Once more we are reminded of the baptism of our Lord
which was the “curtain raiser” to His earthly ministry. It
began  His  mission of  gathering  all  people  into  the  one
family of God and leading them back to His Father.  Jesus

went  about  doing  good,  touching
people,   freeing   them  from   the   darkness   of  sin  and
directing them to lives worthy of their calling.  We too
have  been  chosen  to  continue  this  saving  work  which

Jesus began and to be part of this mission in the world
we live in.  

At the moment of our baptism the seed of God’s life was planted within us. That
grace-filled day was but the start of our conversion.  However, it takes a lifetime

for that seed of God’s love to grow, mature and blossom. The only home for a
Christian to live in is Jesus Christ and we should settle for nothing less.  If we are
to enter into this new and exciting experience as members of God’s family, we
must have a clear idea of what kind of family we are meant to be. To follow the
way traced out by Christ, who is our brother, demands a loving personal response

on our part.
good to others.

This is a time to reflect on the extent to which Jesus has penetrated our thoughts
and influenced our behavior. The old saying:  “we are what we do”

allows us to
take  a  good  look  at  how  seriously  we  have  actually  lived  lives  worthy  of  our
baptismal calling.
the most unlikely places. God’s Spirit will be at work and incredibly active
depth of our person when we open our hearts to His all abiding love.  

We preach not only by words but by the way we live and by the effort we exert
make the world a better place by our presence.  The example we display
everyday activities paves the way for Christ in others.  As the baptism ceremony
states:  “we are to walk always as children of the light, keeping the flame of faith

to
in our

burning brightly within our hearts”.
outstanding service… it costs nothing less than everything.

Let your light shine!
Fr. Hilary