BAPTISM OF THE LORD A

BIEBER BAPTISM

(from the internet)

I rarely see Justin Bieber do comedy.

One day, as he joined comedians in a “roast” he tried his bit of humor on his co-stars and it was really funny.

At the end of his gig, Justin said something serious: Thank you God for your grace and for never giving up on me.

I have read somewhere that Justin was now a committed Christian, but only now did I find proof of it!

Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is a mystery that he shares with us as we too, experience new birth in the waters of the sacrament.

Most Catholics are baptized as children, in their parish church. (Justin was baptized in a huge bathtub by his pastor!)

What that rite of cleansing truly means escape most of us as we grow up, not knowing what we truly want and where we are headed in life.

Hearing Justin’s testimony reminded me of baptism’s essential meaning.

And that is, to know you belong to Christ; he cares for you; he loves you just the way you are; he will transform you if you give him the chance; he is the joy of your life.

It is important to know this – and also to share it with others!

Baptism has become an entrenched tradition in the church without much meaning for the person involved until the time of decision comes.

When the crunch time happens, we must enjoy our faith and spread it to others.

As Catholics we are not trained to speak about our faith the way other Christians do.

Maybe we should not even copy them.

We live and share our faith in many ways – but most specially in ways that allow people to feel the love, kindness and forgiveness of God.

We can be vocal about our faith in the Lord.

We can silently live it through a life of gentleness, humility and simplicity.

We can translate our faith into service of the church and of the poor.

A priest friend told me about his parishioner whose life recently turned around for good after a major personal and family crisis.

This man was careless with his life, putting himself in dangerous vices.

One day, when he realized he wanted to change, he turned back on his faith and started praying and serving the Lord in his local parish.

People were shocked that this “public sinner” should be welcomed in the church. Yet, the man’s life has changed for the better. He and his family are now enjoying peace with God and with one another.

As a baptized Christian, there is always hope of becoming better... one day... like Justin Bieber, like you and me...

Why don’t we thank the Lord that in his great love, he invited us to partake of this sacrament of Baptism?

Let us then think of the challenge our share in God’s life poses to us today.

How should we live our faith in our challenging situations?

In what way can we share our faith to the people around us?

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