The Baptism of the Lord

This weekend brought with it a little change in pace for me. I wasn’t able to make 8:30 mass this morning at my parish, so I attended 4pm mass at my former parish. Due to the fact that the Father Nate had just tested positive for COVID, Bishop Gruss said mass in his absence.

It was a bit nostalgic being back in the parish I called home for almost 8 years. Good Shepherd Parish will always have a special place in my heart. It felt a lot like going back home for a special occasion.

As the Bishop gave his homily to the congregation, he asked how many of us knew the day we were baptized on. Of course he knew – but nobody else in the church did. He explained that in many ways our baptism day is more important than our birthday. Our birthday is the day we were born into this sin-filled world, but our baptism day is the day we were born into eternal life. He then began to talk about how the spirit of God is alive in each and every one of us, and that REALY made me think.

During a time when our country is feeling more divided than ever, the Bishop’s words reminded me of that truth. The spirit of God lives in each and every one of us. Last fall I shared a picture on Facebook that I had seen earlier that said:

“Kamala is beloved.
Donald is fearfully and wonderfully made.
Mike is cherished.
Joe is important enough that I died for him.”

Although the majority of Americans would not agree with all of those statements, they are ALL true. The spirit of God lives in us ALL – not just your friends and the people you agree with. Recognizing the divinity in another does not excuse any wrongdoing they may have done. Ours is not to judge. Acknowledging the spirit of God in another just enables us to live as God calls us to – and to love one another.

I been thinking a lot over the past week about the goals I’d like to set for myself for the upcoming year. I’ve made a LOT of changes to my life over the past 5 years, and each and every one of them has had a profound effect on my life. I have a strong desire to help others to do the same. I find it overwhelming and difficult at times to think of ways to do that. It’s easy with some people, and it’s extremely difficult with others. Listening to the Bishop yesterday gave me a different outlook on this. By recognizing the spirit of the Lord in everyone I encounter in life, I feel that will enable me to help others. Sometimes we talk ourselves out of doing good deeds because we feel like they are not enough. This doesn’t have to be difficult. You can make a difference in someone’s life by treating them with kindness.

As we move forward in the new year, let’s all remember that the spirit of God lives within us all. We’re not here to judge each other. We’re not here to treat people as good as they treat us. We’re here to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Sounds live a great way to head into 2021.

Have a great week, and see you back here next Sunday!