Illuminating Our Baptism
A Maronite icon of the Theophany, when Christ sanctified the waters for our Baptism "Going forth therefore make into disciples all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I have commanded you."--Mt 28:19-20a Baptism is the door through which we enter the Church, the first Mystery every Christian experiences. It is what marks one as a Christian. To understand it, then, is key to understanding the Christian life in truth. In Baptism, we are baptized into Christ's death and resurrection so that we die with Him and rise with Him so that we may life and rule with Him. The effects are myriad, but the basic fact is this: "The power of Baptism is to be understood as a covenant with God for a second life and a purer lifestyle." We enter into the Lord's New Covenant through our Baptism, and in this covenant He gives us innumerable graces and we give Him our lives...