Your Majesties! You might say next “Deacon what did you say”? Yes, I said your majesties. You and I and all people are called to holiness. This is a call to the “Royal Priesthood” by virtue of our Baptism. By this great and powerful sacrament, we enter our relationship with Jesus Christ, our best friend and ultimate love. The water cleanses us into our new beginning. The oil bestowed on us marks us for our sacramental relationship with Jesus and the blessing our covenantal relationship with the eternal. The Royal Priesthood that is given to us is the highest form of grace received. This grace is even higher that what is obtained in the Ministerial Priesthood i.e., Bishops. Priests and Deacons.
By baptism, this universal call to holiness: this “Royal Priesthood” requires us to be active participants in evangelization, bringing Jesus Christ to all whom we encounter. As sons and daughters of God, as followers of Jesus, we are to live according to a certain way. This is the most important thing about our baptism. We become a disciple, a follower.
In the baptismal ceremony itself, there's a very important part of it that, perhaps, we are not even at the present time aware of. If you've been to a baptism recently, you'll remember when the Priest or Deacon anoints the person being baptized with the chrism. The words that the minister says are, "Just as Jesus was anointed priest, prophet, and king, so may you live always as a member of his body sharing everlasting life." Think about what that means. Baptism is not simply a “rite of passage.” Rather, it is a call to live out a life of holiness as best as we can and to be an example to others who, in turn will come to know Jesus.
Each one of us at our baptism was anointed like Jesus as priest, prophet, and king. Those are the roles that we are to carry out then in following Jesus. The priest is the one who stands at the altar and through certain words and signs performs religious rights. But all of us in our baptism share in the priesthood of Jesus. That means that when we come to the Eucharist, it isn't just the priest who is offering the Mass, it's all of us together.
Ok so now that we are called to Holiness this role of Royal Priesthood is it a one-shot deal or something that must be nurtured and cared for? If you guessed the latter BINGO, you win the prize! As we nourish our body so too must we do the same for our soul. Baptism calls us to holiness, and we want to do all we can to remain in this state.
We can do this by embracing daily prayer in our lives. I refer it to my morning prayer as my daily AM conversation with my best friend. First thing in the morning, I pour myself a cup of coffee and Him one too. We then engage in our fifteen minutes of conversation. There is the Liturgy of the Hours; reflection on Scripture; rosary prayers; and even silence and contemplation. St. Thomas Aquinas that silent prayer is “the best way to encounter the Lord.” Attending Mass and serving Christ in our neighbor are other ways we can deepen our relationship with Jesus.
When we are anointed priest, prophet and king at our baptism, we are cleansed and given a big task: we must bring others to holiness and while striving for holiness ourselves every day. It won't always be easy, but Christ never leaves us to do it alone.