Don’t wait too long to baptize your baby
Don’t wait too long to baptize your baby
I recently marked my birthday. Twenty days following my arrival into the world, my godparents took me to Immaculate Conception Parish in Maplewood, Missouri, for my baptism conducted by the pastor, Father John Ryan.
Mom shared that she and Dad were anxious since they had anticipated a two-week wait but had instead waited nearly three weeks, and they were worried about getting reprimanded!
How much this has transformed! Nowadays, we priests are baptizing “infants” who are sometimes a year old. While I certainly don’t advocate for going back to the two-to-three-week waiting period — as admirable as I think that is — I do question whether we are currently postponing baptism for our infants for far too long.
We have happily moved past the anxiety of worrying that the baby could pass away before receiving the sacrament, which would consequently prevent them from entering heaven. This is not the most positive motivation to hasten. baptism. However, given the immeasurable significance of this profound sacrament, shouldn’t we prioritize the baptism of an infant, ideally within the initial two to three months following birth?
Parents certainly don’t delay appointments with the pediatrician and necessary vaccinations for the physical well-being of our beloved new arrival. That’s commendable. Shouldn’t we be just as keen to ensure our infants receive the profound spiritual blessings of the cherished little ones, at the earliest opportunity?
Becoming part of God’s family
What are these advantages? Certainly, the purification from original sin, along with the acknowledgment of divine adoption, the reception of the infant into the spiritual family of the Church, and the blessings of safeguard and inner fortitude for the small child. The newborn is delicate, defenseless, oblivious to the mystery and grandeur of the sacrament. This is appropriate, as it is entirely a genuine, undeserved gift. In God’s perspective, we are all “little ones.”
I acknowledge that baptism is, in a wonderful way, a moment for family commemoration and coming together, and that, nowadays, as families tend to be dispersed, it may take some time to bring everyone together. However, we shouldn’t delay for too long!
Throughout Lent, we remember our baptism and celebrate that tens of thousands of adults nationwide, including catechumens and candidates, are nearing the conclusion of their preparations for their entrance into the life of Christ at the Easter Vigil, when we all reaffirm our commitments. However, these are grown-ups … let’s not delay that long for infants!
A priest shared with me about a call from a mother looking to enroll her 2-year-old in the parish’s well-known and overpopulated school. The priest inquired whether the child had been baptized. “Not yet,” answered the mother. “Well, let’s prioritize,” the priest responded. “First, we need to handle the sacrament.”
No, I’m not suggesting that we should ever withhold from a child at any point this monumental experience. sacrament. Heaven forbid! However, it does unnerve me when the “infant” is able to stroll up to the baptismal font!
