Why do I keep sinning if I'm baptized?

If baptism wipes away sin, why do I keep falling into the same things? It's a common question, and it sometimes comes with a certain disappointment. Baptism does something enormous: it wipes away original sin, gives you grace and makes you a child of God. But it doesn't remove all the wounds. Weakness and an inclination to evil remain, no longer as slavery but as ground on which to struggle. It's like someone who leaves hospital cured, but with a leg that still needs strengthening. He's healthy, but he needs rehabilitation. That's what confession, the Eucharist and daily effort are for. The fact that you're still struggling doesn't mean baptism didn't work: it means you're still on the way.