Someone asked a priest, “Father, help me! I used to be very bad. Now, I am a convert for several years, but I often remember the past sins that I committed. I cannot help myself. Help me, father.” “At your baptism,” a priest said, “all your sins are forgiven. However, it doesn’t mean that you will never sin anymore. Listen to what it said about Baptism in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.” The priest fetched some pages and said, “Holy Baptism,” Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches, “is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments” (CCC 1213). It is not just the basis of a period of Christian life for one day, one month, or one year after baptism, but it is a whole Christian life. It is the gateway to life in the Spirit that requires every day of conversion since the Spirit is all pure. His conversion of every day after the baptism in his whole Christian life does not stop after receiving the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, but it is the beginning of a whole Christian life.

Recalling at our baptism, we are all given a candle lit from the Easter Candle and a small white shirt. This light from the Easter Candle symbolizes the light of Christ shining on our Christian life, and the small white shirt symbolizes that we are put on Christ on our Christian journey. This light might be dim or put out, and the small white shirt might get dirty at a time(s) because of all kinds of temptation(s). This, therefore, Christian life after the baptism is a series of conversions, a series of keeping that little light kept burning and keeping that white shirt cleaning. One perfect way to shape our conversion to return to the Lord and to restore our relationship with him and with one another is what Jesus teaches us in today’s readings, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

Jesus’ love reveals on the Cross. How do you and I reveal our love for others? Jesus reveals his love by praying for those who hurt him and mistreat him. How do you and I reveal our love for those who hurt us or mistreat us? Jesus reveals his love by forgiving those who hurt him and mistreat him. How do you and I reveal our love for others if it’s not to learn to forgive what others hurt us or mistreat us? Jesus reveals his love by reaching out to others, even to the ones who hurt him and mistreat him. How do you and I reveal our love for others if it’s not to reach out to others even to the ones who hurt us or mistreat us? Forgiveness will bring healing for the wrongdoing, but love will wipe away what hurts and pains from the wrongdoing. The decision is yours.