In January Mike and I will be celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. The Devil hates marriages and will do all in his power to destroy these holy vows. I’ve experienced this personally; if it were not for God in our lives, we could have been part of this casualty. Satan will attempt to bring down anything that is holy.
Though our marriage was blessed by Father Pat Hussey in Rome, there was no paper trail, no proof of the Sacrament of Marriage. We had to do a lot of digging to make sure that we have met all the requirements to renew our wedding vows in January. I could not remember the parish I was baptized, made my First Holy Communion, or where I was confirmed. I was raised in the small community of Brawley, California, and lived there until the eighth grade. At that time Brawley only had three Catholic churches. Because of COVID and limited staff, the church took longer to find all my records. Finally after a couple of months the certificates came via snail mail. I had totally forgotten whose name I had chosen as my confirmation saint and was completely surprised that it was St. Margaret. My grandmother’s name was Margarita so I’m sure that was the deciding factor; with the urging of my mother, I picked this saint’s name.
St. Margaret of Scotland
St. Margaret was an English princess known for serving the poor and feeding the hungry. It was through God’s great design that I chose this saint’s name in confirmation. Until I received this information from the parish in Brawley I never made the connection: for more than 20 years serving the homeless on Skid Row in Los Angeles was my calling, a ministry that I truly cherished. So by fate the Spirit of St. Margaret was with me. As Catholics we pick saints’ names to live by their holy examples. We do not pray to them, but we ask for their holy intervention. Now I understand why it was in my heart to feed the people on Skid Row.
Recently I was visiting with my 96-year-old tia. Before she has breakfast she needs to take her medication. We were all frantically looking for her medication, so I asked St. Anthony’s aid to help us find her pills. One of my cousins was appalled by my request. “We don’t pray to saints, that’s wrong.” At first I ignored the remarks, but then I said, ” St. Anthony, help me find the pill box!” I found the medicine tucked behind the cushion of my tia’s chair. I kindly explained that we do not pray to saints, but we ask for their intercession.
The Sacrament of Baptism
If you were baptized Catholic as an infant, you will forever remain Catholic. The Greek meaning of baptism is “to plunge” or “immerse.” The holy water that is poured on the head is symbolic of the washing away of original sin. Why do Catholics baptize infants? Since the time of Abraham, infants have been presented to the Lord through the ritual of circumcision. As Catholic Christians we baptize infants because baptism is part of the three sacraments of initiation: Holy Communion, and Confirmation. Baptism is one of the most important sacraments; without it, you cannot receive any of the other six sacraments. For this reason we had to have proof of this sacrament in order to renew our wedding vows through the Catholic Church. Since infants cannot speak for themselves their parents and godparents play a major role in their baptism. It is their godly responsibility to help the newly baptized grow spiritually by teaching them the Scriptures and leading by example.
When John the Baptist baptized Jesus, the skies opened up with God’s powerful voice saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” After Jesus’ baptism He began His public ministry. Every act of Jesus’ life was mystical; to experience this hallowed transformation through baptism is the beginning of our union with God.
In baptism the Holy Spirit touches the soul and marks it as its own. It’s an indelible mark, meaning that you have been adopted into the family of God. Sacred chrism oil is used for this sacrament. This oil is consecrated by the bishop. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para 1241) Chrism oil is made of a mixture of olives and balsam. Only the bishop can consecrate Sacred Chrism which is blessed by the bishop on Holy Thursday at the Chrism Mass.
The most important responsibility of a parent is to lead their children to God, and the best way to start is by having them baptized. I was baptized when I was four years old. I remember because my older sister Jo and our baby sister Norma were baptized at the same time. The only memory I have about this event are the images still fresh in my mind. After the church service we celebrated with a huge party with barbacoa (slowly cooked Mexican meat); it was a great memory. God knows who my godparents were because they were never apart of my life; nor did they helped in my spiritual formation. This is why it is so important to pray about who you want to choose as godparents.
Lucas’ Baptism
When it came time to baptize Lucas, our grandson, his father had a special request. Our son-in-law, Russ, was baptized at Sacred Heart Church in East Grand Forks, Minnesota. This is the same church that his grandfather and father were baptized in. It was important for Lucas, his first born-son, to be baptized there as well. Russ and Sonja picked Mikos and Jenny, Sonja’s brother and sister-in-law as godparents,. We know that Mikos and Jenny will always be involved in Lucas’ life.
When Mike, my husband, was baptized he could not remember who his godparents were. In 2016 we discovered who his godfather was. Mike’s godfather was his older cousin who was a priest in the Jesuit order. We met Father Lozano in the twilight of his years and found him to be holy man of God. He said he never forgot his responsibility as a godparent and prayed for Mike regularly.
My Prayer
Dear Lord, ignite our spirits to serve You in our calling. May we always be drawn to hear Your Holy voice. Lead us to fulfill our ministries and charitable works with the help of Your great love. Thank You for welcoming us into Your family through the Sacrament of Baptism. Amen.
