Our ordinary days often pass us leaving us unaware of their sacredness. We make their significance explicit through symbolic actions and with special rituals which keep us connected to the elusive truth and beauty of reality. Baptism is an act of Christian initiation that unites us with the living presence of the Risen Christ. These actions using ordinary physical things take special significance because they point to the Baptism of our Lord. When Jesus took his place along with other Jews at the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist, it was none other than God who stood in line at his baptism.

Jesus' going beyond these simple acts through prayer (Lk 3:21) opens up a new relationship and a new beginning filled with infinite possibilities. United with him through the sacramental celebration in a Church community, we too open ourselves to the forgiveness of sin through rebirth in Jesus Christ. A prayerful reception of the Church's sacraments provides a spiritual insight into the Holy Spirit's work of making everything sacred.