By Archbishop Timothy Costelloe
Just recently, I was reminded of a comment made by a newly-ordained Bishop who, in speaking at the end of the ordination ceremony, remarked that this, his ordination day, was not the most important day of his life. Rather, he insisted, that honour belonged to the day of his baptism.
There is a profound truth being expressed by the Bishop here.
We often speak of baptism as the first Sacrament of Initiation, through which we become members of the Church. This is absolutely true. But of course, the significance of this statement lies in what it means to become a member of the Church. Far from being initiated into a club or a human institution of some kind, initiation into the Church through baptism has a deeply personal character.
The word “baptism” means “dipping” or “plunging” and while this obviously refers to the immersion or plunging of a person into water, or at least to the pouring of water over a person, the deeper meaning is that we are plunged into or immersed into the mystery of Christ.
To belong to the Church is to belong to Christ. It is to be given the new life which comes to us through his life, death and resurrection, and through his sending of his Holy Spirit upon the Church.
This gift of new life is one which we are given so that we can share it with others. It is not a prize for good behaviour, or a sign that God loves us more than he loves other people: rather it is a call, a vocation, to become an active and vibrant member of the community of faith in and through which the Lord Jesus seeks to be present in the world as, to quote Pope Francis, “the face of the Father’s mercy”.
This I believe is what Jesus meant when he said to his disciples, “You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last” (John 15:16).
This Christian vocation which we all share will be lived out in our concrete lives according to God’s plan for each one of us. Most will be called to marriage and to the demanding vocation of creating and raising a family.
Some will be called to a single life of service to their brothers and sisters in various professions. Some will be called to the vowed Religious Life, and some will be called to the ordained ministry.
For people of faith, the discovery of God’s plan for them is one of the most important, exciting and at times perplexing aspects of their journey through life. This is perhaps especially true for teenagers and young adults.
As a community of faith we must do all we can to help people in this journey of discernment, offering them our encouragement, our patience and especially our prayerful support.
I once came across a quote which spoke, and still speaks, to my heart. I offer it to you all in the hope that it might help you in your own journey of discernment:
The place God calls you to, is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hungers meet. (Frederick Buechner)