There, I died...
...and was raised to new Life in Christ through the waters of Baptism.
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| In this picture at my baptism, my Dad is holding me. My Uncle Bernie, my godfather, stands to the left of my Dad in a lighter-colored suit, and my Aunt Terri, my godmother, stands to the right of my Dad, in a purple-looking top. |
I certainly don't remember much about that day. But in recent years, I've reinvigorated my celebration of April 28 because it marked an important moment in my faith journey. For it was through my baptism that I entered into a new way of life, free from sin and under God's graces.
As I celebrate this milestone, I think of the question Pope St. John Paul II asked a crowd before him when he visited France: "What have you done with your baptism?"
It's important for me to consider this question because it's not enough that I was baptized a quarter-century ago. What counts is what I've done with this gift of faith since then by which this event takes on its true meaning, and is evidence of my being saved now.
Initially, it fell on my parents to raise me in the ways of faith. And they certainly were faithful in the promises they made at my baptism to do just that. They spent time reading the Bible with me, and that was one of several ways I learned about the stories of our faith. Certainly as I started to pick up on the ways of faith, especially in those times of Bible reading, and also in religious education classes, and even grabbing on to certain aspects of Mass, even though I initially had trouble appreciating the experience of it.
The pivotal period when I started embracing my faith more deeply came when I went to Percy Julian Middle School. I met many Jewish people, one teacher in particular, and among my new classmates and friends. Their openness to expressing their religion and culture was so enlightening for me, and it caused me to turn inwardly in self-reflection, which led me to appreciate who I am, especially who I am in Christ by faith.
That change within me laid the foundation for me to engage deeply with my faith in Religious Education classes at Ascension, and then most especially in the process of my Confirmation: While I learned a lot about the Roman Catholic faith in the preparation process, it truly went to my heart at a retreat three weeks before, when I learned what I heard a message that truly spoke to me about what it means to live this out. That retreat helped me to be truly ready to be sealed in the power of the Holy Spirit. Also in that process, I came to embrace having a spiritual mentor. I certainly received important nurturing from teachers in religion classes, but in choosing my Uncle Bernie as my Confirmation sponsor, I found a one-of-a-kind mentor. It was fitting to choose him for this role, because my parents chose him as my godfather. In the decade since my Confirmation, I have often turned to him for his counsel, and I have grown into a very close relationship with him, which has invigorated my faith.
I continued remaining dedicated to the practice of faith throughout high school: Among other things, I started lectoring regularly at this time, and took a firm stance on hot-button social issues, informed by what my faith teaches me. But I faced challenging circumstances during that time period, which put some strains on my faith, though there was some growth that came through enduring these challenges.
Then I was renewed in faith in a glorious way, reminiscent of what happened in middle school, when I went to college and, from my first full day on campus, got involved in the ministry of the St. Teresa of Avila Roman Catholic Student Center. I am so blessed to have had a part in this vibrant community that truly makes God's presence known in living out the Gospel. This ministry truly sustained me during all that I experienced in my college years, and furthermore helped me flourish in faith. One experience that helped me enter into a deeper relationship with God was the Kairos Retreat my freshman year. A big watershed moment came when I participated in a mission/service trip during the first week of my senior year spring break to St. Augustine, St. Teresa's sister parish in Winnebago, NE. In giving of myself, and embracing the sense of community in both the people there and the people in my group from St. Teresa's, I encountered God in a profound new way. I left college feeling so proud to be Roman Catholic, for my experience at St. Teresa's helped me see the life and vitality this church denomination espouses. And throughout my time in college, I embraced faith as an all-encompassing aspect of life, which exhibited itself in other ways I engaged with my spiritual life while at Valparaiso University.
As I rode this wave upon my exit from college, I started getting more involved in the Ascension Parish community. Jim Wojcik, who I know from helping decorate the church for liturgical seasons, trained me as a thurifer, with my first time doing it at Mass on Ascension Sunday 2013, a week before my college graduation. A few months later, I answered the call to be a Eucharistic minister, which has given me wonderful new perspective on faith, and allowed me to engage more deeply with the Mass, the central experience of faith.
But the most significant involvement I've had at Ascension is in Religious Education, because it has truly put me in a position to give of myself in taking the great gift of faith I've received, and passing it along to the next generation, to inspire them to grow in faith as many have inspired me. From my experience, there's so much potential for growth in them, and it's so exciting to be there to plant the seeds and watch their faith start to arise. Together with participating in Confirmation preparation, teaching Religious Education (RE) has taken me back to the time of life when I first flourished in faith, and keeps me fresh in why it's so important. Indeed, teaching RE has stirred a profound sense of joy deep in my very soul, which I first felt back in middle school.
It's incredible think how much of a journey just the aspect of teaching RE has been in my overall faith journey. Back when I was a RE student, I would have never thought I'd be back to teach, but here I am, having just completed my third year, and it's been an awesome experience for all three years.
And there's no telling where it will go from here. I certainly feel a sense of a blank slate in front of me, having just finished another RE year. There's always a sense of "Now what?" when one experience finishes and another one starts. But faith teaches us that if one amazing thing can happen, there's no reason why there can't be more, as God is always doing something new! Certainly in my experience teaching RE, each year is great, and the following is even greater. It makes me think of the Last Supper discourse in the Gospel of John when Jesus told His disciples that they are going to do even greater things than He did in His Earthly ministry, because He is going to the Father. He now transcends time and space, doing marvelous works from within us.
This reality is part of our joyful celebration of the Easter Season, which enhances what I celebrate this day. Earlier this month, in accordance with plans I made a few weeks ahead of time, to celebrate the quarter-century milestones of both my birth and baptism, I attended Mass at St. Cornelius, the place where the journey started for me. It was especially fitting to remember my baptism while attending Mass during the Easter Season, when we recall God's graces given to us in this sacrament, which we remember in the sprinkling rite. It was a time when I could recall how God brought me alive, as He brings the whole world alive in the reality of the Resurrection. By His Paschal Mystery, He has freed us from sin and given us new life by faith in Christ, which was the great gift I received that day when I was baptized.
I didn't earn or deserve this gift, but it has compelled me to respond by being transformed by it. I have kept myself open to the ways God reveals Himself, even in the presence of my Jewish classmates back in middle school, or in other churches that I've attended when on vacation, ranging from Our Lady of Tahoe in Zephyr Cove, NV, to St. Bede in Williamsburg, VA. And I've embraced the relationships I've made along the way in the context of faith that have spurred my growth, and driven me to live it out, for the Glory of God, and the benefit of others.
All it takes is for me to keep remaining in Him, as He remains in me, while I live out the faith He has given me in the love He first showed me, and by which I glorify Him. The best part of all is that so long as I remain in Him, this experience never ends: It brings me a sense of vitality in this life while on my pilgrimage to Heaven, where together with all the saints we will worship God without cease.
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| Standing by the baptismal font at St. Cornelius Parish, after attending Mass there about three years ago |
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