In Divine
Love We Have Been Baptized
One of the most memorable
baptisms I have ministered at our parish, was the baptism of a baby born to
parents from the Basque region in Spain. The parents explained to me beforehand
that in their regional Basque Catholic culture, parents read a letter to their
child during the baptism ceremony. They asked me if I would allow the practice,
and I gladly accepted.
The letter said something
along these lines: “Welcome to the world! We love you, and God has graced us
with you. Your whole life lies ahead of you. We do not know what kind of
personality you will develop, but we are so grateful to be your parents, to see
you grow, and surround you with love. We wish you much happiness, but we know
that at times there will be sadness and loss. Amid all that makes life a
reality, plumb its depths and know that from today onwards, life eternal is
your gift. Return always to your loving savior, in whom today and always you
will be found. Remember that God delights in you.”
I’ve done my best to
convey the beauty of that letter, because I forgot the exact words. The parents
knew that the eternal love of God in Jesus Christ was about to flood the life
of their child. While they wished the child well, the letter also was realistic
about possible unknown challenges ahead. Yet there was so much faith and hope,
because they knew that God had chosen their child for a holy life on earth, and
for an eternal life of boundless joy in heaven.
If the letter carried
throughout a motif, it was perhaps that of gift. The child was a gift, their
parental love was a gift, and the boundless love of God was a gift. This last
one, the love of God, is a gift available to us all.
On this Sunday, as we end
the Christmas season by celebrating the Baptism of Jesus, we celebrate that in
Jesus Christ the love of God has been revealed to us, and that we have begun to
partake of it from the moment of our own baptism.
God bless, Fr. Carlos, OSA
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