Thus says the LORD: Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit; he shall bring forth justice to the nations, not crying out, not shouting, not making his voice heard in the street. A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth; the coastlands will wait for his teaching. (Isaiah 42:1-4)

Do you remember the 2 important simple words “I Do!” in your life? We made many promises, but how well do we keep them? The feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which we are commemorating today, reminds us that as Jesus walked down to the water with His body, with His divinity, the Holy Spirit was upon Him. He blessed all the water, so that the water would have the power to confer baptism. Therefore, all those who baptized into Christ, who walked into this river of life, will have newness of life. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Galatians 3:27) Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-4) Most of you might not remember what happened at your own baptism, unless you were baptized as an adult. Keeping our Baptism promises can be a challenge in this rushing world. Traditionally, on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Church encourages the faithful to renew our baptismal promises to see how seriously do we take those two simple words: I do!!

Do you reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises? 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!

“This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Our words to God are words of promise that need to be kept daily. As a German Proverb said, “Promises are like the full moon, if they are not kept at once they diminish day by day.” When you profess your faith, do you speak to Him from the depths of your hearts? Are you sincere? Do you live out our Baptismal Promises in thought, word, and action every day? Ultimately, the Baptismal promises can be summed up in these areas:

1/ To live among God’s faithful people
2/ To hear the Word of God and Share in the Lord’s Supper
3/ To proclaim the Good News in Christ through word and deed
4/ To serve all people following the example of Jesus
5/ To strive for justice and peace in all the earth

May our baptism be strengthened today so that we can die for others and so gain our own lives.

Peace in the Lord,
Father Vincent-Vuong Nguyen