There is evidence that in the early church at every baptism, the healing word of Jesus was uttered.

"Ephphata!"

Open up!

It was a call to the Christian life which is, if it is nothing else, a life of openness to others.

What a strange and wonderful calling. In living a life of openness we discover a world far greater than we ever imagined. We discover a life far richer, a joy far deeper, a path far more exciting.

We discover salvation.

Sadly and too often, we keep our fists closed and miss out on the beauty that the savior brings. Instead of heeding the baptismal call, we build fortresses around ourselves.

Day after day, I talk with good folk who have built these huge walls between themselves and others, even when those others are their spouse, their children, their friends.

We are a people of fear. We are afraid to open up even when that fear brings on our damnation. We develop all kinds of strange and bizarre behavior to justify our keeping those fists tightly closed.

"It’s just the way I am." says the husband in defense of his unwillingness to express love for his wife.

"You’ve got to be tough to survive in this world." explains the businessman to justify his callous treatment of employees.

Even in our religion, we refuse to open up. We say that there are some things we will never let go of...this tradition, that creed, this doctrine...it is our way of keeping our fists tightly closed even when Jesus calls us to do the opposite.