Six ways to live out our baptismal promises daily
In baptism, we become grafted into Christ, sharers in the divine life, dwelling places for God and his sons and daughters. We receive his life – grace – in our souls. Our godparents make promises on our behalf to walk as “children of the light.” During the Easter Vigil, we renew our baptismal promises, recalling our identity as children of God.
In our baptismal promises, we pledge to resist sin and grow in virtue and we make a profession of faith. As baptized Catholics, we are called to live out our baptismal promises each day of our lives. How can we do so? Here are six ways:
In baptism, we become grafted into Christ, sharers in the divine life, dwelling places for God and his sons and daughters. We receive his life – grace – in our souls. Our godparents make promises on our behalf to walk as “children of the light.” During the Easter Vigil, we renew our baptismal promises, recalling our identity as children of God.
In our baptismal promises, we pledge to resist sin and grow in virtue and we make a profession of faith. As baptized Catholics, we are called to live out our baptismal promises each day of our lives. How can we do so? Here are six ways:
Consciously make the sign of the cross
This prayer, usually learned in our youth, is often so familiar that we forget it is a prayer. When signing ourselves in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we recall our identity as God’s sons and daughters first bestowed upon us at baptism, and we invoke God’s aid in our journey toward heaven. Be mindful of the graces given you at baptism and recall the presence of the Trinity within your soul when making the sign of the cross.
Make an examination of conscience or pray the Examen
A way to combat sin and grow in virtue is to examine our lives each day. There we see the moments of grace and the moments in which we resisted God by sinning or failing to act on his inspiration. Take 5-10 minutes each night to review your day. Ask God for his help to see how he is working in your life; recall your thoughts, words and actions to see how you are moving toward God or rejecting his grace. Make a concrete plan for how you can do better.
Frequent the sacrament of reconciliation
The more regularly we confess our sins, bringing them to God and receiving his forgiveness, the more we recommit ourselves to living a life of grace. Through regular confession, we also obtain the strength to combat our weaknesses and sins. Resolve to go to confession every 2-3 weeks.
Make acts of faith, hope and charity throughout the day
The second half of our baptismal promises speaks to our belief in the articles of our faith. We can affirm our belief in God and his teachings by daily praying the acts of faith, hope and charity or by offering short, spontaneous prayers throughout the day. These acts can be as simple as saying: “Jesus, I believe in You. Jesus, I trust in You. Jesus, I love you. Thank you for revealing yourself and for giving yourself to me.”
Pray the morning offering
When giving our day to God through a morning offering, we express our belief in the eternal. We ask God to sanctify our day, offering it for the good of the Church and others. In the morning offering, we present God our “prayers, works, joys and sufferings” for the very same intentions we profess in our baptismal promises: for the salvation of souls, the forgiveness of sins, the intentions of the pope and the good of the Church. Start each day with a morning offering.
Offer something up throughout the week
Our baptism challenges us to die to self so Christ may live in us. One way in which we die to self is by making sacrifices: giving up something good for the love of God. If you are not intentionally sacrificing something on Fridays as the Church teaches, begin to do so. If you already do so, exercise your role in the communion of saints by daily sacrificing something – no matter how small – and offering it up for a specific person, a soul in purgatory or a special intention.
By incorporating these six simple steps into our daily routine, we will find ourselves intentionally living out our baptismal promises and will become more and more faithful to Christ.
Maria Cintorino holds a degree in theology. Her writings have appeared in several publications including Homiletic and Pastoral Review, Our Sunday Visitor and the National Catholic Register.
