Baptism

Is our baptism an end or a beginning? I think that some would say that baptism is an end, that once you have accepted Christ as your Savior that being baptized show that you are a Christian, that you have arrived. The Catholic Church on the other hand teaches that our baptism is a beginning of a new life. We are washed clean of any sin, and we are started on a new journey in faith that at our deaths ends with God in heaven. The majority of Catholics are baptized as infants; and, like any infant in life, we need to nurture the soul and teach the infant Catholic (of any age) how to follow Jesus, which in turn enables us to grow in sanctity. In becoming a Christian through baptism, we do not automatically know how to be a Christian. We have to learn through prayer, scripture, teaching and the example of other Christians. And, like children learning to walk, we can stumble as we learn - sin. In Penance, we are healed so we can once again walk in our Christian journey. We are strengthened in confirmation. We can be nourished daily by the Eucharist.

Whether we chose to be baptized or our parents chose for us, it is not a given that we will continue in our journey with Christ. We are free to choose another path without Him. Sometimes we can be like puppies out for a walk; not going forward on the sidewalk, but darting off to investigate any new interesting thing. But Jesus will always be there waiting for us. Being baptized won’t save us if we leave Jesus on the sidewalk and run out into the traffic.