WHY BAPTISE?

´Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you´(Mt 28,19-20)

The vast majority of parents bring their new born child to church to be baptised. Why? Perhaps because it is a family tradition or because it is an opportunity to gather friends and relatives for a social occasion, or to guarantee a school place for the child a few years hence or because of a faith conviction that it is important to be formally part of the church community. Or it could be a mixture of these and other motives with one or other predominating in the parents´ minds.

From a faith perspective baptism is a celebration of God´s call to become a member of the community of believers.

Baptism is the first sacrament celebrated in a person´s life. It is the starting point in the faith journey of that person. To baptise a child is to give a direction to its life, to nourish awareness of God´s love, to express gratitude for the gifts of life and of faith, to confirm one´s belonging to a community of faith.

The baptism of a child reminds parents and godparents of their responsibility to evangelize, to help another grow in faith. It is not without reason that all present at the ceremony are invited to renew their own baptismal promises before the child is baptised.

In the quotation above from St. Matthew´s gospel there are two instructions – to baptise and to teach. The latter causes some anxiety for many parents because they feel they are not equipped for such a role. However, one can also teach by giving example and that is in the gift of all. By actively living their own faith parents are already helping their children to grow in the faith. By praying themselves, by participating in church activities, by living the virtues of patience, tolerance, kindness and honesty parents are giving Christian witness, showing by example how a follower of Jesus lives. In this way they fulfill the undertaking they made on the occasion of their child´s baptism.

The reasons for baptising a child may not always be crystal clear or neatly defined. However, the more the commitment to a life of faith emerges as the principal reason the more we are in tune with the true meaning of this sacrament.