A Seven-Week Anniversary Party!
As we gathered in church for the Easter Vigil, there was an energy of anticipation, as we prepared to baptize one adult and to receive eight others into full communion with the Catholic Church. Many of the folks who came to celebrate the Vigil had been received into the church in previous years and for them, it was an anniversary.
The reality is that for all of us who are baptized, Easter is an anniversary of our initiation into the church and this celebration goes on for seven weeks.
It is no coincidence that we celebrate all of the Sacraments of Initiation during the Easter Season – Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. The first Christians celebrated these sacraments as one continuous ritual at the Easter Vigil, and the other members of the Christian community were very excited about the new members, because it renewed their own faith. Now, for adults who are initiated into the church, these sacraments are celebrated all together in one liturgy, as they were in the early church. For children, the initiation is gradual, with Baptism usually celebrated as infants, Eucharist celebrated around second grade and Confirmation celebrated in their teen years.
Every Sunday during the Easter Season, we renew our baptismal promises and we are sprinkled with baptismal water. Most of us do not remember being baptized as infants, yet we have this wonderful opportunity each year to renew the commitment that was made for us by our parents and godparents. As we respond “I do” to the questions, “Do you believe in God the Father…in Jesus Christ…in the Holy Spirit and the Church?”, we are invited to reflect upon how our faith has become our own during the course of our lives. We have internalized the reality of belonging to Christ as children of God and members of the Church.
If we are present at the celebration of Confirmation, we are invited to reflect upon our own Confirmation, in which we were commissioned to live the mission of Christ in our own lives, by the power of his Spirit. As Baptism draws us into belonging to the Church, Confirmation sends us out to live as followers of Jesus Christ in all of our relationships and actions. We might reflect upon how the Holy Spirit guides our decisions, actions and interactions on a daily basis. We need to call upon the power of the Spirit to enliven all that we do.
If we are present at the celebration of First Eucharist, we are invited to reflect upon this tremendous gift, through which Jesus gives himself to us, to sustain us in living as his followers. It’s not enough to look at the young children receiving Communion and admire their innocence. We are called to look at how we have grown in our relationship with Christ through receiving the Eucharist during all the years since our own First Communion.
So if you find yourself at a liturgy where a Baptism, Confirmation or First Eucharist is being celebrated, let it be an opportunity to deepen and rejoice in your own relationship with the Lord Jesus and his church. And every Sunday during the Easter Season, say “I do” to the Baptismal promises with conviction and welcome the sprinkling with holy water as a renewal of your Baptism. It’s our way of saying “happy anniversary” to each other as members of the Body of Christ!
Blessings,
Sister Mary Therese
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