My Dear Friends:

As we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord today, I wanted to focus on one aspect of this sacrament in which we are called by name because it adds a personal dimension to this great mystery. At the very beginning of the rite of Baptism, the very first question the priest or the deacon asks is “What name do you give your child?”  So right there, the parents who have received from God this precious gift are called to name the child so that when the priest or deacon receives him or her at the baptismal font, that child may called by name as the minister says “(Manuel), I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”  We are called by name to become part of God’s family: the Most Blessed Trinity who is present in today’s gospel on the banks of the Jordan in the voice of the Father, in the person of Jesus, and in the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove.  He makes us his children and calls us to a life of holiness. 

Some years ago, Pope Francis reflected on this rite of reception and naming a child during a catechesis he was giving: 

First and foremost, in the Rite of Reception, the candidate’s name is requested, because the name indicates a person’s identity. When we introduce ourselves, we say our name right away: “My name is …”, so as to emerge from anonymity; an anonymous person is one who has no name. To emerge from anonymity we immediately say our name. Without a name one remains an outsider, without rights and duties. God calls each one by name, loving us individually, in the concreteness of our history. Baptism ignites the personal vocation to live as Christians, which will develop throughout our lifetime. And it entails a personal response, not taken on loan, with a “copy and paste”. Christian life in fact is woven with a series of calls and responses: God continues to pronounce our name throughout the years, making his call to become conformed to his Son Jesus resonate in a thousand ways. Thus, one’s name is important! It is very important! Parents think about the name to give to a child even before birth: this too is part of expecting a child who, in his own name, will have his original identity, also for the Christian life bound to God. 

(General Audience, 4/18/18) 

But it doesn’t stop there.  We are called by name to be part of what Pope St. John Paul II calls “the great mission of the Church.”  Right after we are baptized the priest or deacon anoints our head with chrism to consecrate us and make us part of Christ’s ministry. From that moment on, we will forever be called Christians.  The challenge of today’s feast is to ask ourselves if we are living up to our baptismal calling and of the name Christian.  Do people see in me a Christian person?  Am I participating actively in “the great mission of the Church?”  At baptism, we are indeed called by name by God himself, called by name to be part of God’s family, and called by name to be part of the mission of the Church and to be “a light to the nations.”  Today we are challenged to answer one very simple question:  Are we living up to that calling? 

God Bless You All!