Reflect

I was baptized as a baby, not long after I was born, at my mother’s parish church, St. Martin of Tours in southern Indiana. It was, as far as Catholic baptisms go, a fairly traditional affair. I wore a white gown (according to the pictures and what my mother tells me!). My godmother and godfather did their jobs. The priest poured water over my head. But the word baptism in Greek — baptizein — doesn’t mean pour. It means “to immerse” or “to plunge.” This isn’t to say that pouring water isn’t a valid custom. Of course, it is. But it does help give us a sense of what really happens in baptism. At baptism we are not merely washed. In fact, at that moment our lives are plunged into we are immersed in the inner life of God. From the moment of our baptism on, our lives are completely changed by being imbued with God’s grace.

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Pray

Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of baptism. Allow the graces you poured into my heart on my day of rebirth in your Spirit to flourish in my life every day of my life. Amen.

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Live

Do you keep holy water in your home? Consider taking up the custom of making the Sign of the Cross each day with holy water, always remembering your baptism.

Thank you for joining us for My Daily Visitor: Advent. We hope this experience has renewed your relationship with the Lord!

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