Some Thoughts on Baptism

When Br. JP innocently asked me what 'baptismal promises' are, he caught me flatfooted.
One lame excuse I heard myself uttering was "I was too young back then to remember." And besides, I silently mulled, I already committed myself to the loftiest possibility a human being could opt for: to become a religious.
But then, I didn't see the popping in of inevitable questions.

• Is it because I don't value my baptismal promises that I've forgotten them altogether?
• And since I don't value them, is this also the reason why I would catch myself at times compromising religious discipline?

Baptism is more basic, the most fundamental of all the sacraments Christ Himself instituted. And it dawned on me that not paying attention to the promise I offered when I was baptized (albeit, vicariously) is tantamount to diluting the potency of the promises I would later on swearing.
As I join the Church in celebrating Christ's glorious baptism, I pose this challenge to myself: to go back to my fundamental catechism and rediscover—and know by heart—the promises I offered when I was baptized.