How to Live the Baptism?
3rd Sunday of Easter
“Lord, let your face shine on us.”Ps. 4
What does it mean to live the baptism?
“Through this baptism into his death, we were buried with Christ, and just as Christ was raised from the dead by the Glory of the Father, so too we began a new life.”Romans 6:4
“Sin will no longer dominate you, for you are not under the Law but under grace. Tell me, does the fact that we are no longer under the Law but under grace authorize us to sin? Of course not.”Romans 6:14
He came to show us the way to the Father, to the Kingdom of God. What is that way? The first reading tells us:
“Repent and turn back, that your sins may be wiped out.”Acts 3:19
To receive the great gift of the Risen One, his forgiveness and love, we need to believe in Him and trust in Him, acknowledge sin, repent, and convert. That is, to strip off the old self and put on the new, represented in the white garment of baptism.
“Thus it was written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and in his name repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed.”Luke 24:48
He is the one who takes away the sin of the world, He came to teach us to have Life in the soul, to regain the life that sin robs us of, that of the Holy Spirit. It is the path of obedience, which Jesus himself lived and which he asks us to live in various ways, as in today’s second reading:
“By this we know that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments. Whoever says, ‘I know Him’, but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.”1 John 2
Jesus teaches us to respond to his love and mercy with our love, manifested in deeds, in doing what pleases Him, in obedience. We must be convinced that His will is much better than ours, as revealed for centuries, both in the Bible and in human experience. In obedience to the good shepherd, we will enjoy green pastures and tranquil waters. Disobeying His voice and relying more on ourselves leads us away from the path of life and causes us much more suffering.
Let us trust in Him, for He deserves our absolute trust, following the example of Joseph and Mary, so that we may experience the new life in Christ that He came to give us. His will is our greatest good, it is our health and life. Through disobedience, sin and death entered, along with all evil.
“You are my friends if you do what I command you.”John 15:14
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments…”John 14:15, 28
Weekly Readings
Sunday: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19/Ps 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9 (7a)/1 Jn 2:1-5a/Lk 24:35-48
Monday: Acts 6:8-15/Ps 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30/Jn 6:22-29
Tuesday: Acts 7:51-8:1a/Ps 31:3cd-4, 6 and 7b and 8a, 17 and 21ab/In 6:30-35
Wednesday: Acts 8:1b-8/Ps 66:1-3a, 4-5, 6-7a/Jn 6:35-40
Thursday: Acts 8:26-40/Ps 66:8-9, 16-17, 20/Jn 6:44-51
Friday: Acts 9:1-20/Ps 117:1bc, 2/Jn 6:52-59
Saturday: Acts 9:31-42/Ps 116:12-13, 14-15, 16-17/Jn 6:60-69
Next Sunday: Acts 4:8-12/Ps 118: 1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29 (22)/Jn 3:1-2/Jn 10:11-18
Observances for the Week
Sunday: 3rd Sunday of Easter
Monday: Tax Day
Next Sunday: 4th Sunday of Easter; World Day of Prayer for Vocations