Living Faith – the Office of Baptism (the Adventure of a Lifetime)

Part of a truly living faith is actively exercising your office within the Church. The offices of the faith are mostly given with the sacraments. Most obvious to us, Holy Orders gives a ministerial office to a deacon, priest or bishop – with the potential of also receiving the office of pastor or “ordinary” (for a bishop). Most Catholics don’t realize that an office is also conferred with the sacrament of matrimony. Married couples are given the office of heads of the domestic Church. Within a marriage, the office is to get the spouse to Heaven. Parenthood is also an office, giving parents divine authority over their children to lead them to holiness. But the main office of a Christian is conferred through baptism and confirmation. This is the office that initiates us into the living faith.

Every Baptized Christian Exercises the Office of the Church to Some Degree

The Parts of the Office of Baptism

Every office has three parts, and the office of baptism is no different. Your office gives you:

1. Authority – you are given the right (you are authorized) to speak on behalf of Jesus and His Church. The authority of baptism and confirmation take the form of the 3-fold mission of Christ. We are anointed as priest, prophet and king. Our priestly office means that we act on behalf of Jesus to sanctify the world and offer it to the Father. The prophetic mission means that we are called to speak in God’s name – to invite others to come back to the family. The prophetic mission takes the form of evangelization and teaching. And the kingly office is to serve others in love, even to give ourselves to others as a gift of love.

2. Jurisdiction – The authority of an office is spread over a specific territory or people over which you have responsibility and power. A pastor has jurisdiction over his parish. A bishop has jurisdiction over his diocese. Parents have jurisdiction over their family. What is the jurisdiction of the office to which we’re called through baptism and confirmation? The jurisdiction of the laity is the secular world in which we live our lives. But this jurisdiction is not vague or general – it is specific. You are given jurisdiction whenever an opportunity to share your faith presents itself to you. Someone comes to you seeking counsel or help, and you have jurisdiction over that person – you have a duty to share the love of God with him or her. This jurisdiction is very real! To not act when you are given the jurisdiction – the opportunity – is as serious as a priest abandoning his parish or a bishop neglecting his diocese.

3. Power – With the office comes the practical ability to do the job you have ben assigned. Within our faith, this means that when we exercise our authority over our jurisdiction that Jesus really does act through what we do and say! So by exercising our office, we are truly participating in the divine action and the divine life of Jesus. We cooperate with him in spreading his goodness and his love to others. The power that we are given to do this takes three main forms. First are the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Usually 2-3 of the seven Gifts will be especially strong in you, helping you to define the specific points of emphasis of your office. For me, the gifts of knowledge, understanding and wisdom are especially strong. I know that God has called me through these gifts to the office of teaching – part of the prophetic mission. That doesn’t mean that I’m not also called to priestly or kingly work, but the prophetic part of the mission of Christ takes a special role in my life. The second power we are given are the charisms. These are special graces where the Holy Spirit works through us to perform special works beyond the capability of our natural talent. And finally, we are often given “actual graces,” specific graces that fit the moment in order to empower us to act with Jesus in a specific situation.

When you were baptized and confirmed, you were given the power and the authority to act as Jesus acted. Think of the apostles after Pentecost (Acts 2:1-47) – empowered by the Holy Spirit. They healed. They cast out demons. They taught. They evangelized. They governed the Church. In short, they lived the adventure of carrying on the work of Christ.

Your Living Faith Challenge

That’s what you and I are called to do. But we are not all called to do the same things. We are each uniquely equipped by the Spirit to carry out our part of this office. How you are equipped and how you are called is exactly what you have to discern if you are going to embrace the adventure of your faith.

Your Next Steps

The course “The Adventure of Faith” from the Keys to Spiritual Growth series offers you practical strategies for clarifying and living more intensely your office, your vocation, and your mission. You can get started really easily with the free “Keys to Spiritual Growth” course. This course will introduce you to all five of the most important areas of spirituality that we need to nurture if we want to deepen our relationship with God. Click here to register for this free course, then consider enrolling in the full course “The Adventure of Faith.”

Your Action Steps

1. Leave a comment below telling us how you are uniquely equipped by the Spirit to carry out your office, and how you have been exercising your office so far.
2. Register for the “Keys to Spiritual Growth” course – Click here now for free instant access!
3. Consider investing in the full “Adventure of Faith” course
4. Actively look for ways to have a truly living faith!