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| JESUS CHRIST FOUNTAIN OF LIFE |
| Throughout millennia civilizations have searched for the fountain of youth. We today are no less driven by the same desire to stop and even reverse the ravages of age. We scramble to discover the secret healing powers of botanical extracts, and immerse ourselves in hot bubbling waters, but none have done more for us than induce a temporary sense of well being. Our obsession with youth and beauty, and long life is merely a sign of our deepest fear - that of our own mortality. There is nothing that we can do to avoid ageing. There is nothing that we can do to avoid death. No magic elixir, nor scientific breakthrough can give us what we long for most. |
| But we must not fear, for there is but one hope for eternal life, and that is through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Christ suffered and died for our sins, and in Rising from the dead, He gave us the promise of Eternal Life. Jesus said to her, " I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" Yes Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world. (John 11:25-27) Those who believe in Jesus stand only at the threshold of Paradise, and unless they repent of their sins, and receive the Sacrament of Baptism, they cannot hope for salvation and eternal life. The ancient Greeks called it baptizein, to refer to the total immersion or plunging into water. Baptism is symbolic of one's death to sin. We are buried into Christ's death, and together with Him we are resurrected and transformed into new creations! We are born again! Jesus answered him, " Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, ' How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? ' Jesus answered, " Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. " (John 3:3-7) In Baptism, we die to our sin (both original sin, and all the sins of our life). Our souls are purified and cleansed as though no spot nor stain had ever become manifest. The slate is wiped clean. We are graced with the gifts of the Holy Spirit which instill in us the desire to grow in faith, love, and charity, as children of God should. This inspires us more to seek knowledge and understanding of the Holy Word of God. Baptism is a most beautiful and magnificent gift from God. The faithful come to the baptismal font of their own choosing, but they do so in response to a burning need to find true communion with God, our Creator, our Father. The spiritual seal that we receive through baptism is indelible, and invisible, but has profound effects on our innermost being, and lasts forever. Not even sin can remove this seal ! We no longer belong to ourselves....we belong to Jesus Christ for all eternity!!! Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him; But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:9-11) Those who have already received the Sacrament of Baptism have put on the robes of Christ, and have left behind their former selves. It was the the deepest gratitude that words could not express, that you have received salvation from Him. But we must also recognize and accept the duties that come with being the children of God - to profess before God, and Man, the faith that we possess, and to commit ourselves, in our daily lives, to become apostolic missionaries to the People of God. |