Zaira's Baptism

I thought I would start off this post by telling a little about what baptism means to Catholics.

"Baptism incorporates us into Christ and forms us into God’s people. This sacrament pardons all our sins, rescues us from the power of sin and darkness and brings us to the dignity of adopted children, a new creation through water and the Holy Spirit. Hence we are called and indeed are the children of God" (Christian Initiation: General Introduction, #2)

Jesus tells Nicodemus in the Gospel of John: "Unless one is born of water and Spirit, one cannot enter the Kingdom of God" (Jn 3:5).  The great commission of Christ to his disciples at the end of Matthew’s gospel (Mt 28:19): "Go teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". Thus there is an inseparable connection between faith and the acceptance of baptism.  Baptism is the very basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to the Spirit and the door to the other sacraments (CCC 1213) without which no one can enter the Kingdom of God.  The Church knows of no other means by which one is assured of entry to the Kingdom of God and so takes great care not to neglect this divine mission to teach and baptize.

The baptism is a sacrament and as such is the outward expression of an inward grace: a celebration of God’s faithful love, made primarily manifest in the self-sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Because it is a sacrament, it is a public celebration of the whole Church and it is upon this fundamental understanding that a proper baptismal liturgy must be built. Baptism is a sacrament of faith, but faith needs a community of believers. By Baptism one comes to share in the priesthood of Christ and in his prophetic and royal mission and having become a member of his Church one must profess the faith he has received from God and participate in the apostolic and missionary activity of the People of God (Lumen Gentium 11).

In the parents asking for their child to be baptized, we are asking God to give the ultimate gift of grace to our child.  We are also committing ourselves to provide a teaching of the faith for our child.  We do not take this lightly and must also seek the assistance of the community to help.  We do this by asking a couple to stand in our place should we not be able to fulfill our duties, due to death or illness.  We choose godparents to take our place in teaching the faith.  From its very title you can see that this role is connected with "God" and therefore belongs primarily to the realm of the spiritual and the holy.  The role is to assist the parents in guiding their child to know God and to belong to his Church in the fullest way possible.  They should be a model of Christian living through the practice of daily prayer, weekly attendance at Mass and an active and full participation in the life of your own parish.

The symbols of baptism are very important to show the reality that takes place within the individual that is being baptized.  The waters wash away sin and restore us to new life in Christ.  The new life is signified in the white garment, the oil of chrism that brings both healing and strength and sets us apart for the work of the Kingdom, and the lighted candle symbolizing that Christ and his Gospel has become in the words of the psalm a "light for our feet", guiding us along the road of faith.

All of this took place today at a little church in the woods.  We arrived early to help prepare for the celebration after Mass.  We also wanted to have plenty of time to dress Zaira in her beautiful baptismal gown.

The godparents we chose are very dear to our family.  It is hard to believe we barely knew them a year ago. Father Paul and Mrs. Key are true blessings to all who meet them.  Father Paul was a Presbyterian minister (from a long line of ministers) and he married the most gracious and faithful woman who happened to be a devout Catholic.  After many years, Father Paul had researched the Catholic faith and found the truth in her teachings.  Then he began the process of conversion, choosing to ask permission from the Vatican to become a priest.  He found his home in our parish not too long ago and we have been blessed to have his wisdom of years to teach us.  Mrs. Key was the strong woman who helped Father Paul in his conversion through teaching and mostly through prayer.  Michael and I knew that Zaira would need strong witness in her life and thought of no one better to take on this responsibility.

Not only did Father Paul take on this duty of godfather, but also arrived at the church today to be the main celebrant and give an impromptu homily.  This is why we knew we had the right person for godfather.  He was able to quickly change his homily designed for college students into a homily related to baptism and the importance of parents being good examples for their children (who are always watching).  He even talked about the importance of supporting our young adults at the college chapel.

After the Mass, which so beautifully included Zaira's baptism, we invited everyone to enjoy a lasagna dinner (a family tradition). We had about 20 people attend and we had a nice fellowship.  We were especially thankful for our friends Manuela and Colin for attending the baptism as well.