Day 172: What Does Baptism Do? (1262-1266)

• It’s Day 172!!

• THE GRACE OF BAPTISM

• What are the effects?

• What does Baptism do?

• We can oftentimes look at the Sacraments as pure ritual

• We think they are only symbolic

• We think they are not efficacious 

• AND YET…

• We declare in faith that Baptism does something 

• Baptism it has a powerful effect

• IT PURIFIES US OF SINS

• It gives us NEW BIRTH in the Holy Spirit

• We become “A NEW CREATURE”

• We are given the gifts of FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE

• We are given the power to act under the Power of the Holy Spirit

• ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE GIVEN TO US IN BAPTISM!!

• Let’s pray!!

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, you send out your Holy Spirit among us and you have given us your Holy Spirit through the great Sacrament of Baptism. This is the beginnings, the doorway to faith. We ask that you please, as you poured your Holy Spirit into our lives through the Sacrament of Baptism, continue to pour your Holy Spirit throughout the rest of our lives into Eternity, throughout this whole world. Lord God, we pray that every person on this planet will come to know you, that every person on this planet will come to know of your incredible love, unstoppable love, your faithful love for them. And we ask that you please help us to understand this. Help us to understand your love in a deeper and deeper way this day and every day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen”

• So there we have it!!

• Fr. Mike is really pumped about Baptism!!

• Paragraph 1262 says, “The different effects of Baptism are signified by the perceptible elements of the sacramental rite.”

• That’s technical language that basically means there are symbols we use in all of the Sacraments

• Those things, that stuff, signify something

• The grace of the sacrament is that it is a sacred sign that causes what it signifies

• What does immersion in water do?

• It symbolizes death

• Why?

• Because it symbolizes going down into the grave

• It also symbolizes purification 

• Because going into water symbolizes washing

• Just as it symbolizes death and resurrection, it symbolizes purification and being cleansed

• We cannot change the symbol of the Sacrament without changing the meaning of the Sacrament

• You can’t Baptize someone in diet coke

• You need water

• Why?

• Because water is the symbol of dying and rising 

• It is also a symbol of washing

• You can’t Baptize someone in motor oil

• Even though they are both liquids, it doesn't have the same symbolism and it can’t be done

• You can’t change the symbol without changing the Sacrament

• The Sacrament does something

• Paragraph 1263 says, “By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin.”

• This is an INCREDIBLE GIFT

• This is one of the reasons people were tempted in the Early Church to put off Baptism until the end of their lives

• If Baptism washes away ALL SIN and removes ALL CONSEQUENCES for sin then let’s wait till the end of life to get Baptized

• AND YET…

• That’s a dangerous thing and it is not recommended

• One reason is that you don’t know when you are going to die

• The second reason is that Baptism is not just about taking away sins for Eternal Life

• It is also about bringing us into Eternal Life RIGHT NOW

• THAT IS INCREDIBLE!!

• Paragraph 1265 says, “Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte ‘a new creature,’ an adopted son of God, who has become a ‘partaker of the divine nature…’”

• This may be a hard word to share…

• Every person who lives on this Earth is made in the image and likeness of God

• This means that every person has dignity

• This means that every person is a brother or sister when it comes to the unity of humanity

• Every person is a beloved creature of God

• Every person who has ever been made is a beloved creature of God

• BUT…

• It is only in Baptism that we become God’s sons and daughters

• That can seem rude or exclusive

• There is no religion, philosophy, or culture that claimed that every human being is a son and daughter of God

• Only Christianity can make that claim

• IN FACT…

• There are religions that exist right now with a lot of followers that if you told them, “I’m a child of God!” then they would call that BLASPHEMY

• Christianity is the only religion to claim the possibility that we could actually become the sons and daughters of God through Baptism

• Why?

• We become a “partaker of the divine nature”

• This means we are human beings with a human nature

• God is the divine nature

• God is the ONE GOD

• God could look at us and call us His sons and daughters

• That would be like dog people and cat people who call themselves dog-moms and cat-dads 

• While we love our pets, they are not really our children

• Why?

• Because we are not the same

• We have human nature

• They have dog nature or cat nature etc.

• Even if you go down to the courthouse and legally adopt your pet that would be what is called illegal fiction

• Yes it’s there on paper but they aren’t actually your CHILD

• Not because you don’t love them

• Not because they aren’t special

• Not because they don’t have a certain dignity on their own

• BUT…

• You are not the same thing

• Similarly, God can look at us and say that we are LIKE His sons and daughters

• BUT… 

• Something has to CHANGE IN US in order for us to ACTUALLY BE SONS AND DAUGHTERS AND GOD

• Here’s the example of Geppetto and Pinocchio…

• Let’s listen…

• Pinocchio is not Geppetto’s son

• He is the beloved creature of Geppetto

• No matter how much Pinocchio responds to Geppetto, Geppetto is NOT Pinocchio’s father

• What has to happen in order for Pinocchio to look at Geppetto and call him FATHER?

• Pinocchio has to become a REAL BOY

• He has to have the same nature as his maker

• When he does have that same nature he can really look at Geppetto and say that not only is he his maker, he is his father

• Something similar is true for us Christians

• God has created us in His image

• God loves us more than we can ever imagine

• God loves everyone whether they know Him or not

• BUT…

• If we are going to actually look at God and say, “Abba! Father!”

• God is going to look at us and say, “You are my son. You are my daughter.” (Just like Mufasa would have said to us!! 😉 lion king - remember who you are (HD) )

• SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE IN US!!

• We have to become sharers in the DIVINE NATURE

• When we receive the Holy Spirit in Baptism, God changes our nature

• WE BECOME A NEW CREATURE!!

• WE BECOME A NEW KIND OF BEING!!

• WE BECOME A NEW SPECIES!!

• Because we share in God’s Nature…

• Because God has given us the Holy Spirit in Baptism…

• Now we actually can cry out, “ABBA! FATHER!!”

• IT IS TRUE!!

• IT IS NOT JUST ANALOGY!!

• IT IS ADOPTION!!

• In the Old Covenant they sometimes called God the Father but they called Him Father by ANALOGY

• Now in the New Covenant we can call God Father because He has ADOPTED US

• Does that make sense?

• THIS IS A MASSIVE MASSIVE TEACHING!!

• For those who want to wait till they die to get Baptized…

• Wouldn’t you want to live your entire life as a child of God?

• Wouldn't you want to have access to the Father’s heart?

• Every time you talk to God, you are talking to your FATHER

• The God who has adopted YOU as His son or daughter

• God has done this at a great price

• What made it possible for God to adopt us?

• THE DEATH OF HIS SON JESUS CHRIST!!

• NOT HIS ADOPTED SON

• HIS ETERNAL ONLY BEGOTTEN SON

• It cost God the DEATH OF HIS SON to adopt US

• He poured out His Holy Spirit for this GREAT GIFT

• Baptism is not just a ritual people go through 

• Baptism is not just a symbol

• Baptism is not just a sign

• BAPTISM TRANSFORMS!!

• BAPTISM HEALS!!

• BAPTISM FORGIVES!!

• BAPTISM MAKES US NEW!!

• Paragraph 1264 says, “Yet certain temporal consequences of sin remain in the baptized, such as suffering, illness, death, and such frailties inherent in life as weaknesses of character, and so on, as well as an inclination to sin that Tradition calls concupiscence…[we can] manfully resist it by the grace of Jesus Christ.’ Indeed, ‘an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.’”

• We are given every good gift in Baptism and the other Sacraments to be able to compete well

• God is not leaving us to fight on our own

• God is not leaving us to compete on our own

• God is giving us HIS VERY NATURE

• God is giving us HIS VERY HOLY SPIRIT to dwell inside of us and give us the POWER TO MOVE FORWARD

• THAT IS THE TRUTH!!

• YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MOVE FORWARD!!

• If you are Baptized, you are a CHILD OF GOD

• THAT HAS CHANGED YOU FOR ETERNITY!!

• If we say YES to God we get to dwell with Him as his Child in Heaven FOR ETERNITY

• If we say NO after Baptism then we will live as children of God BUT ETERNALLY SEPARATED FROM OUR FATHER, SEPARATED FROM OUR HOME, AND SEPARATED FROM OUR FAMILY

• God’s choice is CLEAR

• God’s choice is that HE WANTS YOU AND HE LOVES YOU

• The only choice that remains is OURS

• What do we say in response to His love?

• IT IS A BIG CHOICE!!

• We have concupiscence

• We have weakness of our will

• Because of this inclination for sin we need God’s Grace

• We need to pray for each other

• Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!

• Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!

• I cannot WAIT to see you tomorrow!!