Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, and it is a time when we call to mind our own baptism, and the gift that this sacrament is. Much like you would not forget your marriage vows after the wedding day, it is important to remember our baptismal promises and live them out in our day-to-day life.
Father Gerry Murray stopped by Morning Air® recently to put the reality of this sacrament into perspective and offer ways we can remember our baptism each day.
“It’s something we need to focus on,” Fr. Murray said. “Not to think of baptism as just a family event, or something that happened and now we’re going to move on with our life. No, it’s the reality that determines who we are. We are members of the Catholic Church, followers of Christ, adopted sons and daughters of God.”
One simple way to remember your baptism can be found every time you walk into a church. Father Murray pointed out, “You know, in church we have the holy water fonts. When you walk into church and dip your hand in the holy water that’s supposed to remind us of our baptism. It’s precisely by doing that when we enter the church, physically we’re reminded that it was through baptism that we entered the Church, through the grace of spiritual adoption by God through the power of the Holy Spirit. ”
Another way to remember your baptism and be inspired to live out your baptismal promises is to thank God for the gift of this sacrament in your daily prayers.
“We should thank the Lord for the fact that we are Christian,” said Fr. Murray. “Because it’s a gift from God. Baptism is not something that we do to ourselves, it is administered to us. It’s given by the priests of the Church, acting on the command of Christ to go and baptize all nations.”
“So our faith in God originates in God’s gift to us,” he explained. “And our response, in generosity of course, has to come every day. As you say, renewing the baptismal promises, renewing that spirit of fidelity.”
Listen to the full conversation below:
Morning Air can be heard weekdays from 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. Eastern/4:00 – 6:00 a.m. Pacific on Relevant Radio® and the Relevant Radio App.
