A Year of Sacramental Grace
By Fr. Isaiah Schick
This weekend, we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ by John the Baptist in the river Jordan. We are at the end of the official Christmas season, having just celebrated the Epiphany and beginning a short stint of “Ordinary” Time before Lent starts up in just over a month. These recent holidays are celebrations of God desiring to enter into our world, into our lives, into the very depths of our soul – he became one with US so that we can become one with HIM!
This marvelous exchange is actually remembered at each and every Mass in the prayer the priest prays silently when he mixes a little water in the main chalice with the wine to be offered before the consecration: “By the mystery of this water in wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” So how does this practically happen? Through the effective signs of grace that we call the Sacraments!
We talk a lot about Confession and the Eucharist, so I wanted to make a concrete appeal about three other Sacraments, as they are very relevant at this time of year: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Matrimony (also called the Sacrament of Marriage). The Baptism connection is obvious – if we want to have Christ’s divine life, we begin our public life as Christians just as he did – by getting baptized!
Lesser known is that the days between Epiphany and the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord also celebrates the first miracle of Jesus: turning water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana – when his coming among us bears public fruit of grace and joy. And at his Baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove, symbolizing the anointing of the Spirit that was always with him, allowing him to be called the Christ (which means “the Anointed One”!) – pretty hard to be Christians (“little anointed ones”) if we continue to put off the Sacrament of Confirmation that is our anointing with the strength and life of the Holy Spirit from on high! Why am I bringing all of this up?
Because this is a perfect time of year to reach out to any of the priests, our deacon, or the parish office if you or one of your children are in need of any of these Sacraments. If you have not yet been baptized, or if you are a junior in high school or older and haven’t been confirmed, or if you are engaged or civilly married and have not yet started the preparation process with the Church to receive the Sacrament of Marriage, I want to invite YOU to truly make this year 2026 a year of grace, a year of God’s divine life poured out anew into you and your family! Do not be afraid! Open wide the door of your heart to Christ, who is knocking, desiring to enter and live within your very soul! Even if you have fears, or you think you CAN’T receive the Sacraments for one reason or another, please don’t just Google it or talk to others who tell you that – reach out to the priests.
There is ALWAYS a way forward when it comes to receiving more of God’s grace – I can’t promise that it will be comfortable or easy, but I promise that it is always good! Christ did not delay to come to us as a baby, and he won’t delay in his coming again at the end of the age – do not delay yourselves in giving the infant Jesus a place in the stable of your soul! May you all have a very blessed 2026 – know of our prayers for you and those you love!