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1) Why Baptism
Let us take a moment to explore the many reasons why people may choose to baptize their son or daughter?
A. Baptism is a Sacrament.
What is a sacrament? The most basic definition of a sacrament is that a sacrament is a physical sign of an invisible reality. A stop sign for example is a sacrament. It is a physical sign that signifies the invisible need to stop. Another example from everyday life is that of a baseball jersey.
The baseball jersey is the physical sign (the sacrament) of the invisible reality of team unity.
The physical sign that we see, the words of the priest or deacon, the water being poured, the lighting of the baptismal candle etc point to the invisible reality that the person being baptized is being wash clean of original sin and is being adopted by God.
B. Baptism is A Grace Filled Moment.
Some people who have their children baptized because they know it is a moment of grace but do not know what particular graces a baptized person receives.
We have all heard the story of Adam and Eve. God created Adam and Eve out of love and provided for their every need. The serpent (and let us not think of some cute little snake with legs but rather let us remind ourselves that the serpent represents the evil one Satan) tricks Adam and Eve into doubting God’s love them and they disobeyed God. Ever since all human beings have suffered this original sin (original wound) – this fear that God may not love us. We believe that through Jesus’ death and resurrection that we have seen just how much God’s loves us and so through Baptism we are cleansed of original sin and may with the grace of the Holy Spirit not doubt in God’s love for us.
In addition to be cleansed of Original Sin the person being baptized is adopted into God’s family and as a member of God’s family we are to live in ways that will bring honor to our new divine family and not shame. What is God’s family but the Church and we are invited to gather around God’s table each and every Sunday. Together as God’s family we strive to build up the kingdom of God through working together to love God and serve our neighbor.
C. Baptism is A Family Tradition
Sometimes people choose to have their son or daughter baptized only because baptism seems to be some sort of family tradition. “I will baptized my son/daughter because that is what my parents did for me even though I myself do not take time to live my faith.” It is important to remember that Baptism, like all Sacraments, is not magic. Baptism is the official beginning of a person’s faith journey and as the child’s parents you are committing yourself to walk with your child as they travel this road of faith. You would not send your child to school and not check to make sure that he or she is not doing well, completing their assignments, and getting along with others. Why then would you sign your child up for a journey of faith and not be there to assist them on their way.
D. Baptism is A Social Event and An Excuse for A Party?
Some parents choose to have their child baptized because they believe it is expected of them by their friends and it is also a good excuse for a party. These are not necessarily bad reasons for one to have their child baptized as long as these are not the only reasons. The birth of a child is not only a blessing for the family in which the child was born into but also for the whole community. The birth of a new child is a great reason to celebrate.
If Baptism makes you a part of God’s family and baptism makes you a child of God then the Church also has a reason to celebrate the gift of new life. -
2) What is BaptismBefore we take a closer look into Rite of Baptism let us take a deeper look into what the Sacrament of Baptism is.
A. Baptism is First Step in becoming a life-long member of the Church.
There are certain events that forever change our lives. Once we have experienced these things we are forever changed. For example it is when a person takes the oath of office that he or she becomes President of the United States and not after winning the popular election or the Electoral College. Baptism is one such event. Once you are baptized you cannot become unbaptized.
People during the time of Jesus had a very vivid reminder of this by the ceremony in which one would join the military. When a young man wished to join the army he would walk through an archway (like the one pictured below) reciting an oath. Once through the archway he would no longer be a Roman citizen but rather he was now a member of the Roman army. The oath that the young man would say as he passed through the archway was called a Sacramentum. This is maybe another reason why Baptism is called the “Gateway to the other Sacraments”.
B. Baptism is the Beginning of One’s Faith Journey.
Jesus’ public ministry began with His own Baptism:
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him. After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son,* with whom I am well pleased.” (Mathew 3:13-17)
It is important to realize that the Father proclaims how pleased He is with Jesus before Jesus has done anything because God’s love is unconditional. We need to remind ourselves that God loves us unconditionally also. If we live our life knowing that God’s love is unconditional verses living life trying to earn God’s love (and you cannot earn love because love that is earned is not love) this fact can change our lives tremendously for the better.
C. Baptism is Accepting Responsibility.
As mentioned before Baptism is the beginning of our faith journey and as parents you are expected to help your child on this journey. Another way of looking at Baptism is to realize that choosing the way that you wish to look at the world and the way that your wish your child to look at the world.
D. Forgiving Original Sin8 Beatitudes
8 Buzzwords
Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit
Jesus tells us that the way to happiness has nothing to do with wealth or having all our material needs met but instead has to do with being in proper relationships with God, others, and oneself.Wealth
The world tells us that the true way to happiness is by selfishly getting all our material needs met. It does not matter how one does it or who one has to hurt. All that matters is "the one with the most toys wins!"
Blessed Are They Who Mourn
Jesus informs us that sadness is a part of life. He encourages us not to run away from it but to embrace it together. It is good for us to have compassion on others and to share their sorrows because it helps builds community and there we will find the strength we need to endure the things to cause us to mourn.Laughter
The world tells us that we should avoid pain and suffering as much as possible and that it is alright and good for us to laugh at other people's misfortunes especially if it takes negative attention off of us.Blessed Are The Meek
Jesus informs us His disciples that being like God has nothing to do with being all powerful, always in control, and always right but rather has everything to do about emptying oneself and being the servant of all out of love.
Security
The world tells us true happiness comes when we control our environments and it is alright to use force if necessary to control our environments. When we focus on our security we see others as the enemy and not as brothers and sisters.Blessed Are They Who Hunger And Thirst For Justice
Jesus encourages us to be passionate about justice and peace and that are to stand up for the rights of all even if this means physical discomfort for usComfort
The world tells us not to get involved and not to care about others. The secret to happiness according to the world is to simply lay back and be as comfortable as possible. There is no need to care about others.Blessed Are The Merciful
Jesus teaches us that if we are to be truly His followers that we must learn to forgive others when they have hurt us. We are to model ourselves after our Heavenly Father who is all loving and all merciful. We are to free ourselves from the pain that comes to us from holding grudges.Revenge
The world tells us that we need to be strong in order to be safe and if someone wrongs us we need to seek revenge. The world tells us that forgiveness is a sign of weakness and that no one should be trusted.Blessed Are The Pure of Heart
Jesus pleads with us to have a pure heart. A heart that is motivated out of love for others and not out of selfishness. We are most like our true-selves Jesus tells us when we are loving and wanting what is best for the other person even if this requires a sacrifice on our part
Sex
The world tells us that life is all about pleasure and it does not matter how we get this pleasure as long as we feel it. The world does not respect the gift of sexuality like the Church does but rather the world inspires people to seek out personal gratification above true sacrificial love.Blessed Are The Peacemakers
Jesus informs us that God is most pleased with us when we are about trying to bring about peace in the world. The God who has never forced Himself on another desires us to imitate His example.Force
The world tells us that "it is the survival of the fittest" and that we need to take what we want otherwise we will be a victim. Who cares about building healthy relationships with others as long as I get what I want.Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted
Jesus honestly tells us His followers that life will not always be easy for us and that quite often the popular choice will not be the correct choice. We are challenge therefore to stand up for what is right and true and never to compromise for the sake of popularity.Popularity
The world tells us that it is more important to be liked than to be right or truthful. The world tells us that the popular opinion is always right even if it is harmful to others
Baptism is also about the removal of Original Sin. Adam and Eve’s doubt in God’s love and rejected God’s will has affected us all. Our first instinct is to not trust in God’s goodness but rather to place ourselves at the center of our existence. Through the grace of Baptism we begin to re-order our world correctly by placing God at the center of the universe and learning to love like He loves. We strive to become more and more selfless instead of selfish. It is kind of like a driver who discovers that his or her car needs regular gasoline instead of diesel. If the driver continues to fill his or her car up with diesel then the engine will eventually fall apart. If we continue to fill our lives with selfishness instead of selflessness we will eventually fall apart. As Christians we follow the 10 Commandments and the precepts of the Church because we belie
ve they will strengthen our relationship with God and a strong relationship with God leads to true and eternal happiness.
E. Adoption into God’s Family
St. Irenaeus of Lyon, an early Church Father, said: “God became Man so that Man can become God,” and that “the glory of God is the human person fully alive.” Sometimes we can feel that we are in competition with God and if God wins we lose. The truth of the matter though is that God really does want what is best for us because He truly loves us. God’s word is creative so if He calls us His sons and daughters we must really be his children. -
3) Godparents
Let us take a moment to explore the role of Godparents. The mission of the Godparents is that they are to be faithful role models for your son or daughter. Since your child is being welcomed into the Catholic faith the Church requires that at least one godparent be a Catholic who has received the Sacrament of Confirmation. A person who accepts the role of a Catholic Godparent without being Catholic is called a “Christian Witness.”
A Godparent therefore should be a Catholic who has not only received the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation but in addition they should be living a life that is consistent with the Catholic faith that your child is to be baptized in. A Godparent should be someone who is comfortable with their Catholic Identity and willing to support parents in raising the child up in the Catholic faith.
The following are some things to consider in choosing Godparents.
Christian Responsibilities of a Godparent
1. Pray for your godchild regularly
2. Set an example of Christian living
3. Help him/her to grow in the faith of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
4. Give every encouragement to follow Christ and fight against evil
Questions to ask yourself before agreeing to be a Godparent
1. Are your views on religion, spirituality and morality similar to the child's parents?
If they are, all well and good. If not, this need not be an obstacle: the parents may have chosen you because your views are different. But make sure the parents know your views and are happy with them before you decide to accept. There is a surprising number of fantastic Godparents out there who are non-Christian but still bring up their Godchildren within the spirit of the Christian values.
2. Are you ready to help the parents of this child in their duty as Christian parents? Being a Godparent involves developing a relationship with the child and helping the parents in his/her spiritual upbringing. There are many different ways of carrying out your duties as Godparent, but one of the most important things to do is to build a relationship with your Godchild. Make time to see your godchild as regularly as you can. Try to give him or her one-to-one attention: find out what makes them tick, what makes them happy or sad. Spending time with your godchild can be very rewarding (for you both). Do you have an interest in the child's well-being?
3. If you really cannot tolerate children maybe you should say so now rather than agreeing and then disappointing later. But bear in mind that many Godparents find they only really begin to establish a relationship with their Godchild when he/she reaches teenage or beyond.
Suggestions
1. Take time to get to know your Godchild
2. Make sure to give them a religious gift at Christmas and Easter
3. Write them a card or take them out to lunch on their baptism anniversary
4. Remind them that you are there to help them grow in their faith
5. As they get older challenge them to grow in their faith. Maybe you could do a joint service project together.
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