Thinking about Baptism

Shortly after becoming Pope in 1978 John Paul II made an historic visit to his homeland. His pastoral journey took him back to his roots - his native parish where he had been born and raised. There he was pictured in a small, remote rural church gazing prayerfully into an old stone baptismal font. The caption underneath told everything -’This is where it all began.’


As parents, family and friends you are rightly rejoicing this day in the birth of you child. God has blessed you with the precious gift of a child of your own. Now you want nothing short of the best for him/her. In presenting your child for baptism you are formally requesting his/her entry into God’s family. The local Christian community or parish is God’s family as far as each of us is concerned.


We gather in great numbers to bid farewell to a departing Christian. Should we not try to do likewise when welcoming a new Christian among us?



Baptism is one of the three sacraments of initiation, along with Confirmation and Eucharist. Baptism celebrates belonging to God and being born and welcomed into the family of God, the Church. We celebrate the addition of another member to that family, our own belonging to God and to each other, and the welcoming work that we do, the welcoming community that we are challenged to be. Baptisms often occur in the midst of the welcoming community during a Sunday liturgy.


The celebration of infant Baptism is a way of reminding ourselves that our membership in the Church is, first of all, God's choice.  It also emphasizes the confident hope that is characteristic of a community that welcomes all newcomers.  On the other hand, initiation of adults is acquiring greater visibility and importance in today's Church.  A large part of this initiation is a walking together and a chance to grow in faith for both the individual and the community.  Adult Baptism lets us see that we are not just adding one more member, but we are accepting into our family somebody with a history that enriches ours, somebody with gifts and graces that we lacked before.  We get to know something about God that we didn't know before.  Baptism isn't just for the individual; it's a gift to the believing community.


The main special symbol of Baptism, pouring water or better, immersion in water, is not primarily a sign of being washed clean of sin, although original sin and all personal sins are forgiven in Baptism. Rather it tells us about death and new life. Going under the water in Baptism symbolizes dying to the old life and sin. Coming up again is like rising to a new life in God. This doesn't mean that at the moment of Baptism an individual dies to everything that was before and rises to something totally new.  Rather, a community celebrates the dying and rising work God's grace has been accomplishing all along.  Easter, the feast of the resurrection, is the appropriate time for welcoming new adult members into the community with the celebration of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist in the Easter Vigil liturgy.


The belonging that we celebrate in Baptism, psychologists say, is everyone's goal.  Baptism offers the challenge to the Christian families and communities of creating ways to welcome and walk with everyone, including strangers, people of diverse backgrounds, and those whose mistaken sense of their identity leads them to seek belonging through inappropriate or destructive behaviour.




Giving birth is said to be an experience, parenthood a way of life. One passes, the other never ends. It is like that with the sacrament of Baptism - the conferring is an experience for your child, the sacrament never ends. And you are part of the sacrament, the major part. You strengthen them for life.


You are waiting for the Holy Spirit to come to your children.


You also bring the Holy Spirit to them.


You are like Mary with the apostles, waiting in prayer and expectation for the first Pentecost. All because you want your chid to be the best he or she can be! If you could choose, would it be a doctor, teacher, a student or would you go further and ask for 'happy'thoughtful, 'decent' honourable, 'wise' kind, 'thoughtful'?



Is your ultimate desire that he/she be something or a certain kind of person ? This is an occasion for asking questions about your values the things you consider important.

Do you value the gifts of the Holy Spirit

1.    Wisdom - Someone balanced, easy, forgiving,
2.    Understanding - someone who can see both sides, not blinded by selfishness or prejudice.
3.    Right Judgement - Nobody’ fool, someone you would turn to for advice.
4.    Courage - One who can stand on his/her own feet, someone with backbone and character.
5.    Knowledge - Someone thoughtful, aware,
6.    Reverence - someone with a regard for life and things and people and God. Someone respectful.
7.    Wonder & Awe - Someone not sour and cynical. Someone who delights in all that is good


Would you like these for your son/daughter ? Yes?

Then you would like the Holy Spirit to come with all his gifts!

But who produces this man/women?

Is it the priest ? No.

Can it be done in a day? No.


The Holy Spirit doesn’t work in that way. He works through agents and the main agents, the main concelebrants are the parents.


Baptism is parents day too. All the gifts you wish for your child you need for yourself. Over the next number of years you will need an abundance of wisdom, understanding, right judgement, courage and so on.


It is a scary time. We are told often enough it is a terrible world. But fear is a pre-baptism word - your children are not afraid. Don't frighten them. Prepare them. Innoculate them. Arm them. Strengthen them and support them.
You have much to offer your children, parish and community. This baptism time is an occasion for reviewing your relationship with God and with your community.


Don’t underestimate the power of example. - doing the right things, going to mass and passing on the faith.


Remember what they say about rules. They are laid down in childhood, flouted in adolescence and re established in adulthood. Faith is like that too.