Some babies scream endlessly, some are angelic, but Osborne Park Parish Priest Fr Michael Gatt sees a profound meaning in his regular work as a Catholic priest baptising babies…
It gives me much pleasure to report that during 2010 I have been privileged to have baptised 75 newly born babies, and what a pleasure I shared with the parents in their preparation as well as their family members and friends in the celebration of the Sacrament in the church at the Baptism of their children.
I know for sure that some people today have some sort of hesitation about what to say to the priest when he asks about the baptism of their children.
In general I always welcome any request for the Sacrament of Baptism unless there is some serious reason to consider the request, for example, a request without the consent of both parents.
The good reasons for accepting, denying or delaying requests from parents to baptise their children can vary immensely.
For example, it took St Augustine 30 years to decide about it, but eventually he became a Doctor of the Church.
Another example is that one of the current eminent Cardinals in Rome still cherishes the friendship and love of his dear pagan mother.
Baptism is the sign by which we are loved and “re-created” in God’s own image (like a gold plated chalice).
To suggest that a child should be left alone until old enough to make his or her own decision is really to miss the whole point of what baptism is all about.
The point, simply, is that just as we need the love of our parents to grow as a human being, so do we need the love of our heavenly Father to grow as a child of God. Without love we grow up unhappy. And the love we receive doesn’t make us less free, but more free.
Baptising a baby, before the baby can make the slightest effort to do anything for his or her own salvation, says very dramatically that all salvation is from God. Clearly, in the adult there must already be an element of faith – some sign of accepting God’s love. But an infant is carried to the font by the faith of the family.
Again, when Jesus was asked indirectly about His new baptism, He simply replied: “I tell you, of all the children born of women, there is no greater than John: yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he is” (Luke 7:28).