Gospel: Mt. 3: 13-17
16 After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold,
the heavens were opened (for him), and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove (and) coming upon him.
The baptized worker
By Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas, SDB, DD
The baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan prods me to ask whether there is a difference between a baptized worker and a non-baptized one. Asking this question in a workforce where Catholics are in great numbers might reveal some insights which could improve the work attitudes and consequently the job performance of the worker-believer.
The Catholic faith teaches that the Sacrament of Baptism gives new birth to the baptized—a new life, a divine and spiritual life. The baptized is transformed from a mere human being “created in the likeness of God” into an adopted child of God with all the rights to gain heavenly life. This fundamental and existential change in the baptized is something that happens in the very core of his being (soul), and has even imprinted an indelible mark (Sacramental character) in the person, even if he/she is not conscious and aware of such deep reality within one’s being. Since as the principle says that “actions flow from being” then, whatever the baptized does in all of his life comes from his being a child of God—a spiritual but real kind of life, which obviously is different from that which the non-baptized person or the one baptized in other faiths has. The worker baptized in the Catholic faith would value his work and all that it entails as essential part of his life’s journey and a means to attain heaven. He would then have greater reason and meaning to work as much and as best as he can.
The other workers who have embraced other faiths could also find greater meaning and value of their actions and works from the teachings of their faiths. What is important, however, for all workers is that each one live by what he is baptized in.
Pinoy binyagan
By Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS
Reflecting on Jesus’ baptism at the Jordan and noting that His public ministry began after that led me to see how we Filipino Christians need to deepen our appreciation for our baptism and its power to transform us in the workplace where we spend most of our waking hours in. In your next coffee break, get your barkada together and have fun playing a game called “Word Association”. Form a circle; the first player utters a word, for example, “bird,” and the one seated next to him says the first word that comes to his mind that he associates with “bird”. It could be “seagull”, for instance, then the next player might say “ocean”, and the next might say “blue”, and the next, “moon”, etc. This time, however, start with the word “baptism” and see where it would lead.
This could be very revealing because we take the word (“binyag” in Pilipino) for granted and associate it with an initiation of some kind. We play a practical joke on a newcomer at work and then say “Nabinyagan na siya”, meaning he’s been initiated into the group by submitting humbly to the embarrassment. When we keep, for example, a box of chocolates untouched for so long, our coworkers tease us into opening it and sharing it with them (against our will) by saying, “Binyagan na ‘yan!” Sometimes the men, observing a young, quiet male coworker who doesn’t laugh at their off-color jokes would mock, “Hindi pa siguro ‘yan nabibinyagan!”, meaning he probably has had no sexual experience.
At baptismal parties we coo over the baby and say “Uy, Kristiyano na siya!”—a greeting that hints at the significance of baptism. If we take that greeting to heart, and become authentic followers of Jesus in our work, the workplace can be heaven.
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