Mark 1:14-20 | The Power of Baptism: Unlocking the Sacrament that Unites Us with God

Good morning my dear brothers and sisters,

Growing up in New York, upstate New York, we used to take field trips to the museum so that we could learn about the Iroquois Indians and the Hurons.

And of course, there was never any mention of the Jesuits that had gone there years later to evangelize those Indians, especially the Huron Indians, who eventually were massacred by the Iroquois after they had accepted Christianity.

So we never learned anything in public school about that, you know, nothing.

We just learned about their arts, their crafts, and everything.

In the diary of the two Jesuit priests that were martyred, St.

Isaac Joves and St.

John de Bourbeuf, French Jesuits, the one, the priests that followed after them, they were massacred because the Jesuits, they were butchered to death because they, because the Indians had a plague that ran through their village and they blamed the Jesuits, they blamed the priests for bringing that plague, that evil spirit that they called it.

But they were impressed because when they, now this is, let me see, okay, too many children here, so.

But there was a moment when they were torturing them that the Jesuits did not scream.

They never screamed out.

And so the Indians were so impressed by their faith that it began to have them have doubts about whose God was stronger, their God or this God that came from this foreign land.

Anyways, the Jesuits, they followed them afterwards.

At a moment, the Indians appeared before them and they asked them, do you love us?

And the Jesuits said, we do, we love you.

And will this, if we are baptized, will this plague disappear?

No.

It will not.

And then the Indians looked at them, the Hurons, and they said, well then, baptize us.

And at that moment, they were all baptized.

The power of baptism.

Today we celebrate the baptism of our Lord.

When our Lord was baptized, it was the first time that the Holy Trinity appeared, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all in one place.

With the words, this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.

Baptism is not just a ritual.

Baptism is a powerful moment in the life of every single Christian because at that moment, we become sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.

It is not something that is ceremonial, it is a sacrament.

It is a moment of particular grace when we receive that sonship and that being daughters and sons of Jesus Christ, of our Lord.

I formed you and set you, in the first reading, in the prophet Isaiah, I formed you and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

We are Christians.

Why?

Because we have been baptized into the faith.

If you notice, in every Catholic church, almost every, well, every Catholic church that's designed well, okay, if you notice, there's some churches that don't have the baptismal font right in the main entrance.

I won't name those churches like Christ the King, but anyways.

But if you notice, right, at Mary Immaculate, our baptismal font is right at the entrance of the church, because it is literally our entrance into the body of Christ, into the church.

And then, as baptized Christians, what do we do?

We walk the walk.

We walk the walk, right?

We're baptized, and then from that moment on, you are walking your walk, right?

And all these people, look how beautiful the design is.

All these people are supporting you, helping you, all of them, the people of God, you know, come on, you can do it, you can do it, you know?

I mean, that's the ideal.

That's the goal, that we're all supporting each other as we're making it to the other end of the church, which is Jesus, the crucifix.

Every time you receive communion, right?

You receive communion, body of Christ, amen, you receive the communion, and you go right back to work, right?

You go right back to work.

You receive it, and you turn around, and you go right back to work.

My time has not yet come, but there will be a time where you will not go back, you will continue forward, and that will be the moment that we see Jesus face to face, and are with him forever.

So baptism is the beginning of everything.

You know, I will tell you, I've never received many miracles personally in my life, but two things stick out, and one of them is when I was so scared to answer the call to be a priest.

I was scared.

You know, I had my job, I had my career, I was an engineer, I mean, I was doing well.

And then I remembered something that St.

Augustine did, when he was having doubts, he picked up the Bible, closed his eyes, opened the Bible, and boom, he put his finger on the page that helped him to take the next step.

I can't remember what that was, but anyway, so what did I do?

I took my friends, so I was in a cubicle at Kodak, and I took my friend's Bible, Protestant King James Bible, still good enough, right?

I picked it up, and I said, can I borrow this for a second?

Yeah, sure.

I said, Lord, what do you want from me?

I opened the Bible up, I stuck my finger, and for sure I thought I was going to get killed the fatted calf, or something, you know?

No.

I got the page that was almost completely empty, except for this one last paragraph, this one last paragraph that said, go throughout the world baptizing in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and I will be with you till the end.

That is probably the only amazing thing that ever happened in my life.

And then I opened it up again to see, no, because that's how we are, right?

Anyways, baptism begins everything.

It is our responsibility to make sure that if we have a child, or a grandchild, or someone that we know, that they are baptized.

They need to get baptized.

It isn't a ceremony.

It isn't even just a ritual.

Do you consider a ritual when you receive that engagement ring?

Yeah, there is a ritual.

You get down on one knee, you know, you open up that little box, and you say, will you marry me?

But it's more than just a ritual.

It's an actual event.

Something is taking place, something that is amazing.

And that is you are committing your life to someone else.

You're saying, I want to be with you.

Baptism is the way that we say to God, I want to be with you till the end, till the end of my life.

That is the way.

That is the way that the Lord wants it.

We have a responsibility.

And you know how many times I hear from parents?

You know what?

I'm going to wait until my child is old enough to make up their own mind.

What age is that?

13?

15?

16?

18?

21?

Like, as if we already know who God is by 21 years old.

Right?

Does anybody here think that they know God really, really well by 21?

I'm 59.

You know, I'm still learning who God is.

Right?

Forget about that.

This is, what do you want from your child?

I want my child to be baptized.

I want my child to be a child of God.

I want them to have a father and a mother in heaven and all these brothers and sisters that we call saints.

I want them to be with him and her.

I want them to be a part of their life.

You know, there's a beautiful story in the Bible.

In the New Testament.

A man named Jairus.

A man named Jairus.

Was waiting for Jesus on the shore.

And as Jesus approached from the boat.

Got out of the boat.

Immediately Jairus ran to him.

And said, Lord, please come to my house.

My daughter is dying.

And Jesus says, let's go.

Let's go.

So before they make it to the house.

Someone comes out of the house.

And they say, don't bother the master.

Your daughter just passed away.

And Jesus looks at the father.

And he says to him.

Do you believe in me?

And Jairus.

And Jairus says to Jesus.

I do believe in you.

And then he said to him.

Let's go.

Let's go.

And Jairus.

And Jairus.

I do believe in you.

And then he said to him.

Let's go inside and save your daughter.

When you baptize your baby.

It's your faith.

Your faith.

That is saving your child.

It may be the greatest thing.

That you ever did for your child.

Allowing them to enter heaven.

With the title.

You are my son.

You are my daughter.

Don't ever underestimate.

The power of baptism.

Don't ever underestimate it.

It is your faith.

Your faith.

That brings that child to heaven.

And unites that child to God.

So.

If you know anyone.

If you have a child.

If you have a grandchild.

If you have a friend that needs to be baptized.

Then fulfill your mission.

As a Christian.

Go throughout the world.

Baptizing in the name of the Father.

And the Son.

And the Holy Spirit.

And I will be with you.

Until the end.

Amen.