Reading I: Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40
Reading II: Romans 8:14-17
GOSPEL: Matthew 28:16-20
Three Amazing Things Bestowed Upon You at Baptism
I can remember when my children were baptized and pronounced priest, prophet, and king. I remember how proud I was, thinking, “My child is a king!” After I calmed down and had time to reflect a little bit, I realized something: Everyone has the titles of priest, prophet and king bestowed upon them at baptism! And because of this, we are all called to act as Christ, spreading his message of salvation.
Prophet: Talk the Talk:
In the gospel this week, Jesus appears to his disciples after the resurrection, on a mountain in Galilee. Here he hands over to them the responsibility of baptizing all nations. This seems like quite a monumental task. How did the disciples feel about this? Were they frightened, intimidated and awe struck? Or were they excited, enthusiastic, and passionate?
In the end, the disciples set forth and courageously proclaimed the Good News of Christ Jesus. They met Jesus’ challenge.
How do you meet challenges in your life? Have you been handed anything challenging this week? Sometimes the best way to meet a challenge is with full force and passionate hearts – to stand up and be the voice of Christ in the world – to “talk the talk.”
Priest: Walk the Walk:
Many years ago, I went from being a teacher at a parochial school to being a teacher in a public school. Although the transition posed many challenges, one of the biggest I faced was no longer being able to talk about Jesus and his teachings. My greatest frustration was figuring out how to passionately live out my faith – which had been closely intertwined with my teaching style – without ever mentioning that faith and my specific beliefs.
It took a while before the light bulb came on, but finally it did. Wham! There it was; it hit me like a ton of bricks. Passionately living out my faith can have less to do with words and more to do with actions. I could still teach and live out my faith: the challenge was that now my actions didn’t have to speak louder than my words – my actions had to completely replace my words. Instead of talking about love, forgiveness, and respect, I needed to show love, forgiveness, and respect. I had to “walk the walk.”
King: Actions and Words:
This is what Jesus is challenging the disciples to go forth and do when he says: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus is challenging the disciples to “talk the talk” and to “walk the walk.” And this is still our challenge today! As baptized Christians, it is our God-given responsibility to spread Jesus’ message of faith, love, and salvation.
So go forth and spread that message. Be a witness for Christ. Or better yet, go forth and passionately spread love, respect, and forgiveness in both your words and your actions. It’s what you are being called to do – until the end of the age. It’s time for us to embrace those three amazing things that were bestowed upon us at baptism. It’s time for us to truly be priests, prophets, and kings!
Life Applications:
What do you feel baptism has called you to do or to be?
What daily and weekly challenges do you face? How do you respond to them?
How do you feel about having the titles of priest, prophet, and king bestowed upon you?
Original article by Rod Hetherton, 2003-2021.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.