After 59 years, I’m finally getting to celebrate the day I became a member of God’s family! Although I knew my baptismal date was important, it took me this long to reach out to my hometown church, to learn of the date.
The first time I called Our Lady of the Assumption Church, the new name of the Catholic Church in which I was baptized, I asked for the baptismal date of Cynthia Brewer. I was surprised when she called back and said it did not exist. Then I started laughing when I realized I had given her my married name. After more missed calls and messages, I finally discovered the date was April 1, 1962.
Now, those who don’t believe in infant baptism will think the date fitting; to me, it’s precious!
It was a happy day. It was also the day my parent’s best friends finally got to celebrate having a baby boy after having first welcomed three daughters. When the father heard the news from the doctor, he thought it was an April Fool’s Day Joke! “Boy” was he surprised.
WHY INFANT BAPTISM?
The first and main purpose for infant baptism is to remove the effects of original sin and to initiate the child into the Christian family. Infant baptism has been celebrated since at least the 2nd century and perhaps as early as the 1st century when whole “households” entered the Church (Acts 16:15, 33, 18:8; 1 Cor 1:16).
Baptism gives us the grace of becoming a child of God. What parent would refuse this for their child? This is the day a Christian is adopted into God’s family.
We don’t wait for a child to choose to be adopted by its new parents, so we don’t wait for a child to choose to become a member of the family of God.
The Christians carried on the practice of the Jews. Jesus became an official Jew when he was eight days old, the day he was circumcised—32 days before he was even presented to the Lord in the Temple.
So, imitate the practice of the Jews and the early Christians. Bring your children into the Family!
Today, I will celebrate the day of my baptism with a delicious, white cake with butter-cream frosting—Happy Baptismal Day to Me!
