Today we celebrate the great feast day of the Baptism of Our lord. It has been said that the most important day of our lives is our Baptism, the day when we were grafted onto Christ. When St. Pope St. John Paul II went back to visit his country Poland for the first time, his first visit was to the parish church of Wadowice, where he was baptised. St. Louis IX king of France in the 12^thcentury signed himself Louise of Poissy – near Paris – the place of his Baptism, and not Rheims where he was crowned. Carlos V, King of the Spanish Empire in the 15^thcentury, stated that his Baptism was a much greater blessing than his coronation as King of the Empire. Every baptised child is anointed with the oil of Chrism, every baptised child is a little Christ that means he/she is a priest, a prophet, and a king, and he/she shares in these 3 offices of Christ.

1. What does it mean every baptised person is a priest? A priest is someone who prays for others, who intercedes for others. Old Testament priests were Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Ezekiel, etc. In the temple in Jerusalem Jewish priests would constantly offer sacrifices on behalf of the people of God. Christ himself is the High Priest. The priest is a border walker, he walks on the border between heaven and earth, they are mediators, and they are friends of God and friends of everyone. A Baptised person must be a person of prayer. It has pleased God to channel his graces through the baptised. So I ask all the baptised: do you pray regularly? Parents do you pray for your children? Children do you pray for your parents, your teachers? Husbands do you pray for your wives? Wives do you pray for your husbands? Families do you pray before meals privately and publicly. Do you bless your children before they go to bed, before they go to school? Do you attend mass, which is a full participation in the liturgy? One of the great tragedies is that so many Catholics who don’t go to mass are turning away from the privilege they have as a baptised person.
2. What does it mean that every Baptised person is a prophet? A prophet speaks for God. OT prophets were, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Zachariah, Amos, Elijah. Their task was to speak Gods word in and out of season, whether it was popular or not. We know that many of the prophets got themselves into trouble for speaking Gods word; Daniel was thrown into the Lion’s den. The prophet of prophets is Christ. Those who speak for God are not very popular and this is very relevant in our world today, when religion is under attack from a secular world. It is very hard to be open about your catholic faith in the world today. Many people out there today seem to think that we Catholics should keep our heads down given the awful history of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Many people will say today that religion is a private affair, keep it to yourself; don’t wear it on your sleeve. Being open about your faith does not mean that we should discuss why we are Catholics during our lunch break, with our work colleagues and try to convince them to come to mass next Sunday. Some people seem to think today that we, who are practicing Catholics should sit though our lunch break listening to colleagues attack the Church and feel that we cannot answer back because of the backlash we might receive.We should preach the word of God by the way we live our lives. Anti Catholicism does exist today and sometimes we have to listen to this incessant drumbeat of hostility coming from some sectors of the Irish Media and it goes beyond fair criticism of the Church. Parents do you teach the faith to your children? At their Baptism you promised to be their first teachers in the faith. Do your children know how to pray? When I visit the schools I am surprised how so many don’t know how to make the sing of the cross, etc. Do they understand the importance of the mass? If not you have not been preaching to them. We speak about the privilege of being baptised, but this privilege also carries with it responsibilities.
3. What does it mean every Baptised person is a King? A king in the Biblical sense is a person who leads others to God. Kings in the OT, Moses David, Hezekiah, Solomon, etc. Whenever you give people good counsel, whenever you direct them to God, whenever you help your children to find out what God wants from them you are exercising your kingly privilege. Whenever mothers and fathers make sure their families are growing in holiness they are acting as kings. This is one of the primary responsibilities of Christian parents. Furthermore when you take on any leadership role in a parish, Parish Council, Finance committee, BOM, liturgy, fundraising, organising prayer groups, etc. you are acting as a king.

Exercising these ministries of priest, prophet, and king is the best way we can give honour to Christ on this feast day of his Baptism.