January 22, 2010
The Christian Journey
God’s gift of faith is never just for ourselves
BY FATHER JIM SAUER
In our many articles on infant baptism, did you ever wonder, “whose baptism are we really celebrating?” Our first response would most likely be “Why, the baby’s baptism,” which is correct. However, in taking a closer look at the Rite of Infant Baptism, we notice that infant baptism is an opportunity for parents to renew their own baptism. One particular moment during the ceremony makes this explicitly clear. Immediately before the baby’s baptism, the priest says to the parents and godparents “If your faith makes you ready to accept this responsibility, renew now the vows of your own baptism. Reject sin; profess your faith in Christ Jesus. This is the faith of the Church. This is the faith in which your child is about to be baptized.” (Paragraph 56, italics added for emphasis)
The sacraments are also for the entire Church. Bishop Gettelfinger — in his columns in the Message in past months — has encouraged parishes to celebrate infant baptisms during Sunday Eucharist. Not only do our parishioners need to welcome the parents and their newly baptized baby into our community; the parish also needs to make a public commitment to witness their faith in Christ to them. Just as in the adult Rite of Entrance into the Catechumenate, the priest needs to ask our parishioners if they are willing to support the parents and their babies to grow in their faith in Christ. Only when this commitment is given should the priest proceed to welcome the baby into the Christian Community with the signing of the cross. Infant baptism during Sunday Eucharist challenges our parishes to grasp that baptism commits us to help one another.
Canon 867.1 states that parents should contact the pastor either before or immediately after the baby’s birth. We encourage parents to enroll themselves in the baptismal sessions during the 40 weeks of pregnancy. We have six sessions over a 12-week period, which we devote to them. We try to impress upon them that just as God is bringing forth a new human life through their love, so God invites them to cooperate with him in bringing their child to a new life in Christ, which begins in baptism. They can easily see the connection between these two marvelous aspects of being co-creators with God and both highlight their expectations.
A question we often hear is this: “We’ve already had two children baptized and have ‘gone through’ the baptismal program at that time, must we participate again?” My typical answer is usually “yes.” The reason for my answer is that God’s gift of faith is never just for ourselves. God’s faith joins us to a community of other believers. Their participation can be a valuable asset to the entire group as they witness to those whose faith and participation in parish life may be weak. Such parents could also serve as “Sponsor Couples” for other parents in the baptismal sessions.
How often do we hear some parishioners say “I don’t go to Mass anymore because ‘I don’t get anything out of it.’” I doubt Jesus got much out of hanging on the cross for three hours. Even our faith can become very self-centered without our noticing it! Especially at Mass where we celebrate Christ, giving his “Body for us” and “the shedding of His Blood for us,” “my getting something out of it” is simply the wrong starting point. Christians must always be more concerned about the gifts they bring to the Church for the welfare of others than their own. God, help us see that you have brought us together to be here for one another.