This Saturday I moved into an apartment in northwest DC, and on my new commute I found myself passing by St. Ann’s Catholic Church at Tenley Circle which is where I was baptized on November 28th 1982.
Do you know when your baptismday is?
From time to time, Fr. Bill Hegedusich of St. Peter’s Church of Capitol Hill preaches on this topic. He encourages us to find out the date of our baptism and to celebrate it! He mentions that while we always commemorate birthdays and wedding anniversaries, there is even more reason to commemorate the day we were baptized.
After all, “Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1213) That is certainly something to celebrate!
As I started thinking about my baptism, I asked myself, “Have I been upholding my baptismal promises?” This is a weighty question! In fact, it’s one we should ask ourselves everyday. Thankfully, now I have a visual reminder!
Renewal of Baptismal Promises
Do you reject sin,
so as to live in the freedom of God’s children?
I do.
Do you reject the glamor of evil,
and refuse to be mastered by sin?
I do.
Do you reject Satan,
father of sin and prince of darkness?
I do.
Do you believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth?
I do.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ,
his only Son, our Lord,
who was born of the Virgin Mary,
was crucified, died, and was buried,
rose from the dead,
and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?
I do.
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting?
I do.
Not only baptism, but Confirmation and First Holy Communion too! All good reasons to party 🙂
Great way to remember our membership in the Body of Christ and the new Life he offers us!!
I do reject sin and the glamour of evil,
and refuse to be mastered by sin. As often as I notice, as good as I can, and when I am truly blessed, when I remember to ask the help of our Lord.
Your blog reminds me of a remark a co-worker recently made about temptation and the need to ask God’s help in the midst of it. After 40 days in the desert our Lord suffered the famous temptations that we hear about every year on the first Sunday of Lent and he defeated Satan. Through our baptism we have been inserted into His Life and victory over sin. For us Catholics is a matter of living a life in accordance to the grace we have received through sacramental grace, prayer and ongoing conversion, which means I try to aligning not only my thoughts to those of Christ, but also my actions and emotions. And in this way life is never boring! Thanks for the reminder!
“Life in Christ is the first and principal factor of development” -Charitas in Veritate #6