Baptism

The Godparents

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Photo by Pixabay

In light of the birth of our beautiful baby girl my husband and I were recently set to our very first task in her religious upbringing, selecting her godparents. Fortunately, every godfather need not be an infamous Italian mobster and godmothers may forgo the magic wand and fairy wings. As with many things today I think the purpose of godparents has gotten a bit lost in more secular traditions, even among devout Catholic circles. Choosing godparents is not at all akin to deciding on members of a wedding party. To be a godfather or godmother is not simply a sentimental honorific title, bestowed upon your closest friends or family. There is one question which must be considered when making this decision. In the unlikely event that you and your spouse are unable to raise your child, who can most be counted on to ensure your baby receives proper faith formation?

Although it certainly is an honor to be one’s godparent (I myself am a proud godmother of two), that is not the primary purpose of the position. Godparents should be chosen for the good of the child only. It is an immense responsibility and a job with defined qualifications. In order to raise a child in the faith one must be of the faith. Both godparents must be practicing Catholics in good standing with the Church. This means they must have received their sacraments of initiation, be regularly attending Sunday mass, and receive the Sacrament of reconciliation at least once a year. It’s only strictly necessary for one godparent to be assigned in order for a child to be baptized in the Catholic Church. In the event that a godmother and godfather can’t be found a member of another christian denomination may participate as a christian witness. However, again, this is for the good of the child and thus, a christian witness should only be considered after exhausting all other options and not as a means of honoring a non-Catholic friend or family member. Additionally, in acknowledgement of the complementary nature of men and women, a child may have only one godfather and one godmother. These will each fulfill a critical and unique role should you and your spouse be indisposed. 

However, godparents are not only called upon to act in the event of tragedy. There are countless little ways godparents can support a child in their faith after baptism. First and foremost, they can and should pray for their godchild. They can also call or send a gift every year on the anniversary of the baptism. In many ways, this day is far more significant than a birthday and ought to be celebrated as such. Children’s books telling the story of the nativity, a first bible or a first rosary are all excellent gift ideas for any occasion but especially on a child’s baptism day. 

Ultimately, a godparent should put forth some effort to be an active participant and role model in the lives of their godchildren. Love these little ones and pray for them as often as possible. How easy it is to slip into habits which turn us away from God in this secular society. As such, every child ought to be able to count on an army of prayer warriors to guide them. There is truly no limit to the power of prayer. 

A Lesson in Humility (Again)

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God is infinitely good. One of the many blessings He grants us is the opportunity to relearn all those little lessons we have a tendency to forget. He never stops loving us and gives us every chance to do better. This summer He gifted me such an opportunity. Some readers may remember my bad day many months ago in A Lesson in Humility. However, I was granted yet another vanity check recently regarding our daughter’s baptism. 

Last year my husband and I had the pleasure and honor of attending our niece’s baptism in Colorado as her godparents. It was a beautiful ceremony hosted at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary which I describe in detail in Baptized on Holy Ground. This was a full baptism mass which was celebrated by a priest who is a long time family friend and the man who ushered my sister and brother-in-law through RCIA. In short, it was an incredibly beautiful and reverent celebration of this brand new baby girl as she entered into a new life in Christ. Even then, before there were any children of our own to speak of, I knew that this was how I wanted to welcome them into the Church. 

One year later, this was the goal as we planned another baptism mass for our own daughter. However, due to a slight mixup, the presiding priest only had faculties to do the baptism and was unable to celebrate a full mass for the occasion. Upon learning this I was crushed. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this condensed ceremony would have the appearance of a drive-by baptism, as if we were just checking a box for our daughter. Receiving any sacrament should be a grand and joyous affair, especially the first, and arguably most significant one. 

My husband and my dad both reminded me it’s the sacrament that ultimately counts. The church, the guests, mass or no mass are all secondary details so long as the sacrament is valid. At the end of the day our baby would be baptized and that’s what matters. Of course, this is all true but did little to comfort me until I spoke with my mom who had originally been similarly disgruntled about the change of plans. “What a beautiful gift it is,” she said, to bring this little girl into the Church through a simple, humble ceremony. We get to remember Christ’s humble beginnings as we welcome this sweet baby. 

It wasn’t quite so grand as I had originally intended but it was no less joyous. Many of our friends and family joined us for the private baptism, including four priests. There was no shortage of love for this baby girl and the gift of baptism was no less profound. As is frequently the case, my mom was right. It was beautiful and this Catholic momma learned a little humility.

Baptized on Holy Ground

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I am officially a godmother! We recently returned from a weekend trip to Colorado where we gathered with friends and family to witness the baptism of our beautiful baby niece in an incredibly reverent and holy Catholic mass. Since the minute she was born, this little girl has been surrounded by grace. Her mother was very recently confessed at the time of her birth, ensuring that this baby was born from the womb of a woman in friendship with God. One of their very first outings as a family was to mass, a weekly ritual in which this sweet infant has been in regular attendance ever since. When we all met in Colorado for her celebration, it was clear that her entrance into the Catholic Church was also especially blessed. 

The baptism was held at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Christ the King Chapel in Denver, CO. This is one of two seminaries in the state of Colorado and complete with all the beauty one would expect to find on such holy ground. Entering this sacred space, my thoughts turned to all the holy men who had prayed here. In fact, it is said that the architect who designed the seminary was not a Catholic when he began, but after doing the research to ensure it was a liturgically-correct design, he was converted to the Church founded by Jesus Christ upon its completion. 

Saints rendered in exquisite stained glass silently watched the proceedings from beneath graceful stone arches and vaulted ceilings. Our niece was baptized in holy water before a stunning gold and marble altar. Here, in this sacred space where priests are made, one baby girl was welcomed into the Lord’s protection in a full baptism mass. This singular ceremony was a tremendous gift from the presiding priest, a formator at the seminary. He is also  the man who had walked my sister and her husband through RCIA and welcomed them into the Church and joined them together in holy matrimony just two years  ago. Now, all three of them met again to celebrate the fruit of that conversion and union. 

For her part, our sweet little niece dozed soundly in her mother’s arms throughout the entire mass, perfectly at ease in the Lord’s house. She didn’t even make a peep when the cool holy water of baptism was poured over her tiny head, as if somehow conscious of the Lord’s perfect love and mercy washing over her. Her tiny angelic face was untroubled as she received her passport to Heaven before an assembly of smiling grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, family friends, and of course the cloud of witnesses celebrating the inauguration of a new member to the faith of Christ.

Renewal of Easter

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I am officially a toddler in catholic years. Yesterday was my two-year anniversary as a baptized and practicing Catholic. I am a more dedicated follower of Christ than I have ever been but the journey continues. God is almighty and infinitely merciful. I look forward to many more years of learning and growing in Him. 

Yesterday was Easter Sunday when we celebrated the Resurrection of Christ from the dead and renewed our own baptismal vows. This is the perfect time to light our baptism candles once again and pray for a renewal of spirit. The joy of Easter and the Resurrection will carry us all the way to the feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles. I pray everyone has a happy and blessed Easter season. 

A Celebrity During Holy Week

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Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger

Yesterday was Palm Sunday when we triumphantly celebrated Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem and the start of Holy Week. Although this is a joyous week for Catholics around the world as we all prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Christ next Sunday, it holds particular significance to me as it also marks the anniversary of my induction into the Church. Just a couple of short years ago I was passing out palms to parishioners before mass although I quickly discovered that they were the ones welcoming me. 

That week I felt almost like a celebrity as people I’d never met before stopped to chat and congratulate me on my imminent baptismal promises. I heard many conversion stories from my fellow parishioners as well as expressions of love for Christ and for me, a soon to be baby Catholic. I believe this was the Holy Spirit working in my life, softening my heart in a final preparation to receive Christ. 

Over the next six days our lenten fasting will come to an end as we remember the Last Supper on Holy Thursday. Here we will also participate in the Washing of the Feet as Christ washed the feet of his disciples who would become the first priests of the Catholic Church. We will commemorate the crucifixion and death of Christ on Good Friday and eagerly await His resurrection on Easter Sunday.

I pray that this week is a time of reflection for all Catholics to remember their baptismal promises and consider how they continue to hold true today. Why are you catholic? How do you give glory to God in your life?