When the Homily is about Immunology

The Seed of Baptism

And so the connectivity of the blogging world becomes wonderfully apparent as Randy Buist from water’s edge finds his way to my blog via our mutual friend Jason Evans’ blog and then takes the time to strike up a conversation. Technology can be a wonderful thing! Thanks Randy! (I owe you an email…coming soon!) The traditional (paradosis) Orthodox-greeting response was greatly appreciated, and I only regret that it could not be accompanied with the equally traditional robust kiss on each cheek!

Randy posted (see water’s edge link above) about the baptized life and it amazingly coincided with a quote from one of the Father’s I received via email last night:

“The gift which we have received from Jesus Christ in holy baptism is not
destroyed, but is only buried as a treasure in the ground. Both common
sense and gratitude demand that we should take good care to unearth this
treasure and bring it to light. This can be done in two ways. The gift
of baptism is revealed first of all by a painstaking fulfillment of the
commandments; the more we carry these out, the more clearly the gift
shines upon us in its true splendor and brilliance. Secondly, it come
to light and is revealed through the continual invocation of the Lord
Jesus, or by unceasing remembrance of God, which is one and the same
thing. The first method is powerful but the second is more so; so much
so that even fidelity to the commandments receives its full strength
from prayer. For this reason, if we truly desire to bring to flower the
seed of grace that is hidden within us, we should hasten to acquire the
habit of this exercise of the heart, and always practice this prayer
within it, without any image or form, until it warms our mind and
enflames our soul with an inexpressible love towards God and men.”

St. Gregory of Sinai