What God Said at Your Baptism

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

What happened on the day of your baptism?  For those of you who were baptized as babies, you may think it’s an impossible question to answer, as you were too young to remember.  Maybe some of you who were baptized as adults remember.  Even if you don’t remember, you can at least get the gist of things from the baptisms you’ve seen celebrated here or elsewhere: your parents asked to have you baptized, they professed their faith, and water was poured upon your heads or you were immersed in water, and then you were given the Sacred Chrism anointing, the white garment, and the baptismal candle.  But there’s something else that happened, something very big: when you were baptized, God the Father said, “‘You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased.’”

Now, if you’re a female, you might think this is a bit odd.  Did God not know which sex you are?  Of course He did!  But, when you were baptized, the very life of Jesus was given to you, so that, when the Father looks upon you, yes, He sees you, but He also sees the image of His Beloved Son, Jesus, in whom He is well pleased.  When you were baptized, you were made to be like Jesus.

Now, this isn’t like a costume that you put on.  It’s more like painting a portrait.  You, as a human person, are the canvas, and the artist cooperating with God.  You are the one who receives the image and craft the image that you display.  It’s part of who you are, not an added on extra.  When you were baptized, God traced the pattern of His Son in pencil, hoping that, with His help, you will color it in within the lines.  

Baptism is not a ritual we’ve come up with to celebrate new human life; it is not a ceremony to pass on a cultural identity.  Baptism is a remaking of ourselves, at the very core of our being, by God, so that we can live Jesus’ life.  Not that we ape Jesus; otherwise we’d all go to Israel and Palestine , wear sandals, and dress in tunics.  But we receive strength to live as Jesus did: in total obedience to the Father.  That, of course, is a tall order.  But God Himself makes it possible, and gives us assistance along the way.

Baptism is also not something that we did long ago that has no bearing on our life.  It is a life-long commitment to follow Jesus.  As infants, we don’t have a choice: our parents make the loving choice to have us baptized, because they want God to assist that child in living like Jesus.  Sometimes people will say, “Well, I never got to choose to be baptized; my parents forced it on me.”  Yes, it was forced upon many Catholics as infants.  So was food, clean diapers, love, and all that other “horrible” stuff.  Sometimes parents making choices for us as babies isn’t all bad.  True, as we grow older, we have to also claim it for ourselves and live it out, but we’re set on the right path when our parents have us baptized as infants.

The call that all of us receive in baptism, the outline that is given to us by God, is the call to be a saint.  When the life of Jesus is given to us in Baptism, we are set apart to be a holy man or woman of God.  We can do so as a husband or wife, priest or consecrated person, child or adult, CEO or McDonald’s worker.  No matter what our vocation, no matter what our job, it is possible for us to be saints (and I don’t mean that we all need to go to Siena Heights).  In every circumstance of life, if we are obedient to God the Father’s will, then we will be saints.  Maybe we won’t be canonized, but it will not go unnoticed by God, and His is the only measurement that truly counts.  

Today, celebrate your baptism.  Celebrate that you were called when you were baptized to be a holy man or woman of God.  Celebrate that God the Father looked upon you in love and said, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”  May our lives reflect that life of Jesus in all that we do and in all that we say.