It was late on December 31, 1999, at St. Alphonsus “Rock” Catholic Church in St. Louis, Missouri. We filled our new baptismal pool and prayed that the heater worked and nothing leaked. We were a little behind schedule, but we were determined to go through with our plans to baptize the first Catholics of the new millennium (ignoring all the arguments about flaws in the calendar).
When walking into a Catholic church today, you may see a baptismal font much larger than the one in which you were baptized. It may have a raised bowl large enough for the immersion of an infant. It may occupy an area on the floor that’s wide, long, and deep enough for adults to enter. For Catholics used to a long tradition of baptism by pouring a short stream of water across the head and into a shallow bowl, the switch is surprising.
On the night before he died, Jesus knew his mission was about to be completed. He could return to the Father with a fait accompli. This God-man, however, with his heart of love, wasn’t about to leave us empty-handed. Even though he knew what we were about to do to him, he called together a group of his closest friends and spoke words that were, in effect, his last will and testament.
Though he possessed nothing of value by worldly standards, he left us our greatest treasure. He took bread and wine into his hands and spoke words that would echo down the halls of humankind for all eternity.
When walking into a Catholic church today, you may see a baptismal font much larger than the one in which you were baptized. It may have a raised bowl large enough for the immersion of an infant. It may occupy an area on the floor that’s wide, long, and deep enough for adults to enter. For Catholics used to a long tradition of baptism by pouring a short stream of water across the head and into a shallow bowl, the switch is surprising.
On the night before he died, Jesus knew his mission was about to be completed. He could return to the Father with a fait accompli. This God-man, however, with his heart of love, wasn’t about to leave us empty-handed. Even though he knew what we were about to do to him, he called together a group of his closest friends and spoke words that were, in effect, his last will and testament.