Colossians 2.6-15; Psalm 144; Luke 6.12-19
What is the relationship between faith and ethics, between the beliefs we hold intellectually and the way we live our lives? That is the central concern Paul addresses in his epistle to the Colossians, exhorting them to live [their] whole lives in accord with the Christ you have received.
Baptism, the sacrament by which each of us is incorporated into Christ, is key to this. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church sets out, “Holy Baptism 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.” Metaphorically in the act of baptism the new Christian joins Christ in his burial; sacramentally he or she is raised to new life.
It is in this transformation that we find ‘our own fulfilment’—find the purpose of our lives. The power of Christ working in us heals us and strengthens us to expend our lives as Christ offered his.