Wednesday in the Third Week of Easter

We pray the Wednesday of the third week of Easter, offering our whole day to Jesus through Mary and uniting it to the Mass for the remission of sins and the intentions of the Holy Father. We then hear Saint Justin Martyr explain baptism as a chosen new birth that brings forgiveness, illumination, and life in the Spirit. 
• Opening prayers and Morning Offering through the Immaculate Heart of Mary 
• Saint Justin Martyr on repentance through prayer and fasting before baptism 
• Baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as rebirth 
• Isaiah’s call to be washed clean and to live justly 
• Why the new birth requires free choice and conscious faith 
• Baptism as illumination and mental enlightenment through Christ 
If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our publications now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org.

Transcript

Morning Offering Through Mary

Saint Justin On Baptism

Closing Prayer And Intercessions

How To Go Deeper With Cristeros

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Wednesday in the third week of Easter. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen. From the first apology in defense of the Christians by Saint Justin, Martyr. Through Christ we received new life, and we consecrated ourselves to God. I will explain the way in which we did this. Those who believe what we teach is true, and who give assurance of their ability to live according to that teaching, are taught to ask God's forgiveness for their sins by prayer and fasting, and we pray and fast with them. We then lead them to a place where there is water, and they are reborn in the same way as we were reborn. That is to say, they are washed in the water in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the whole universe, of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit. This is done because Christ said, Unless you are born again, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven, and it is impossible for anyone, having once been born, to re-enter his mother's womb. An explanation of how repentant sinners are to be freed from their sins is given through the prophet Isaiah in the words, Wash yourselves and be clean. Remove the evil from your souls, learn to do what is right, be just to the orphan, vindicate the widow. Come, let us reason together, says the Lord. If your sins are like scarlet, I will make them white as wool. If they are like crimson, I will make them white as snow. But if you do not heed me, you shall be devoured by the sword. The mouth of the Lord has spoken. The Apostles taught us the reason for this ceremony of ours. Our first birth took place without our knowledge or consent, because our parents came together, and we grew up in the midst of wickedness. So if we were not to remain children of necessity and ignorance, we needed a new birth, of which we ourselves would be conscious, and which would be the result of our own free choice. We needed, too, to have our sins forgiven. This is why the name of God, the Father and Lord of the whole universe, is pronounced in the water over anyone who chooses to be born again and who has repented of his sins. The person who leads the candidate for baptism to the font calls upon God by this name alone. For God so far surpasses our powers of description that no one can really give a name to him. Anyone who dares to say that he can must be hopelessly insane. This baptism is called illumination because of the mental enlightenment that is experienced by those who learn these things. The person receiving this enlightenment is also baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and in the name of the Holy Spirit, who through the prophets foretold everything concerning Jesus. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh. Whatever is born of the spirit is spirit. No one can enter the kingdom of heaven without being born again of water and the spirit. Be present to your family, O Lord, we pray, and graciously ensure those you have endowed with the grace of faith and eternal share in the resurrection of your only begotten Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen. Let us praise the Lord and give him thanks. All that I have and all that I am, I give to your hands, Jesus, through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother, amen. Sacred heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our publications now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org.