Daily Reflections ...

Paul speaks to the very core of the good news of Jesus Christ: that sin and death are not the end, and we find life and light in the person of Jesus Christ.

That is what we mean by ‘baptism’.

In the power of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, you have been remade into a son or daughter of God. This filial relationship with God is at the heart of who you are. It changes everything and becomes your defining characteristic. We are to live out of this relationship with every aspect of our being. Anything that we are, say or do that does not reflect the reality of who we are in Christ needs to be given over to God for healing and to be “buried with him by baptism into death.”

Baptism is about who you are and only secondarily about what has happened to you or what you do in response. It is also about what God is offering to you now.

One of the misunderstandings of Catholics is the tendency to reduce that faith to a series of things to be thought and done. By so doing, what lies at its centre is obscured. God invites you to renew your commitment to him as his son or daughter.

God never withdraws the gifts that he has for us, nor can he take back the invitation that he has made. It is never too late to accept what he has to offer, at least while our freedom to choose remains. In this life, we are always free to choose, and we are free to reject God’s invitation. In the spirit of the reading that sparked this reflection, each of us can choose to “walk in newness of life”.

by Shane Dwyer