Baptism

Kevin Doherty, Adm., Parish of Clonmany

Welcome

Congratulations on the birth of your child! Our Parish Family shares in your joy. And, if you so choose, we look forward to welcoming your child into our Catholic Christian faith community.

Often, and understandably, a question for many parents about baptism is ’when will it be?’ Knowing the date, of course, is important, but it is not the most important. We’re not focused so much on the when of baptism as the why … for without understanding the why, the when doesn’t really matter.  Let’s take a look at why this might be.

Here’s a trick question! On a scale of 1 — 10, how much love do you believe the arrival of your beautiful child has brought into your life, and into your family? As parents, you know what a ridiculous question that is … because the love brought by your beautiful child into your lives is immeasurable.

We see on the love-ometer what that looks like. You love with all your heart, and with all your life.

You surrender your life in love for your child, and would not have it any other way. And perhaps, sometimes, you wonder if you have any love left in the tank — and that is when you love five times as much! This is what unconditional love looks like.

Here is another image of that exact same love. As the most loving parents have loved the most fragile child, so too we have been loved. The One we sometimes call ‘God’ has died on the Tree of Life for us, so that death cannot hold us. More than we can ever imagine, we have been loved (literally) into Eternity.

¨ The only way the sacrament of baptism can ever make sense is when we come to understand that such inexpressible and unconditional love is at the heart of everything we believe in. That love … and nothing else.

This is why Saint John reminds us of the way of things, the ‘Why’ of baptism:

             It is not our love for GOD we are talking about, it is GOD’s love for us.

This means that preparing for baptism requires a lot more than picking a date. Much more important is coming to our best understanding of what it is to be baptised in the Ireland of today, and into our Parish Faith Family.  There will be a time of preparation. Families enquiring about baptism will gather together a few times and have a look (with a cup of tea, of course) at some obvious things. This will include:

  • What is baptism anyway, and why do we have it?
  • Is there any difference between being baptised, and not being baptised, and does it even matter?
  • What does being baptised offer us, and what does it ask of us?
  • Is being baptised really something I want in my life, at this time, and in the lives of those I love?

The preparation will also include joining our parish Family at the celebration of Sunday Eucharist, and maybe for a cup of tea afterwards.

The ‘When’

The celebration of baptism takes place on a Sunday, the day of Resurrection. When a choice is made by families that they would like to begin the journey of preparation for baptism, a date will be set for the celebration of the sacrament.

What Baptism is about (from our Catechism, 1213)

Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life,
the gateway to the life of the Spirit,
and the door which gives access to the other sacraments.

Through Baptism
we are freed from sin
and reborn as sons and daughters of God.
We become members of Christ,
are incorporated into the Church,
and made SHARERS IN HER MISSION.

All, of course, reminding us:

It is not our love for GOD we are talking about … it is GOD’s love for us.