- Feb 5, 2002
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There is a distinctive pause the moment a parent witnesses their child's Baptism. This momentary pause of pure awe and wonder is quite natural because it reveals the intimate love a parent has for their child. It expresses a desire for their child to receive everything necessary to strengthen the awe and wonder that are witnessed by both parents, the child, and the community. When the Priest proclaims the words of Jesus Christ and proceeds to initiate the child into the Kingdom of God in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the gift of grace, which is the free and undeserved help that God gives to respond to his call to become children of God (CCC 1996) is immediately thrust upon the child and witnessed by all present. The child is now officially claimed by God through Jesus Christ, the Son, and confirmed by the Holy Spirit.
It should surprise no one that what was just described is a real event, the literal administration of a sacrament specifically meant to initiate a human being made in the image and likeness of God to permanently become part of the family of God in the Catholic Church. Hence, the seal of baptism can never be undone; it is permanently unbroken. Now, the journey takes a different turn; the newly baptized will require constant spiritual nourishment in the Catholic faith. A holy urgency exists to strengthen the faith of the child and not to allow the awe and wonder witnessed at baptism to diminish or, worse, become unrecognizable altogether.
As a child matures both in age and wisdom, the urgency to view the world through a Catholic lens becomes more important. The grace received at baptism serves as the initial step to help the child grow and mature in his awareness of God as Father and Creator, himself as a child made in the image and likeness of God, and his place in this world under the guidance of his parents, but even more by the Holy Spirit. The urgency to continue the child’s awareness of his faith takes a significant turn upon preparation to receive the sacrament of Confirmation and eventually the Holy Eucharist. The sacrament of Confirmation, which is part of the sacraments of initiation along with the Holy Eucharist, specifically completes the graces the child received at baptism by an outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit through an anointing with chrism. Confirmation imparts a permanent seal and an indelible mark in union with Jesus Christ to go forth and actively live a life representative of the Apostles.
Continued below.
It should surprise no one that what was just described is a real event, the literal administration of a sacrament specifically meant to initiate a human being made in the image and likeness of God to permanently become part of the family of God in the Catholic Church. Hence, the seal of baptism can never be undone; it is permanently unbroken. Now, the journey takes a different turn; the newly baptized will require constant spiritual nourishment in the Catholic faith. A holy urgency exists to strengthen the faith of the child and not to allow the awe and wonder witnessed at baptism to diminish or, worse, become unrecognizable altogether.
As a child matures both in age and wisdom, the urgency to view the world through a Catholic lens becomes more important. The grace received at baptism serves as the initial step to help the child grow and mature in his awareness of God as Father and Creator, himself as a child made in the image and likeness of God, and his place in this world under the guidance of his parents, but even more by the Holy Spirit. The urgency to continue the child’s awareness of his faith takes a significant turn upon preparation to receive the sacrament of Confirmation and eventually the Holy Eucharist. The sacrament of Confirmation, which is part of the sacraments of initiation along with the Holy Eucharist, specifically completes the graces the child received at baptism by an outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit through an anointing with chrism. Confirmation imparts a permanent seal and an indelible mark in union with Jesus Christ to go forth and actively live a life representative of the Apostles.
Continued below.
