At this time of year, the parish is blessed to be celebrating a good number of Baptisms, which is a wonderful sign of hope and growth of the Church. Of course, it’s also a wonderful time for families to come together as we welcome new members into the Church.

However, Baptism is not just a social event or a rite of passage. It is a “sacrament of salvation” which changes the soul forever. It is a moment of grace when the soul of the child is freed from Original Sin, marked with the indelible seal of Christ, and made a member of the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Catholic Church. It is also a moment of grave responsibility, particularly for parents and godparents, who stand before God and make solemn promises on behalf of the child.

When parents bring their child to church for Baptism, they are saying to God, “Lord, I promise to bring this child up in the faith. I will bring them to Mass, and I will make sure they know You, love You and serve You.” In practice this means: teaching the child to pray; taking them to Mass every Sunday and Holyday of Obligation; ensuring they are catechised according to the truth of the Catholic Faith; keeping them from moral and spiritual harm; and giving witness by striving to lead a holy life themselves. While the parish, the priest and the Catholic school may assist in this, “Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children” (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2223). If parents don’t pray, don’t speak about God, and don’t live according to the Church’s moral teaching, the children are likely to walk away from the faith. And that’s not good for the parents or for the child. But sometimes parents do everything right, and later on, the child still walks away. While this is very upsetting, we are never without hope. Keep witnessing to the truth, keep praying, and trust God will do the rest sometime in the future. The seed has been planted, and often in times of difficulty or loss, those seeds of faith begin to stir again.

The Church insists a godparent must be a practising Catholic, someone who is confirmed, receives the sacraments regularly, is at least 16 years of age, and lives in accordance with Church teaching. People often pick godparents for the wrong reasons: “She’s my best friend, and will feel hurt if I don’t ask.” If someone doesn’t go to Mass and lives contrary to Church teaching, they shouldn’t be a godparent. A godparent is one who will pray for your child, and if necessary, call them back to the faith if they stray. So choose a godparent carefully, because this is about salvation. But if your child doesn’t know how to pray, doesn’t know the Ten Commandments, doesn’t come to Mass regularly, hasn’t been to Confession in years, it’s not too late. God is merciful. Start again today. Lead them back home. Teach them to love JESUS, and show good Catholic example – all the time! Your child’s soul is worth it.

Fr Paul Gillham, IC