Vatican II at 50: Waves of our Baptism

In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy lessons about preparedness, presumptions and priorities are being discussed and debated.  But, the most daunting teacher, both overt and subtle, is the water itself.

Water left its mark in saltwater stains, waterlogged homes, and ships carried far from their moorings, in destruction, devastation and death.  The power of water has once again taught us some key lessons about the vulnerability and value of human life. 

Water is the primary symbol of our baptism.   In baptism, we celebrate the vulnerability and value of human life.   As we yield to the power of the water in baptism, we surrender ourselves to a lifelong relationship with the triune God and with the community of believers, whatever that brings.   Perhaps this is why the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council kept returning to baptism as the foundation of its teachings, especially its teachings on the liturgy:

The Church earnestly desires that all the faithful be led to that full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations called for by the very nature of the liturgy.  Such participation by the Christian people as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people” is their right and duty by reason of their baptism.  The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy #14

Our baptism gives us the grace we need to be vulnerable enough to sing and to pray fully, consciously and actively.   Our baptism helps us to value one another as children of the same God.  Our baptism binds us to Christ, a foundation that could never be swept out to sea or shaken from its moorings.   If we take our baptism seriously and keep learning from the water, we would create a continuous storm surge of love for the life of the world.