Our Easter renewal of baptismal promises

Every Easter, we renew our Baptismal promises. While it might be easily overlooked in the midst of the Triduum, it is an important moment to reflect on during the joy and hope of the Easter season.

In Baptism, we are anointed with Sacred Chrism and incorporated into Christ, who is anointed priest, prophet, and king (CCC 1241). As Lumen Gentium explains “The faithful are by baptism made one body with Christ…they are in their own way made sharers in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly functions of Christ; and they carry out for their own part the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world.”

While each of these offices is prefigured in the Old Testament, they find perfection in Christ, the true priest, prophet, and king. As lay faithful, we have a particular role in the mission of sanctifying, teaching, and governing in the world.

A priest reconciles, building a bridge between divinity and humanity, primarily through offering sacrifices and fostering holiness. Christ is the perfect and only mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5), offering Himself as both priest and sacrifice.

In our baptismal priesthood, we are called to offer our lives – that is, our works, prayers, apostolic undertakings, family life, hardships endured with patience – as a spiritual sacrifice, united to our Lord’s perfect sacrifice (CCC 901).

A prophet is a spokesperson for God, calling people to a new way of life through their words and actions. Christ is the perfect prophet, the Word made flesh (John 1:14), sent to call the world away from sin and back to God.

United with Christ, we are called to give witness to the Gospel in our words and lives (CCC 904-905). To live a life that leads others to a transformational encounter with our Saviour. To share the beauty and truth of our faith. To love others well, so that they might begin to know the love of God.

A king rules and guides the people, organising them to achieve a particular outcome. Christ, the King of Heaven and Earth, seeks to be Lord of every aspect of our lives in order to lead us to sanctification and becoming the Saints we were uniquely created to be.

Joined to Christ in Baptism, we have received the power to rule over ourselves, to overcome sin by growing in holiness and self-denial (CCC 908-913). Our Lord has also given us the perfect model of servant-leadership, calling us to exercise authority with true humility and a willingness to offer our lives for the sake of others.

Baptism fundamentally changes our identity and allows us to participate in Christ’s threefold office, yet to truly embrace this mission we must be people of prayer.

As baptismal priest, prayerfully participating in the Mass allows us to unite our lives to our Lord’s perfect sacrifice.

As prophet, nurturing our relationship with Christ allows us to discern how we are being asked to share Him in each moment of our lives.

As king, we need Christ to be Lord of every aspect of our lives, ensuring that they are rightly ordered to prioritise this relationship and cultivate holiness.  

It is as Baptised people of prayer that we each learn how we are called to follow our Lord and participate in restoring the world to Him.