Repent, and be baptized, every one of you. (Acts 2:38)
| Tuesday, April 13, 2004 Tuesday in the Octave of Easter |
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The following is, as usual, from The Word Among Us:
Repent, and be baptized, every one of you. (Acts 2:38) These words of Peter to the crowd on Pentecost Sunday seem to have taken on a life of their own. For the first few centuries, this pattern of evangelization, repentance, and then baptism was the main way people experienced conversion and became members of the church. As time went on, however, the church began baptizing infants and then sought to evangelize them over time so that they would experience conversion.
While this model has brought millions of people to the Lord, it's important to remember that baptism is only the first step. The faith that a child receives at baptism is like a seed that must be planted in good soil. For children--or anyone else, for that matter--to receive the full blessings of baptism, evangelization and conversion are necessary. That's why the church teaches that parents are the "first heralds" of faith (CCC, 2225). It's parents who are called to create a Christian atmosphere, bearing witness to the joy of receiving the Eucharist, the blessings of prayer, and the freedom from sin that comes through Jesus' cross.
If you are a parent, you probably wonder whether you have the faith, the spiritual insight, or the strength of will to nurture your children's faith successfully. As parents, we want to nourish our family's faith, but our own faith doesn't seem strong enough. We want to build a Christian atmosphere in our homes, but we're not always sure how to do it. And then we face the ongoing challenge of the battle against sin and temptation in our own lives.
But none of this should discourage us. The repentance that Peter called for is not a one-time act meant exclusively for new converts. Every time we repent--and especially when we celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation--the floodgates of heaven are opened, and our baptismal seed is nourished and strengthened.
Don't downplay this great gift of repentance. It may not be the entire answer to building a Christian home, but it does play a necessary role. Who knows? Maybe the witness of your repentance will cut your children to the heart and move them to ask you, "What can we do to know Jesus better?"
"Dear Lord, fill every home with your mercy. Show all parents how to be your first heralds of faith."
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God bless.
AC
