Baptism is only the beginning, the starting point in a life that is meant to be dedicated to the principles in the Beatitudes and to living a holy life.

Pastor Kurt Farrell of St. Theodore Catholic Church in Albert Lea, Minnesota shared with parishioners in the church bulletin the message of the Beatitudes and the sacrament of baptism.

“We need to remember that the Lord invites us to live the demands of each of these from the moment of our baptism,” Farrell said. “Starting then, our parents and godparents commit themselves to transmit this message to us and to live according to that message.”

It may be too easy at times for Catholics to simply see baptism as a rite of passage or an event marking a moment in life, rather than as a commitment to a life lived differently, Farrell wrote.

“Today, on the solemnity of All Saints, let us pray that the communion of saints we hope to participate in one day and that begins in baptism, may present itself in our ecclesial communities as a real sacramental commitment that embraces the entire family as it increases the spiritual life of adults and initiates the faith life of infants,” he said, the bulletin reported.