Awakened by Water

This sermon uses the occasion of a baptism to reflect on what baptism truly means for Christian life. It emphasizes that baptism does not make someone a child of God—since all people already bear God’s image—nor does it remove life’s struggles, but instead awakens us to the reality of sin and the need for healing and resistance to it. Baptism marks the beginning of a conscious journey with God, giving us a community—the Church—as a kind of “ark” that carries us through life’s storms. The baptized are called to live differently: practicing mutual love, hospitality, compassion for suffering people, and freedom from the grip of wealth and power. Ultimately, baptism is an invitation to trust God’s presence and to live awake to grace, courage, and hope in a wounded world.