Yesterday's gospel seems like an argument against infant baptism. Count the cost ahead of time, Jesus says. Can you really do this? Being a disciple of his, that is. And infants can't analyze the situation, of course. Students sometimes bring that up, how babies have baptism "done to them" at a time they lack the freedom to choose it. I tell them that each of us has to renew the commitment daily, so babies who grow up can decide, if not, "will I be baptized?" then at least, "will I live out my baptism?"
Even as adults, I don't think we always understand what that commitment means, but I hope that with the sacraments and with Scripture and homilies and prayer and other ways that we engage in the topic of our faith, we can grow to understand more and more.
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