Baptism

Like most people that I know, I was baptized as an infant at about the age of six months. It was in a Methodist church, in Pomona California, with a few relatives present to witness the event. That’s it, end of story; at least I didn’t think about what that meant for at least another twenty four years.

I was baptized as a Christian of course, into the Body of Christ through the usual sprinkling of water on the head, and in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. My original Baptismal certificate was lost in a fire at the Methodist church, and my replacement looks a little like a get well card, but I do know the name of the pastor who baptized me.

Everyone I knew was baptized, or at least I assumed they were. Some of the kids I grew up with attended church occasionally, although most of them didn’t, and although baptism was never a topic of discussion I just assumed that everyone was baptized. I regularly attended an Evangelical church with my Mom, my brother, and my sister, eventually earning a ten year attendance pin that I received during high school.

Like most people I know I grew up Christian, and like my Baptism I assumed everyone else was Christian as well. Attending Sunday school and church was something that we always did, and in fact my Mom considered it mandatory. Usually she tried to get us to the Wednesday night service as well, although that didn’t always work out for her. I can remember stopping to go to church on vacations, including when on camping trips.

After high school I was exposed to people who claimed to be Christian although I was a bit surprised that they didn’t behave as I had been taught. While in college I was drafted into the Army, which prompted me to volunteer for the Navy where I spent the next six years at sea; with plenty of time to observe the behavior of others less instructed than I.

Religion was not on their list of priorities, nor was it on mine really, although what I had learned in Sunday school and church protected me from anything that I might have regretted later. I printed a label with the name Theophilus, which means Lover of God, and stuck it to my bunk in a room that I shared with twenty six other guys. Although I was sometimes fascinated by their behavior, I was never tempted to follow their examples, which meant that I didn’t find myself in the kinds of situations that complicated their lives.

I believe in the power of transformation as a result of baptism, and although I wasn’t aware of it at the time a sense of community was installed in me at the time of my baptism. It’s more than being sprinkled with water of course; it’s a regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. As part of the gift of the Holy Spirit, I became part of an extended community with an intimate connection with Jesus.

Through my baptism a profound and permanent change was instilled in me through my symbolic death and resurrection with Christ. Without Jesus in my life I would be a slave to my own sins, but through the power of the Holy Spirit in my life I was not just forgiven from original sin, I was brought closer to Christ.

Baptism is necessary for salvation, but with or without water, what is truly necessary is a desire to be like Christ. Although it’s a mystery, it’s not magic; it’s a life long journey of conversion during which we are dependent on the community around us for support. As children we begin this journey with help from our family, and as adults we continue this journey with help from our community. Eternal life with Christ begins at our baptism, not our death.

Christians belong to Jesus forever, and having received new birth in Christ they are members of a common priesthood. Christians know in their heart that they are a child of God, and through the grace of God they are constantly being drawn towards their creator. Parents should understand that in baptism they are giving birth to a newborn soul, the gift of God, and that they have an obligation to nurture this new life in the light of God.

I became a father at about the age of twenty four; long before I became Catholic or even understood that Catholics were Christians. As a new father the subject of baptism comes up and family decisions are made. I thought this decision was faced by everyone since everyone was Christian, and although I realized that baptism was automatic for most people, it was a very difficult decision for me.

I was raised in the 60s and 70s and was influenced by the ideas of the “free-love, do-what-you-want, I’m-ok-you’re-ok” generation. Life was different back then, and although I was too young to take advantage of the “free love thing”, it seemed far ahead of my parent’s generation. My generation was going to solve the problems of hunger, and prejudice, and adopt the metric system. Life was good and the future was bright!

Unfortunately, many of those who were raised in the 60s and 70s and who adopted the “I’m ok you’re ok” life style, have failed their children. Not wanting to program their children, they decided to let their children make up their own minds about baptism. At the time I’m sure it seemed like a sensible carefully considered decision. Today I’m sure it feels like a mistake. Not the simple mistake of forgetting to stop at the store, but the kind of mistake that drives people into depression, with the conviction of knowing that they’ve condemned their children to hell.

Yes the child still has the opportunity to decide for themselves; to choose life instead of death, the life that Jesus gained for them on the cross. Now is the time for prayer, because without the advantage of baptism the child is on its own. The God given gift of the Holy Spirit has not been actively present in their lives since childhood. Without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, choosing to become a child of the light becomes more difficult as one gets older.

Accepting adults for baptism is easy, and we do it all the time without considering their future Parish involvement. Why then are we so concerned when inactive parents want their children to be baptized, or for that matter when grandparents present their grandchildren for baptism? I do not believe that we can refuse adults or children the gift of the Holy Spirit. Instead, we are provided with an opportunity to re-introduce inactive parents into the church.

During discussions about the baptismal process for their child we should meet with the parents to discuss their needs as well. Asking questions such as “why do you want your child to be baptized”, and “what do you understand about baptism”, can help parents understand the continuing need for the child’s formation, as well as their own.

A discussion about the sacrament of baptism should describe how the sacraments are for people, and that they are meant to bring about a genuine humanness modeled on the human Christ. Although they are complex rituals with roots in the Bible and Tradition, they are simply a communal response to God’s call. They are external signs of our encounter with God’s love and internal signs of our receipt of God’s grace. Biblical signs and symbols are related to our human experience and are meant to enrich each of us daily.

How do we engage in a conversation concerning the radical conversion of baptism? Ask them to come to Mass and tell them “I will look for you”. Ask them to join a faith sharing group and tell them “I will go with you”. Try to encourage the parents to rejoin the community in other ways, such as parish picnics and special events. Most importantly pray, and leave room for the Spirit to work.

We cannot and should not penalize the child if the parents refuse to re-engage with the community. This is not an either or situation with a strict code of justice and we cannot control the outcome. If the parent decides not be part of the community, then the community must accept the responsibility to provide for the child.

As a collection of like-minded people we are responsible for those who are struggling. The whole community of Christ must accept the responsibility and care of those who need the guidance of the Holy Spirit, or have not yet benefited from a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ as their personal savior. The sacraments are the signs of God’s ever present activity in Jesus; not only for those celebrating them but for everyone.

Over the years and prior to joining the Catholic Church I began to consider what my baptism meant in the larger picture of the world that surrounded me. I began to understand that my baptism connected me to others and that I was part of a community much larger than I ever imagined. What’s more, this community of believers wasn’t just a collection of like-minded people, they were part of who I was and had become. For me it included a growing sense of responsibility that I needed to acknowledge and nurture. I was responsible for the care of this community and they were responsible for me.

Eventually I understood that within the Catholic Church I was connected to this extended community in a deeply spiritual and physical way. I’ve always believed that life isn’t about one against the many, nor were we supposed to go it alone like the song sung by Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, “I Did It My Way”. My view of life had always been more like the Three Musketeers motto, “One for all and all for one”. I’ve always believed that we’re all in “it” together, and that we were meant to care for one another, in all things.

I also believe that these ideas didn’t just come to me, over time, through my own effort; they were instilled in me at the time of my baptism. In that small church in Southern California and surrounded by family, God gave a little child the gift of the Holy Spirit. Growing up in the Church of the Nazarene, then college and the Navy, and even today the Holy Spirit has been actively present in my life, guiding me with both positive and negative reinforcement, to the life that Jesus gained for me on the cross.

Just as adult baptism is encouraged because it’s necessary for salvation, it also allows the Holy Spirit to sanctify their souls, to move through them for the glory of God. Infant baptism should be encouraged, regardless of the parents understanding and commitment, because by it God establishes His children in Christ and anoints them, putting His seal on them and His Spirit in their hearts.

Baptism is the embrace of God who first loved us. We can only understand what baptism means for us when we consider what Jesus’ own baptism meant for him. God showed everyone present that Jesus was The One who is anointed by God, and through the words of Jesus we are sent forth “to make disciples of all the earth”.

Jesus is the face of God and the Church is the historical face of Jesus. If we see the Church as a gathering of the baptized in faith striving to be Christ in the world, then we have a community; and we have a sign of Jesus himself.

Through Baptism we are initiated into the Church through Jesus’ Love for us, and we become one with Christ, just as Heaven and earth become one during Mass. From that point we see life differently. We are not only filled with Jesus’ love but we are compelled to share that love with others.

The sacrament of Baptism is a communities’ celebration of the mystery of salvation. One of the mysteries foreshadowed in Israel’s history, brought to fulfillment in Jesus, and affected here and now in the Church. The rest of our earthly existence is to become morally what we are objectively through baptism, the sons and daughters of God.

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Assignment:

Please take about two pages and in your own words present the theology of Baptism. For the rest of the paper, please discuss in your own words this pastoral situation. How might you work with inactive (non-church going) Catholic parents who want their child baptised in your parish? Discuss the issues involved and suggest a detailed pastoral plan.

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Evaluation:

This paper was submitted on time, and was eventually returned with comments and suggestions for improvement. Although I knowingly deviated from the instructors desires regarding this paper, she didn't ask me to re-write it. Here are her comments.

1) Although almost every paragraph had underlined portions and was notated with "great", "impressive", "excellent points", "very good", "you're so right about this", etc, I'll skip to what she wrote at the end.

2) "You make some excellent points. The reflections on your faith over a lifetime are very powerful! Your words are full of wisdom and conviction. I was looking for the first half of the paper to be an integrated theology of Baptism rooted in the lecture notes. Your paper doesn't offer that. So many of the key theological points you omit or don't explain (she included a short list of missed points)."

3) "The second part of the paper was to be a pastor's detailed description of the plan for inactive Catholic parents bringing their child for Baptism. You don't offer that. You don't mention church teaching on this issue. While I appreciate your strong sense of church as community, I find it unrealistic to suggest a parish can raise children in the faith without the parents present."

As I said earlier I knowingly deviated from the instructors desires. My problem with this paper is that I am not prepared to write a "detailed description of a plan for inactive parents", Catholic or otherwise. I'm not even sure what the church's teaching is on this point (I better find out) but I know that if I were the pastor of my Parish I would not refuse to baptize a child, because as I tried to suggest in the paper the Gift of the Holy Spirit is to important.