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In the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, we recognize the power and meaning of our own baptism. We also come to understand how God uses ordinary matter in His sacraments—like water, bread, wine and us—and makes it extraordinary.

From the Church's catechism (§1238) on baptism, we read that "The Church asks God that, through his Son, the power of the Holy Spirit may be sent upon the water, so that those who will be baptized in it may be 'born of water and the Spirit.'"

Sacramentally, water has become a pathway to eternal life—as here, now, in this fallen world, it is a pathway to biological life. Sadly, water is scarce in too many places, and as this report from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops tells us, this scarcity leads to horrible human suffering.

Water is vital for sustaining the life of each person, for sustaining health and socio-economic well-being, and for making possible the very existence of life on our planet. The total amount of water on Planet Earth is fixed. Of the world’s

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Every so often Amazon.com does me a favor. While ordering books for school last year, the website suggested an obscure little book by Joseph Ratzinger--now His Holiness Benedict XVI. Written in 1986, it's based on a series of homilies on the creation accounts of the Old Testament. It sounded interesting, it's a subject I'm fascinated with, and figured for $10, how could I go wrong?

Well, I was right. This book is a must read. (And it fits perfectly in a section of my thesis on B16. Praise Amazon.com God!)

First, this little book asks a big question: Why don't more catechists teach about creation and what Genesis is telling us? If you teach religious eductaion and this topic seems unimportant, or too high a hurdle to jump, read "In the beginning." You'll not only...