Many came to him and said, “John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true.” And many there began to believe in him. John 10:41-42
Saint Paul tells the Ephesians in chapter 2 verse 8: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Faith is a gift that God extends to all humankind. From time immemorial He has never stopped extending the invitation to believe in Him and to enter into a covenantal relationship with Him.
Baptism is the entry point for every believer where we are not only cleansed from all our sins but we enter into new life with the Holy Spirit residing within us. Besides the ability to gain entry into heaven, as a child of God, the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to grow in faith, hope and love. We are better able to grow in virtue and to reach out confidently in love to others so that they, too, may experience the light and love of the gospel through us. Baptism brings an inner strength to the human spirit, a strength marked by peace and joy even in the worst storms of life.
Sadly the Jews refused to even believe in the good works, the many miracles Jesus performed. Instead they sought to kill Him for blasphemy. It is those who first believed in the God of John the Baptist who came to believe in Jesus. Where are we today, are we like the Jews who stubbornly clung onto pride or fear to the point of sin and death? Or do we step out in faith, tapping into our baptismal graces, going boldly where He wills, thereby earning the right to everlasting life?
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