Baptizing Sheep

 

A cool baptismal font at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption, Marietta OH. It's cool not only because baptism is cool, but also because it has water bubbling up from the middle and cascading over the edges of the inside bowl, like it was an infinite source of clear water. Isn't that cool?

    "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing." -Luke 15:4-5

    Jesus Christ, as the good shepherd, does not leave a single soul behind; He does not abandon even the weakest sinners, rather He searches for them and carries them on His shoulders when they are too weak to walk. He cautions us not to wander off into the wilderness in search of vain desires, and to instead stay close to Him, that He may protect us and nourish us even in the toughest of trials, the lowest of valleys...

    "...Saying to the prisoners, 'Come forth,' to those who are in darkness, 'Appear.' They shall feed along the ways, on all bare heights shall be their pasture; they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them." -Isaiah 49:9-10

    This is the difficult mission which Jesus has accepted for our sakes; Jesus carries and leads us out of darkness into His marvelous light, He gives of Himself totally for our nourishment.

    "Though hungry Himself, He feeds thousands; though weary, He refreshes those who labor... By His passion (inflicted on Him by others), He frees us from the passions (unleashed by our disobedience)." -From a sermon on the Epiphany attributed to Saint Hippolytus

    

    When Jesus came to the waters of the Jordan River and asked John for baptism, it was not only to dedicate Himself to the Father (for Jesus was already dedicated to the Father as He was begotten of the Father, and He needed no reconciliation), but it was to dedicate the waters to the Father.

    

    "Christ is baptized, not to be made holy by the water, but to make the water holy... for the consecration of Christ involves a more significant consecration of the water. For when the Savior is washed all water for our baptism is made clean, purified at its source for the dispensing of baptismal grace to the people of future ages. Christ is the first to be baptized, then, so that Christians will follow after Him with confidence." -From a sermon by Saint Maximus of Turin

    Read the last sentence again. "Christ is the first to be baptized, then, so that Christians will follow after Him with confidence." Do you see how Christ's baptism has been opened for us that we might follow Him without fear, with confidence? We must do this not only by first receiving the sacrament of baptism, that we might become part of His flock, but also by living out this baptism well. This means to follow the voice of the shepherd, not turning this way or that way to worry about the lies of Satan, but only going where Jesus leads us to go. He will lead us to green pastures and still waters, He will not cease to feed and protect us with His entire being, so we need not leave in search of grand illusions of pleasure.

    Yet even if we do wander away- which we tend to do often- He will offer everything He has to bring us back to safety, to true life. He ultimately offers His own back, His own shoulders, that He may carry our burdens, our sins, our punishment, if only we would return to the Father.

    Catholic quiz time: What is the first thing you do when you enter or exit a church? Pick up a bulletin? Ask if it's donut Sunday? Take a look at the great poster on the wall that shows all of the seminarians and asks you to pray for them? While these are all great things to do (especially the last action), I should hope you answered that the first thing you do is dip your fingers in the Holy Water font and pray the sign of the cross.* 

    This action is not only spiritually powerful (the sign of the cross is a simple yet profound prayer and Holy Water is a sacramental with spiritual and tangible benefits), but also practically beneficial. The day of our baptism is a vital day in our lives, a moment that shapes every moment of our existence. However, we tend to forget about it pretty often, and the use of Holy Water is a wonderful reminder of this reality. Blessing ourselves in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit with Holy Water is very reminiscent of the formula of our baptism. Doing so as we enter the Church is a reminder that we have been prepared to enter the presence of God by Christ's invitation to join with Him in Baptism. Doing so as we leave reminds us of the duty this baptism entails: to join Christ in proclaiming the Gospel (the good news) of salvation in the Trinity to the ends of the Earth.

    Baptism is our call to arms, our call to fight for the salvation of souls from the power of the evil one. Confirmation builds upon this foundation as the Holy Spirit continues to unite us to Christ, the anointed one, and we are sealed by the gift of the Holy Spirit to always be a servant of the Holy Spirit, going where He goes, doing what He does, speaking what He says.

    

    Through baptism, we have been called to enter into the same work that Jesus, the Good Shepherd does. He brings the weakest of lambs back into His fold, carrying their sin upon His shoulders. He feeds His sheep with His own body and blood, poured out in sacrifice. He tends for our death by dying for us, trusting in the mercy of the Father for all His strength. We are called to follow Christ in doing the same mission!

    

    This is not an easy calling. It's not immediately exciting to hear that to love Christ, we must sacrifice everything as He did for the sake of sinners. Listen to Christ giving this mission to Peter:

    "When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.' He said to him, 'Feed my lambs.' He then said to him a second time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.' He said to him, 'Tend my sheep.' He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, 'Do you love me?' and he said to him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.' [Jesus] said to him, 'Feed my sheep.'" -John 21:15-17

    When Jesus tells Peter about this mission, He acknowledges it is very hard. In Verse 19, we see that this mission would even lead to Peter's death. But with what joy can we enter on this vocation when we see that Christ goes before us always. He will always be our good shepherd, always leading us to green pastures and still waters. Sometimes we will have to walk through valleys of the shadow of death before we can reach the pastures and the waters... but even then, His rod and His staff will protect us, even comfort us (see Psalm 23).

    Our Lady will not be far from us to remind us of the goodness of God. She who has trusted in the promises of the Lord will bring us to trust through Her Immaculate Heart, as we reflect with Her on the mysteries of the plan of God.

    

    Pray the Rosary with Mother Mary, seeing the moments of the Lord's mission through Her eyes. Then can we see how the Lord is present in the same mission He has called us to, so we need not wander to search for Him. We need only to follow His voice.

    *Okay... I guess making the sign of the cross with Holy Water should technically be the second thing you should do when you enter a church; the first thing should be acknowledging and reverencing the Lord, present in the Holy Eucharist. However, making the sign of the cross and blessing yourself with Holy Water should be prayed with the Lord in mind anyway, so I suppose both answers are acceptable.