suffer with it; if one member is honoured, all the members share its joy. You, then are the body of Christ. Every one of you is a member of it” (I Corinth.12, 12-27)

CHRIST WITHIN

All these comparisons help us to understand the close bond between the Church, its members and Christ. But none of them can fully describe the riches that Christ brings to us His people, His new generation. However, from them we gather :

1. The People of God is a group made up of members with Christ Himself as the      head.

2.  Life flows in the group – a new life flowing from the head to the members.

3.  Christ Himself is not dead, He is not a mere teacher, but He is alive and present in       His Church. And His life flows into all His members.

ENTRANCE THROUGH BAPTISM

Any association or club that is made of members has its rule or method of admission for new members. The People of God is for every man, woman and child because God is the Father of all, and Christ died to bring His new life to all.

The People of God is not for any particular race or nation, but for all. Therefore, membership is not restricted to birth in a particular place or caste. Membership comes to the person who accepts Christ as the way to the Father when he or she is baptized. Baptism is an action established by Christ in which He Himself comes to meet us, in which He gives us a lasting share in His own life. In Baptism a person is either plunged into water or water is poured on his head as a sign of life and the washing away of all sins.

It was not without reason that Christ chose water as the sign of new life in Baptism. Men have always seen its life-giving power. Each year the monsoon rain bears witness to this. We live through the long summer months with dry , dusty fields not having a trace of life in them. Then suddenly, clouds gather in the sky, the monsoon busts, and almost overnight, the miracle of new life bursts forth to cover the fields like a rich green carpet that grows steadily to feed and nourish the whole people.

Washing with water is also a symbolic action among almost all nations and peoples to signify cleansing from sin. Men have always recognized this purifying power of water. They have journeyed to distant rivers to bathe in their waters in the hope of washing away their sins, and of starting life anew. In our own land bathing in the Ganges or any other of the holy rivers of India is considered a highly meritorious act. Christ took up this deep urge felt by men everywhere for self-purification and gave a new power to the waters of Baptism; for in Baptism, He Himself comes to dwell in the very depths of a man or woman, bringing new life to replace a selfish self.