An anniversary of both sadness and great joy!

November 29^th is a day I remember each year with both sadness and great joy.  The sad memory is that on this date in 2010, my brother Bob passed away.

My nephew Tim drew this when his father died.  

It sums up my feelings of sadness followed by joy when I think of Bob's passing

That sadness for me is overshadowed with joy though, because it’s also the day he entered into a new life in Christ as a good and faithful servant.  We in the Catholic Church celebrate the day that saints die as “Feast” days.  Happy Feast Day, Bro.  Please pray for us.  

Our baptism as soon as possible after our birth places an indelible mark on our souls and identifies us as followers of Christ

On this date 65 years ago, 2 weeks after I was born, I was baptized.  Of course, I was not aware what the Sacrament meant to me then, but now that I’m older and wiser (we can debate that another time, lol), I like to think it’s the most important decision my parents ever made on my behalf. Thanks, Mom and Dad. 

Baptism has six primary effects, which are all supernatural graces:

·         The removal of the guilt of both Original Sin (the sin imparted to all mankind by the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden) and personal sin (the sins that we have committed ourselves). If only we could remain this way! (sigh!)

·         The remission of all punishment that we owe because of sin, both temporal (in this world and in Purgatory) and eternal (the punishment that we would suffer in hell).

·         The infusion of grace in the form of sanctifying grace (the life of God within us); the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude (or courage), knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord) and the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity (or love).

·         Becoming a part of Christ.

·         Becoming a part of the Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ on earth.

·         Enabling participation in the sacraments, the priesthood of all believers, and the growth in grace.

Through our baptism we receive the graces we need to be able to ask, “What does my neighbor (mother, father, spouse, son, daughter, friend, co-worker, etc) need from me today?” and “How can I accommodate that need?” Our “job” as baptized Christians is to become the face of Christ to others.

I thank God for giving me the Spirit of Christ in baptism and I ask God to help me be open to the Spirit so I might truly be Christ’s presence for others.