By Brenda Hopf
Connecting Liturgy and Life
Editor’s note: For 2026, the weekly “Connecting Faith and Life” column has been renamed “Connecting Liturgy and Life.” The column consists of reflections on Part Two of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), which focuses on the Liturgy and the Sacraments.
cf. CCC 1275-1284
Just a few short weeks ago, either at the Easter Vigil or on Easter Sunday morning, we renewed our baptismal promises. “Do you reject Satan? Do you believe in God the Father Almighty…? Do you believe in Jesus Christ…? Do you believe in the Holy Spirit…?” We responded, “I do.” Do promises really matter? What really matters is not just the fact that we made the promises — we did — but are we honoring them in the ordinary rhythm of our daily lives?
Baptism is the beginning of a lifelong journey of living out these promises over and over again. At baptism, we were freed from sin and became children of God, received new life in Christ and we now share in the mission Jesus started. Simply stated, we are called to know Jesus Christ and his teachings, and then to follow in his footsteps by bringing the faith to others. This is not an optional task reserved for a select few. Jesus himself commands us to share the Good News, and at our baptism, we promised we would. At the end of every Mass, we are reminded, “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” These words are not a polite dismissal — they are a commissioning, a call to honor the baptismal promises we have made.
And yet, we hesitate. Life is busy. The world is noisy. We find excuses that feel reasonable, even convincing. I am not qualified to pass on the faith. I am not worthy. I feel inadequate. We compare ourselves to others: She is so religious; I will never be like her. He inspires so many people; I could never do that. Or we retreat into a comfortable mindset: Faith is private. I am a good person. I go to Mass every week, mind my own business and that is enough. And maybe we are willing to share in the mission, but we simply do not know where to begin.
Baptism itself answers these doubts. Through baptism, we receive sanctifying grace to strengthen us and we also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us. We have the free will to tap into this grace and guidance, but if we don’t, we can’t put the special gifts given to each one of us into use for our Christ-appointed mission. This would be like filling a new car with gas and then never driving it. Who would do that? And yet, how often do we treat our spiritual lives in this way? We have been given a full tank and yet we hesitate to use the fuel.
To say “I am not qualified” is to overlook what God has already done within us. To say “I am not worthy” is to forget that it is God who makes us worthy. God gave us each special gifts and charisms and to fail to use them diminishes the Church’s mission and fails to acknowledge the power of God within us.
Jesus reminds us of who we are: “You are the salt of the earth … you are the light of the world.” These are not suggestions or compliments — they are statements from Jesus the truth-teller. If he says we are salt and light, then we are meant to preserve goodness, to bring flavor to the world and to shine in the darkness. To hide our faith or keep it entirely private is to contradict the very identity we have received.
Living out our baptismal promises does not require extraordinary feats. It begins in small, faithful, intentional steps: speaking kindly, acting justly, offering encouragement, sharing our faith when opportunities arise and living in a way that reflects Christ’s love. It means intentionally allowing the grace within us to shape our choices, our words and our priorities.
Ultimately, honoring our baptismal promises is about trust — trust that God has truly equipped us, that his grace is sufficient and that even our small efforts can bear fruit. When we say “I do,” we are not relying on our own strength, but on his. We can step forward with confidence, knowing that we are never alone in the mission entrusted to us.
Brenda Hopf is a member of Divine Mercy Parish.