Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The Baptism of Jesus is also an epiphany in the sense that God makes Himself known through Jesus. As Jesus is baptized by John, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are revealed to us. Jesus is baptized, the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove, and the Father speaks, “This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”
This feast is a good time for us to reflect on our own baptism and what our relationship with God has to do with our daily life. At baptism we begin a relationship with God, a relationship that is meant to grow and develop throughout our lives. Baptism is not an end in itself, but a beginning of our life in God. When parents ask to have their child baptized, they are saying that their relationship with God is something important to them and they want to share it with their child. It really makes no sense for parents who do not practice their Catholic Faith to present their child for baptism. Often when a child is born it can be an awakening in the parents that maybe they need to take their own faith seriously if they are really going to share it with their child.
At the baptism of a child the parents make a solemn promise to God and the Church that they will live their own faith and share it with their child. The only way they can be faithful to that promise is through prayer and frequent reception of the sacraments. This means going to Mass every Sunday. Going to Mass every Sunday is the basic requirement for anyone who calls himself a Catholic. So, when we miss Mass through our own fault we must go to confession before we receive Holy Communion, or we commit an even more serious sin by receiving Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin. This only makes sense because we cannot say to God one Sunday that we do not have time for Him and the next Sunday show up and act like nothing happened. There needs to be reconciliation when we have made a deliberate choice that separates us from God and the Church.
Baptism in some way defines our vocation because we are called by God to be one with Him now and in the world to come. We are made to be with God for all eternity. This is our calling or vocation. How we respond to this call constitutes our vocation in life, which is one of three possibilities: married, single or religious life. These three basic vocations call us all to the end for which we were created and that is to know, love and serve God in this life and be happy with Him in the next.
Please plan to attend and support the St. Vincent de Paul Society IRON CHEF competition and fund raiser on Saturday, February 1. This is a fun event that raises funds to support the work of our St. Vincent de Paul Society. The work of our St. Vincent de Paul Society is very much needed for the people of our community who are in need of assistance. Charity is the work of the Gospel and the mission of every Christian. Jesus teaches us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and shelter the homeless. We are all called to be a part of this important work. This is a great way to put these words of Jesus into practice in our daily lives. Thank you and God bless you for your support especially the members of our St. Vincent de Paul Society for all their hard work and devotion.
A THOUGHT FOR THE WINTER MONTHS AHEAD. FORMED, NETFLIX FOR CATHOLICS. It has been six years since we introduced FORMED to our parish family. It may be best described as Netflix for Catholics. It enables you to access Catholic audio and video series that can teach you more about our Catholic Faith, Sacred Scripture, Sacraments, living our faith in our daily lives, and so much more. There are also good movies that the entire family can enjoy and find inspiration in viewing. There are programs for children of all ages that you can use at home to teach your children about our Catholic Faith. There are always new resources being added so there is much to look forward to as we grow in our faith. Another idea might be to gather friends at home and to form study groups that you can set up on your schedule. FORMED offers many options for individuals, families, groups of friends and neighbors, parish groups, and many others to come together and share their faith. I hope that everyone will take advantage of this great opportunity. The best part about it is that it is FREE. There is no cost no matter how often you use it. The parish pays a yearly subscription rate that covers everyone in the parish. If you have not tried FORMED yet, just go to FORMED.org and sign up using our parish code, 2QC77G. Try it! I am sure you will be FORMED in Christ.
