There is always something special and happy about baptism during the season of Advent.
Today's Mass readings were particularly appropriate for the five families bringing their children to baptism. Isaiah spoke of exulting for joy in the Lord while the extract from Paul's Letter to the Thessalonians began 'Be happy at all times...' The Gospel reading was from John and - of course - it was about John the Baptist.
During the Baptism preparation class, the parents are asked what they want for their children. The answers often include reference to 'happiness,' 'protection,' 'right living,' 'knowing God,' 'doing right,' 'going to Heaven,' 'joining the Church family,' 'peace' and so on. Baptism is indeed the doorway that gives entrée to all these and more.
It was clearly a multinational gathering today. The five sets of parents together with their guests came from Poland, Hungary, Brazil, Russia, Belarus, Slovakia, Italy, Ireland, Switzerland and the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom.
Fr. Kevin made the point that, through baptism, the children were now joining a much larger family, the family of Catholic Christians worldwide who number 1.2 billion, and is itself a part of the family of Christians worldwide, a family that is not defined by race, language or national origin, but by unity of faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment