We are still under the thumb of winter. It is hard to think that my relatives in Alabama are watching the leaves peeking out and buying pansies at their garden center. We have a way to go before we can plant our petunias. Think of this weather not only as a challenge but as an opportunity for patience and humility. We must keep in mind that this very snow and cold brings us summers full of joy, relatives, water, picnics, and some of the most beautiful scenery on earth. Not unlike a good Christian life that wades through life’s challenges to get to our heavenly reward!

I was visiting a friend the other day. She was upset that one of her married children had a new baby. Her consternation was about the child and Baptism. However, the child’s father would not allow this. He did not believe in this religious superstition. I had heard this before and was trying to assuage my friend’s concern. She was beside herself and asked me some pertinent questions about Baptism.

Baptism is often misunderstood in our current times. As Christians, it is a primary entry way into Christianity. For some Christians, it is a Sacrament; for others, a ceremony; regardless, it is the major portal to Salvation. Why? We spoke last week about Original sin. Original sin was based on a disobedient act by Adam and Eve. They had listened to the devil and were tricked into believing that they could run their own lives and did not need God. This untruth fosters the belief that we can do everything without God. The Original, or first sin, that each of us, because of our human condition, is affected by. We are selfish by nature. Baptism is a symbolic act of washing away selfishness and embracing Jesus as our Savior. It is the entry portal to the Christian life of repentance and sacrifice. These two understandings, repentance and sacrifice, are the immovable values of a Christian life that give victory over our sinful nature.

The symbolic washing of a person existed before Christianity in the Jewish ritual of mikvah. These were symbolic washings that signified purity and cleansing after illness. It was John the Baptist who preached a washing of one’s sins, baptizing in the River Jordon, preparing the way of the Messiah.

The charge to baptize is given by Jesus himself, after He rose from the dead in the last chapter of Matthew’s gospel. Jesus exhorts his apostles, giving them the Great Commission:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:18-20).

So, what is this Baptism? It is the entryway that gives us a way to live a holy life. It allows us to beat the addictions of sin. It gives us certainty in our lives, the promise of a reward, and the consolation of returning to the love that created us forever. Baptism is the first step on the rung of holiness and wholeness in a human’s life. As God brings us into His Church, He gives us the grace and ability to triumph over all temptations of evil. He sets us free of the blemish of sin and holds us as the prodigal father, who sees us far off and rejoices when we come home to his love. Baptism is the door of renewal of spirit and the gate to joy.

I know that my friend I was visiting understood all of this but was heartbroken that her new grandchild would not be part of this wonderful gift. Many in the Christian community share a similar anxiety over their grandchildren not being baptized. Remember too that Baptism is the beginning of Church membership in Christ. Many young people today do not see the necessity for Baptism. For others, Baptism is about the official ceremony, the party afterward, or the gifts received. It is much deeper than that. Baptism is often misunderstood as only a social event. I once had a woman in my Chaplaincy who told me very proudly that she had been baptized twice. No, you can only be baptized once. Some religious sects practice full-body immersion in a pool, while others baptize infants into the church. Baptism can be given by any Christian in a state of severe need or imminent death; it is universally given to all for all. A passageway entry into love itself. You only get it once, and it marks your soul as a child of God, forever.

As we are midway in Lent, take some time this week to meditate on your own Baptism and what a gift it is from a loving Father. Pray as well for the many who do not see or understand what Baptism is and how it frees us from our human selfish nature, giving us the grace, fortitude, and wisdom to follow our Christian Faith journey to heaven.

“I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”(Matthew 28:20)