Pastor’s Letter: September 7, 2025

Pastor’s Letter: September 7, 2025

5 Sep 2025 | Posted by: chadmin

Dear St. Philomena Parish Family,

Blessings to you all this day!  As some of you know, I shared about my Uncle Bernie in my homily intro last weekend. Uncle Bernie was a hard working farmer, a great man of faith, and a great model of kindness and generosity to me and my siblings. (He ended up passing away early in the morning on Labor Day). As I have been preparing for his funeral Mass, I have been thinking about something I often share during funeral homilies:  how we are looking forward now to the fulfillment of the promise first given in Baptism. The beginnings of the funeral prayers include sprinkling holy water on the casket and the placing of the white funeral pall (large white cloth that covers the casket)…all done in front of the Easter Candle. These symbols remind us of the day of Baptism—when we were brought into the life of the family of God, cleansed of sin (original and/or actual sins if a person is old enough to have any), and given new life in Christ. For a follower of Christ, this is the beginning of being united with Jesus and looking forward to the promises of that unity—life in Heaven!

As our Catechism teaches (CCC 1213-1284), Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life—it is our gateway to life in the Spirit. By Baptism, we become sons and daughters of God and members of God’s family the Church. Baptism unites us to Christ and brings us the gift of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, a gift that will later be deepened in the Sacrament of Confirmation. By Baptism and our membership in the Church, we also become sharers in the mission of the Church—to share the Gospel and to live the love of Jesus in the world.

St. Gregory Nazianzus (AD 329-389) gives a great summary and description of the graces of Baptism: “Baptism is God’s most beautiful and magnificent gift…We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God’s Lordship.”

Where does the name Baptism come from? It actually comes from the Greek word baptizein which means to “plunge” or “immerse.” We will come back to this later on, but for now we’ll just say that we can understand plunge/immerse as referring to the person (the person is immersed in baptismal water) or to the sin (sin is plunged away).

What are some of the Scriptures that we use to understand the power of Baptism? From the Old Testament up until the time of St. John the Baptist, there are many references to cleansing, new beginning, and new life. Just a few highlights among many possibilities:

• In Creation, waters brought forth life (living creatures, plants) Gen 1:1-2, 20; Is 55:10-11.
• During the Great flood, water was a cleansing element that led to a rebirth and new beginning (new creation) Gen 7:1-9:17.
• In the midst of the Exodus, God’s chosen people passed through the Red Sea as waters of deliverance and freedom (from slavery in Egypt into the freedom of the Promised Land) Ex 14:21-15:27.
• St. John the Baptist was preaching a baptism of repentance that helps clear way in the heart for the coming of Christ the Messiah (Mk 1:4; Lk 3:3; Jn 1:29,33).

Of course, our Bible passage that gives us directly the form (the words said in the Sacrament) comes from Jesus at the end of St. Matthew’s Gospel:

• “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

We call this passage the “Great Commission,” where we see Jesus giving the Apostles the instruction to go forth and bring people of all nations into God’s family…to make disciples…to baptize…and to teach. In the weeks ahead, we’ll continue our reflection on the graces and blessings of Baptism and the other great Sacraments. Know of my prayers and blessing for you all this week!

In Christ,

Father Luke