Around this time five years ago, our first granddaughter was baptized. Public gatherings were troublesome in pandemic days. Events that should have brought great rejoicing were muted by the fear of disease. Our pastor offered a private ceremony in which ten masked family members could attend. We stressed over who the ten should be. Our immediate family was six. Add the priest, the baby, her father, a non-family member godparent, and my parents and that was twelve. It left no room for aunts, uncles, cousins, significant others, or the father’s devout Baptist family.
Worry over hurt feelings and directives from our diocese that no group baptisms should be held clouded my joy over the pending baptism. I felt a lot of responsibility for making sure she was baptized in the church and lamented my concerns to the sacristan at another church where I was an organist. He and I, a cantor, a lector, and a priest were the only ones allowed to be present while the Mass was being live streamed.
“Your granddaughter’s baptism is not only for her, but for her parents and the rest of your family to receive that grace,” he said. That statement interrupted my drive into pious control and reminded me that the grace extended at baptism would help cover my sins too. Rather than concerning myself with the reception of a sacrament, I had been worrying about a ceremony and a celebration.
Our diligence encourages the dissipation of the deceptive voice of the devil, who continually dares us to abandon our deliberate confidence in a loving God. Yet today’s first reading from Acts and the Responsorial Psalm remind us to persevere and not allow the concerns of the day to waiver our faith. “I set the Lord ever before me; with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed,” the psalmist says.
On the road to Emmaus, Cleopas says to Jesus, whom he does not recognize: “it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive.”
Jesus expresses disappointment in their initial lack of faith. “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!” It wasn’t until he broke the bread for them that “their eyes were opened and they recognized him.”
The sacristan’s words opened my eyes to the importance of spiritual diligence – doing everything needed for the salvation of my soul and the souls around me. Despite masks and a small “audience,” my granddaughter’s baptism brought great joy and when a few extra people showed up our priest welcomed them.
Hace cinco años, por estas fechas, bautizamos a nuestra primera nieta. Las reuniones públicas eran problemáticas en tiempos de pandemia. Eventos que deberían haber traído gran regocijo se vieron empañados por el miedo a la enfermedad. Nuestro párroco ofreció una ceremonia privada a la que podían asistir diez familiares con mascarilla. Nos preocupamos de quiénes serían esos diez. En tan solo nuestra familia inmediata éramos seis. Si a eso le sumamos el sacerdote, la bebé, su padre, un padrino que no era de la familia y mis padres, eran doce. No quedaba espacio para tías, tíos, primos, parejas ni para la devota familia bautista del padre.
La preocupación por los sentimientos heridos y las directivas de nuestra diócesis de que no se celebraran bautismos en grupo nublaron mi alegría por el bautismo pendiente. Sentía mucha responsabilidad por asegurarme de que se bautizara en la iglesia y lamenté mis preocupaciones al sacristán de otra iglesia donde yo era organista. Él y yo, un cantor, un lector y un sacerdote, éramos los únicos con permiso para estar presentes mientras se transmitía la misa en línea.
“El bautismo de tu nieta no es solo para ella, sino para que sus padres y el resto de tu familia reciban esa gracia”, dijo. Esa declaración interrumpió mi impulso hacia el control piadoso y me recordó que la gracia otorgada en el bautismo también ayudaría a cubrir mis pecados. En lugar de preocuparme por la recepción de un sacramento, me había estado preocupando por una ceremonia y una celebración.
Nuestra diligencia fomenta la disipación de la voz engañosa del diablo, que continuamente nos reta a abandonar nuestra confianza deliberada en un Dios amoroso. Sin embargo, la primera lectura de hoy de los Hechos de los Apóstoles y el Salmo Responsorial nos recuerdan que debemos perseverar y no permitir que las preocupaciones del día debiliten nuestra fe. “Tengo siempre presente al Señor y con él a mi lado, jamás tropezaré”, dice el salmista.
De camino a Emaús, Cleofás le dice a Jesús, a quien no reconoce: “han pasado ya tres días desde que estas cosas sucedieron. Es cierto que algunas mujeres de nuestro grupo nos han desconcertado, pues fueron de madrugada al sepulcro, no encontraron el cuerpo y llegaron contando que se les habían aparecido unos ángeles, que les dijeron que estaba vivo”.
Jesús expresa su decepción por su falta de fe inicial. “¡Qué insensatos son ustedes y qué duros de corazón para creer todo lo anunciado por los profetas!” No fue hasta que partió el pan que “se les abrieron los ojos y lo reconocieron”.
Las palabras del sacristán me abrieron los ojos a la importancia de la diligencia espiritual: hacer todo lo necesario para la salvación de mi alma y de las almas que me rodeaban. A pesar de las mascarillas y del reducido público, el bautizo de mi nieta me trajo una gran alegría y, cuando llegaron algunas personas de más, nuestro sacerdote les dio la bienvenida a ellos también.
Beth Casteel writes from rural southwestern Pennsylvania. She and her husband are blessed with four adult children and four grandchildren. You can read more of her work at https://bethcasteel.com/ or you can check out her chapter in two collaborative books, Crowned With Grace, and Cloud of Witnesses, available at https://store.
Feature Image Credit: Rene Kuder, art.diocesan.com/stock-photo/emmaus-20049/
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
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