Baptized not evangelized?

When the Lord waded down the River Jordan and was baptized by John, the sacrament of baptism was inaugurated.

- FR. BEL R. SAN LUIS, SVD

Before ascending to heaven, Jesus made baptism a mandate, saying, "Go... make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Mt 28,15).

It is to the immense credit of Christian parents that they take to heart the baptism of their children.

It seems, however, that many baptized children grow up grossly ignorant of religious instructions and their obligations as Christians.

The theologian Bernard Cooke in his book, Christian Sacraments and Christian Personality, writes: "Our baptism is not an action which happens once and has no further significance for our life. Rather, all the significance of this sacrament passes dynamically into the daily living of the Christian."

In other words, it is not enough for us just to accept baptism passively or as something done to us. There must be a followup. Our baptism should become an operative power impelling us to act as Christ did.