A life of Baptism

It's been a week since the high holy days.  The flowers are already looking old, and the marshmallow eggs are either eaten or getting sort of gooey.  The Office of Readings has been centering on the Catechism of Jerusalem.  Today the text centers on the Oil of Gladness, which Christ received, and we too take part of.  The writers reveal that the Oil of Gladness is really the Holy Spirit and when we share in Baptism we also receive the Holy Spirit.

The farther we move from Easter, the easier it is to forget the joy and the challenge of the Easter sacraments.  Like the flowers and candy we can begin to get sort of faded and "gooey."  There is a real danger that those great changes that we made in Lent, and confirmed when we renewed our Baptismal promises, can become a regular part of our life again.  We really have to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to keep us focused on the transforming effects of the sacraments we receive.

There is always a danger though that the sacraments are minimized to where they become 'good luck charms.'  We bring our children to Baptism and Eucharist to get 'blessed,' and we ourselves can easily move away from a regular practice of prayer and fasting.  After all it's not Lent anymore!  But then our lifestyle becomes one where we are avoiding punishment and seeking to gain favor with God.  Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist, are about an intimate relationship with God; and nurturing and nourishing that relationship.

So we call upon the Holy Spirit to be our constant companion and guide.  Throughout our day we need quality prayer time and to develop a regular practice of reading Sacred Scripture.  More so, we must pay attention to avoid doing evil and learning to do good.  While the marshmallow eggs are probably a loss, around the parish office we still have Lillies from a few years ago.  We planted them where they could spread their roots and soak up the nutrients of the soil.  If we want to grow we need that oil of gladness.