What does it mean “to be holy and without blemish before God.”? It begins with a transformation that happens inside of us because of the power of baptism. There is a change in who we are because of baptism. I have said this recently: because of baptism, we are no longer just human beings, we are sacred beings. Another line that the church uses is: baptism places on our soul an indelible mark.
This indelible mark cannot be removed or destroyed, though it can be ignored, as is evidenced by the number of people who have become evil in their lives, instead of becoming holy. I want to return to this indelible mark in a moment.
However, I need to make it clear that not all Christians understand that this is what happens in baptism. Many non-Catholic groups see baptism as just an outward sign that does not accomplish anything in terms of a change in who we are. As such, it is not very important for them. But that does not take into account another place for St. Paul says: “you are a new creation in Christ.”
Because of his statement, it seems clear that the Catholic Church’s teaching that there is …read more
Source:: Fr. Frank Jindra’s Homily Podcasts