Today is my baptismal anniversary. I was born on a Sunday (February 10). There were concerns about my birth - whether I would make it, whether my mother would survive the pregnancy. Remember this was 1957. When they discovered that my mother was carrying a child, they also discovered that she had a tumor. The recommendation was to remove both. She was warned that the child was not likely to survive. And if she continued with the pregnancy, it was likely she would not survive either. These were more than idle comments. My grandmother (her mother) was dying of ovarian cancer. Mother Beam died three months after I was born. But that is getting ahead in the story.
I lived. And so did she. I was born on a Sunday morning. The doctor who was to deliver me got the message that Mama had come to the hospital, but he was going on to Sunday morning worship and would be by afterward. I was born while he was still saying his prayers. In fact, I was born while mother lay in the pre-delivery area. Just me and Mama. A nurses' aid came in, saw me there, picked me up and I slipped out of her hands, bouncing on the bed.
Mother went into surgery as soon as they took care of me. She remained in the hospital, after I came home.
I did not leave the house for those first four weeks of life. I grew accustomed to my family; and the family adapted to my presence. When it was decided that we were all strong enough to leave the house, the first place we went was to the Church, to be baptized.
My parents liked the name, Christopher. So that is what they named me. "Bearer of Christ." The image of Christ bore by me is the image they shared with me and brought into sharp focus. The Christ I bear, is loving and caring, is compassionate and devoted.
My baptismal certificate hangs on the wall in my office. It is a permanent reminder of God's eternal grace, poured into my life. It is the only credential I need, as I go about the ministry to which I have been called.
If you do not know the story of your own baptism, discover it. Understand the decisions which resulted in your being presented to God and to the assurances given to you. Begin your Lenten Pilgrimage by discovering how your journey with Christ began. Give thanks for the faith, passed on to you. Even as you identify the opportunities to bear Christ into the world.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
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1 comment:
PC, thank you so much for sharing your baptismal anniversary story. So beautiful and so moving.
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