WADE IN THE WATER
as the advent of the Holy Spirit upon the church. Te water from Jesus’ side was a sign of baptism and his blood a sign of Eucharist—the means by which the Church gives birth to new Christians.
When it comes to the symbol of water used in sacred Scripture, we are invited to ask ourselves: How does the Scripture’s use of water have anything to do with my life and the life of our community? In what way is the Spirit of God alive and operative in my life and the life of our community? Where in my life and in the life of our community are the healing waters of God’s love needed?
Knowing that baptism is intimately tied to justice we ask the question: “Whose feet does God want me to wash today?11 To whom is God sending me and us to baptize so as to bring others into his cleansing, regenerative presence? Trough the Biblical signs associated with water we are led into the heart of a God who loves us and who sends his Spirit to be with us until the end of the age.
Ecclesial sign: the Church’s theology and practice of baptismal waters Te Church teaches that baptism incorporates us into the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ—his life, passion, death, resurrection and sending of the Spirit. Te implications of that truth are profound. When we join the joys and sorrows of our lives we share in the ongoing redemption of the world.
Whether baptized as an infant or an adult we entered the purifying waters of death and resurrection. We were born again in Christ; we emerged from the watery womb as a new child of God. What could be more important to our lives than to accept that we are God’s beloved children?
I remember one Easter Vigil homily in which the pastor threw away his notes and demanded that we sing the words that emerged from our Genesis reading: “and God saw that it was good.” He demanded we sing that phrase over and over again. “Do you believe it? Do you really believe in your intrinsic goodness?” He insisted that the world
would be a better place if every Christian embraced the truth of our baptism—that we are good—that we are created in God’s image—that we are his adopted children—and that he continues to love us and set us free from all that holds us in bondage.
Baptism is about death and resurrection and it is about safe passage to a new life. Water purifies, justifies and makes us holy. “Sin is buried in the water.”12 As a result of this purification, justification and holiness we become enlightened members of the Body of Christ. Sin is washed away but more than that we become God’s children who commit to a lifetime of following him to and through the cross.
We are born again to new life and as adopted children of God we share in the priestly, prophetic and royal mission of Jesus. As priest we are the royal priesthood of God; we are the Church and through the dignity of our baptismal priesthood we are called to serve God’s people. As prophet we are commissioned to proclaim God’s word by the example of our lives–word and deed— and as king to lead people to Christ. It is up to us to carry the banner of evangelization into the world—to go out and repair that world.
We must ask ourselves: are we living up to this awesome responsibility? In what way am I faithful to my baptismal priesthood by serving God’s people? In what way am I proclaiming the Good News by the example of my life? When was the last time I led anyone to Christ? Te answer to those questions has everything to do with what it means to live out the dignity of our baptism and begs serious reflection: How could I and how could we overlook and forget so great a sacrament?
Liturgical sign: use of water in liturgy and sacrament Liturgy expresses in ritual action what we experience in our natural world, what we hear proclaimed in Scripture, what we believe and what our Church teaches us about this remarkable sacrament. Water is used in most liturgical blessings and sacraments to remind us of its ongoing efficacy.
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