Repentance, Freedom, Renewal, Salvation & Holiness
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In this Glorious Season of the Epiphany of our Lord, each one of us is called individually by name so that we can be immersed in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and uncover the splendour of living with Him through the celebration of the sacraments and especially the sacrament of baptism. During this Season we renew the effects of our own baptism and from it we gain repentance, freedom, renewal, salvation and holiness.
When we acknowledge our sins and mistakes and are truly sorry for them we are freed from the heaviness that their weight places on us. It can be compared to the feeling that we get when we immerse our heads in water and as we lift our head from the water there is a great grasp for breath, a sigh of relief, a loud “aaahhhh”. It is as if we have been saved from drowning in the waters of this earth and a great load has been removed. This freedom comes from God who has given us the liberty to choose between right and wrong and in turn leads to renewal. To renew oneself is not easy! It is very difficult to rid ourselves of old habits, attitudes and feelings and it is much easier said than done. However when we renew ourselves in the knowledge of Christ’s love and allow it to work in our lives, this is when we are filled with the self awareness of our faults and work hard to rectify them. Offcourse the ultimate reward in achieving this is salvation and holiness which can only come through Christ.
Just as we renew the effects of baptism in our own lives and families, we must also work hard to renew its effects in our parish life. Each one of us is called to acknowledge our faults and mistakes and re-immerse ourselves in the life giving waters of the Jordan which is our parish. It is here that we are called as disciples to cooperate in the mission of the church according to the charisms and gifts with which we have been endowed by the Holy and Life Giving Spirit. Let us all work together hand in hand in the knowledge of our Lord’s everlasting love so that we, our children and the generations that will follow, can truly reap the benefits of our actions.
