Easter Sunday | The Resurrection of the Lord
Baptism into Christ
When James and John asked to sit on either side of the glorious reigning Jesus, he asked them, “Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” (Mark 10:38) This Easter, Jesus asks us the same: “Can YOU drink the cup of my suffering and be baptized with the baptism of my dying and rising?
Easter is the culmination of the Paschal Mystery, which we have entered this Holy Week and especially in these days since Holy Thursday. The Paschal Mystery refers to the events of Jesus suffering, death, and resurrection that mysteriously save us from sin and death. This mystery is expressed in all the sacraments, for they all plunge us into both the death and resurrection of Jesus. But Easter is especially marked by the sacrament of Baptism. At the Easter Vigil, catechumens are baptized, and all of us renew our baptismal promises and are sprinkled with water from the baptismal font.
Certainly, the baptismal liturgy at the Vigil service is not the only liturgical rite celebrated there, but neither is it just one among several. Its place in the Vigil liturgy is significant: it followed the long liturgy of the Word, in which the story of our need for salvation is recounted, and Jesus’ death and resurrection are proclaimed as the remedy. That proclamation of the resurrection requires a response from us. Do you believe this? Do you believe that the death and resurrection of God’s Son save you from sin and death? If you do, be baptized with the baptism with which Christ is baptized. Allow God to plunge you into the death of Jesus, represented by going down into the water, and raise you up to new life in Christ. Let sin die in you, so that Christ’s life can fill you. By Baptism, Christ makes you a member of his Body, the Church, and prepares you to receive His Body and Blood in Holy Communion.
Even though no one was baptized at the Easter Vigil at Conception Abbey this year or for many years, the baptismal liturgy in the Vigil shows us the deeper meaning of this sacrament, namely that baptism represents a change in the direction our life took when we were confronted with the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Baptism is our “Yes” to the Paschal Mystery. It is our “Yes” to Christ’s invitation to be baptized into him. It is a powerful force in our lives, whether we initially chose it by our own faith or by the faith our parents intended to instill in us. That faith is renewed each time we cross ourselves with holy water as we enter the church, each time we profess the creed at Mass or say the rosary, and each time we accept the death and resurrection of Christ as they occur in the suffering and consolations of our life. Baptism is our response to the resurrection and gives our life its direction—to be Christ in the world and let him show us the way to heaven.
May God bless you and your loved ones on this beautiful day of Christ’s Resurrection which contains the promise of our own resurrection. The monks of Conception Abbey join me in wishing you a glorious and blessed Easter!
Reflection by Abbot Benedict Neenan, OSB
Posted in Articles for Lent, Daily Reflections