The Eternal Gift

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, February 18th, 2024:
First Sunday of Lent

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1 Peter
3.18-22

Beloved: Christ suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison. In former times these did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.
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Baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you — not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with Angels, Authorities, and Powers made subject to him.

​Pause. Pray. Reflect.

What a wonderful gift we have available to us! Because eternal life through Christ’s sacrifice is a gift, it cannot be earned, only received. That is a great comfort to me. I know I will make many mistakes and commit many sins while on earth, but I also know none will take away this gift I received through Baptism because Christ suffered for all “the righteous and unrighteous.” However, I acknowledge that some days I have chosen to ignore this gift, and there are periods of my life where it has gathered dust on the shelves of my soul. While God has offered this gift for us, we still have to choose to accept it every day. 

I like to imagine that Baptism has unlocked the door to Heaven and, if we put in the effort to reach that door, it will always be open to us just as Matthew 7:7 says. I also imagine that the door and I are separated by a great chasm. Crossing the chasm can be perilous. There are many opportunities to fall, but there is also great joy in experiencing the crossing because to cross is to live. God wants us to get to the other side and to meet Christ face to face. I find that the crossing becomes easier on days when I intentionally invite God into my life to walk with me. This comes in the form of daily prayer. But for the times when I do fall, I know I can seek God’s mercy through Confession, and I will always be offered another chance to reach Heaven. To me, that is the most precious quality of Baptism.  



Ronnie Noonan-Birch

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