“Truly, I tell you,
as often as you did it for one of the least of these
who are my sisters and brothers, you did it for me.”

Creator God,
the waters of the great flood
you made a sign of the waters of baptism,
that make an end of sin
and a new beginning of goodness.

Through the waters of the Red Sea
you led Israel out of slavery,
to be an image of God’s holy people,
set free from sin by baptism.

You made the water of baptism holy
by Christ’s baptism in the Jordan:
by it you give us a new birth
and renew us in holiness.

Lord Jesus Christ,
at the beginning of this Year of Prayer and Renewal, renew in us the grace and promise of our baptism. Open our eyes to recognize you as you come to us every day: in the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the stranger, the sick, the prisoner. May we who have been baptized in your name learn to see you and serve you in the least of your sisters and brothers. For only thus can we hope to join you in that kingdom where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Baptism is our call to follow Christ,
to find Christ where we least expect to find him
and, finding him, to serve him with love.

–Father Michael G. Ryan

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