tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post4815311111557249618..comments2024-03-25T11:09:41.538-04:00Comments on a minor friar blog: Infant Baptism ChallengesBrother Charleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07780326836452864455noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-56681609537876989582010-04-19T12:06:34.120-04:002010-04-19T12:06:34.120-04:00Anonymous that is one of the worst thing I've ...Anonymous that is one of the worst thing I've heard on this blog. Not surprising at all, unfortunately. <br /><br />I sincerely wish these "all paths lead to God" priests had come to this conclusion BEFORE they were ordained, so that they could have chosen to be Unitarian or something. But then again, they wouldn't be able to do nearly as much damage then, would they?Qualis Rexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-62267561592241656882010-04-19T09:43:18.972-04:002010-04-19T09:43:18.972-04:00I once attended a wedding held in a "Catholic...I once attended a wedding held in a "Catholic" Church where the bride was Catholic and the Groom was Muslim. The first reading was taken from the Bible; the second reading was taken from the Koran. The homily went along the lines of what is common between the Catholic and Muslim faith is the God of Abraham. God is love, and hence we are here today to witness the love of two people to be united in love through marriage.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-70275285572201316322010-04-18T16:11:05.772-04:002010-04-18T16:11:05.772-04:00Father C, I was literally in a shoebox when I was ...Father C, I was literally in a shoebox when I was baptized soon as I came out of the incubator. I was the last of the 14th. Where I grew up, they do not ask if you are a Catholic or not so long as your intention is real. Thanks be to the Holy Spirit, I lived... I guessed there was no baptism in the delivery room then.Benedictanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-28900863366096022992010-04-17T21:48:44.166-04:002010-04-17T21:48:44.166-04:00Father Charles - actually, Mohammedans in general ...Father Charles - actually, Mohammedans in general ("godparents" notwithstanding) are always in my personal "don't get me started" pile. My time in Sudan cured me of any love or respect for Mohammedanism. Were I in your shoes, I'm not sure I would have handled such a request with much tact.Qualis Rexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-62324092727068797462010-04-17T21:42:46.631-04:002010-04-17T21:42:46.631-04:00Please, please, keep trying to "hook" th...Please, please, keep trying to "hook" the parents. My oldest child was baptized in my husband's parents' parish. At the time we were quite young and unmarried, I was not a Christian, and the priest who did the baptismal prep didn't say ten words to me-- and then the baptism happened very quietly, basically in secret. <br /><br />I understand that it was probably a delicate situation for the priest but at the time, my impression was that he wanted nothing to do with us, and that the baptism itself was just a show to please my in laws. And it wasn't until 13 years later, when I decided to convert on my own, that I learned how much all of this had hurt my husband. He'd thought of the church as a second home throughout his childhood, and it was hard on his faith to feel that his child and fiance were less than fully welcome there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-10128492042304093632010-04-17T19:46:16.344-04:002010-04-17T19:46:16.344-04:00QR: That's tame. Don't get me started on M...QR: That's tame. Don't get me started on Muslim godparents.<br /><br />Julia: Thanks for that. We always have to remember that most of the economies of grace are hidden from us, and often for good reason.<br /><br />RG: Thanks for the link!<br /><br />pennyante: I would consent to the baptism, though I would take the pastoral angle of trying to see how anxiety and fear could be turned to devotion and prayer.Brother Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07780326836452864455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-7283751692003818012010-04-17T18:25:59.646-04:002010-04-17T18:25:59.646-04:00How do you handle a situation where the parents mi...How do you handle a situation where the parents might not be practicing their faith (for whatever reason) but insist that their child be baptized because they believe that the child will not go to heaven if it dies.pennyantehttp://penny-nowisthetime.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-4745685640282593952010-04-17T17:00:32.130-04:002010-04-17T17:00:32.130-04:00It sounds like you deal with these difficult situa...It sounds like you deal with these difficult situations in the best way, Father. I've seen our priests do the same, being positive while teaching the Faith. "Hey, you could get married in the Church! Wouldn't that be beautiful?"<br /><br />mtjofmcap, full lyrics are <a href="http://oiboyz.blogspot.com/2009/08/pelagian-drinking-song.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06624317806947588259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-86360018128597139572010-04-17T15:56:03.270-04:002010-04-17T15:56:03.270-04:00When I was a baby I was baptized in similarly poor...When I was a baby I was baptized in similarly poor circumstances. (Dad raised Catholic, stopped practicing, divorced and re-married out of the Church. Mom non-Catholic. I'm sure many prudent priests would have refused the baptism.)<br /><br />Anyway, sometimes the babies grow up and come back to the Church on their own. Pray for that. <br /><br />I remember the unknown priest who baptized me in my prayers. In twenty years probably the same will be true with some of these babies you're baptizing.Julianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-22959247641225998912010-04-17T13:14:31.237-04:002010-04-17T13:14:31.237-04:00Father Charles - thanks for this "window into...Father Charles - thanks for this "window into your world". I'm in such a bubble. So much of what you state would seem like common sense to pretty much anyone who is even remotely familiar (or cogniscent) of their faith. So, it strikes me as nearly unbelievable coming from "parishoners" wanting to baptize their children. If this hadn't come from you, I would not have believed it.<br /><br />One last comment: Jehova's Witnesses?? Really???Qualis Rexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26883902.post-46456938692690587472010-04-17T12:44:14.777-04:002010-04-17T12:44:14.777-04:00A Pelagian Drinking song -- how absolutely terrifi...A Pelagian Drinking song -- how absolutely terrific. <br /><br />I think I need to print that out and tuck it into the front cover of my breviary...mtjofmcaphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17428584493627228563noreply@blogger.com