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For Epiphany, we reflected on the universal scope of Jesus' mission through the figures of the Magi. These figures in our Nativity scenes often are depicted as European, Asian, and African to emphasize that Jesus came for all people. This week, the Holy Spirit is emphasizing the same point in our second reading: “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.” Anyone from anywhere can follow Jesus’ example, receive Baptism, and join God’s family.
Our reading from Acts 10 ends with Saint Peter talking about Jesus’ ministry. The verses that continue where our reading leaves off go on to talk about Jesus’ death and Resurrection and his commission to the Apostles. Part of that commission was to “Go…make disciples of all nations, baptizing them” (Matthew 28:19). By the end of Acts 10, Peter baptizes the gentile Cornelius and his whole household, which presumably included both adults and children, even infants.
For most of us baptized as infants, we can lose sight of the importance of what occurred at our own Baptism. My fifth child, Lydia, was baptized after Thanksgiving, and experiencing the Rite of Baptism again was a great reminder of what happens in this sacrament. When Father Jay poured the water over Lydia’s little head and spoke the Trinitarian formula, the Holy Trinity took up residence in her soul! Now when I carry my baby, I carry a living, breathing (and sometimes puking) tabernacle. She has put on Christ and received the light of Christ. And the same thing happened to me as an infant when my parents had me baptized. Now when I am in a state of grace, I too am a living, breathing tabernacle.
We mark birthdays as the start of our life outside the womb. We mark anniversaries as the start of married life. We ought to mark baptism anniversaries as the start of our sacramental union with the Lord. Sacraments are the ways that God gets inside us, and Baptism, the gateway of the sacraments, is the beginning of that process. You can’t receive First Reconciliation, or any other Confession, without having been baptized. You can’t receive First Communion, or any subsequent Communions, without having been baptized. You can't receive Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, or Holy Orders without first receiving Baptism.
On this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, I encourage each of you to mark your calendar with the dates of your household’s Baptism Anniversaries and start celebrating them. For some suggestions, visit http://saintluke.net/baptism
