joseph saw the gift, they saw that it was an old apple…
The unknown visitor was Eve, who after centuries had been freed from what made her fall into sin and brought sin and death to humanity.
I find this story interesting because it refers to the essence of the mystery of Redemption: the birth of the Lord Jesus, which we celebrated a few weeks ago. Jesus came to earth to redeem us from our sins. The lifting of that weight that bends the back of all humanity comes to us, first of all, through the sacrament of baptism.
Baptism is the sacrament of Christian initiation par excellence, and it is so valuable in our Christian life that the same Lord Jesus, born without sin, asked to be baptized by St. John, who is known as “the Baptist.”
Jesus began his public life with his baptism and concluded his mission on earth with the request to his disciples: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
That is why, since the day of Pentecost, the church administers baptism to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. And because it has the power to free human beings from original sin, every person not yet baptized is able to receive baptism. (Compendium, 257)
As every mother who provides the best for her little children, to nourish them and ensure their lives and their growth, the church baptizes children because, as a mother, it wishes to see her children freed from the power of evil and brought into the kingdom of the liberty of the children of God as soon as possible.
In fact, as the Compendium of the Catechism teaches, “Baptism takes away original sin, all personal sins and all punishment due to sin. It makes the baptized person a participant in the divine life of the Trinity through sanctifying grace, the grace of justification which incorporates one into Christ and into his church.
It gives one a share in the priesthood of Christ and provides the basis for communion with all Christians. It bestows the theological virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. A baptized person belongs forever to Christ. He is marked with the indelible seal of Christ.” (Compendium 263)
So it is no coincidence that we are given a name the day we receive baptism. God knows each of us by name, and speaks to each in an absolutely personal way.
With baptism, the Christian receives his own name in the church. And even though it is not mandatory, the church encourages us to choose the name of a saint, so that the saint will provide the baptized person with a model of holiness and ensure his or her intercession before God.
Unlike Eve in the Christmas story, we do not need to go to the manger to be relieved of the weight of original sin. Through the wonderful sacrament of baptism, our parents and the church have already done it for us.
So let us give thanks to God without ceasing for this gift, and in turn, let us pray for all our brothers and sisters in the archdiocese who will receive this sacrament that unites them with the Lord and his church.
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