The priest led her into the large, stone baptismal font, which was filled with water. As she stepped down into it, the water was almost to her chest. She was dressed in a purple gown. People were standing all around the font – watching, and waiting. Some were smiling. Some were crying. All were filled with joy. This is the moment she had been waiting for. The priest was in the font with her and he placed his hands on her shoulders and said, “I baptize you in the Name of the Father…” and he thrust her under the water for the first time. He continued, “…And of the Son…”, and he thrust her under the water a second time, “And of the Holy Spirit”, and he thrust her under the water a third time! “Amen!”
She came out of the water, looking up through the skylights in the ceiling towards the dark night sky, but it may as well have been daytime! She came out with the most freeing, joyful, and happy look on her face, like she had just experienced Heaven, like she finally felt she was home. She had just experienced Heaven. She had just received God’s grace, with the entire church community there witnessing. She emerged out of the darkness and pressures of the world and into a new light with God’s saving Grace. My wife had just been baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and her life would never be the same. My life would never be the same. Happy Easter!
Our parish is one of the only parishes I know of in our area that does full immersion baptisms, fully submerging the person into the font. We do this even with babies. It is quite an amazing experience to see a full immersion baptism, and you truly feel God’s grace in front of you. You experience it. For those that undergo full immersion baptism, the feeling is unexplainable. 9 years ago, my wife experienced it first-hand, and it changed her life. It changed my life, and I was just there watching, waiting for her to step out and hand her a towel. It’s something I can never experience as I was baptized as a baby, and I must say, I am a little envious of her experience! Full immersion baptism is such an amazing thing to simply watch, let alone undergo. You see how as they go under the water, they are fully engulfed by the water. It infuses everywhere – in their hair in their ears, all around them. The pressure of the water weighs them down, and surrounds them. They cannot breath. The light goes away. Much like life in this world.
But when the person comes up, they feel the rush of freedom in being able to breath again and being release from the tomb of the water. They see the darkness fade into light. They are filled with God’s grace, and they look up to Him, praising Him in their thoughts because they are so overjoyed they cannot speak. There is nothing they can say that can explain what they feel; no photo does the moment justice. God knows this. Christ knows this.
Christ experienced this same thing 2000 years ago when He was baptized (though even more profound), and His resurrection guaranteed the saving grace of Baptism through his rising from a darkened tomb to the light and grace of His Father. He had to suffer, and die, and be raised from the dead to ensure this very thing – to ensure that we all receive His saving grace through our own Baptisms. He had to do this to essentially make up for the fall of humanity. He had to do this so the people, most importantly His disciples, would believe, just as St. John speaks of in todays Gospel:
“For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.”
He had to do this, to make things right. To save us from all of the darkened waters, and lightless tombs and caves of life that we often find ourselves in. Through his suffering and His bondage, He set us free from ours. And as much pressure as those waters present when the catechumen is fully immersed, they are that much more cleansing when they rise up in God’s grace.
Today, whether we are seasoned Catholics or are newly baptized, those who were baptized in full immersion or in a simple sprinkling on the head – Today, we all renew our Baptisms and the grace that God provides us through our baptism. And with that baptism and the new beginning and new life we receive because of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection, we have a responsibility. As it says in the reading from Acts today, we have all been anointed and commissioned to preach Christ’s message to the world, not only in what we say but more so in what we do. St. Paul writes, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above.” We have an opportunity and the responsibility as Christians to love God, and love one another. We must take the high road, and be the example, and do what is right.
And as St. John writes, “Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark.”
Many of us are still in that darkness. Many of us are still in those waters, unable to breath due to the pressures of life. Life in this world is tough. But we simply need to look up above, and rise up to Him in His life saving grace and out of the darkness. He will help us. He will help us through our loved ones, through our friends, and through our parish communities, just as He will work through us for the benefit of others. He will save us. This is our gift we have been given by Him. This is our joy and our new beginning this Easter.
“His mercy endures forever. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.”
Happy Easter from all of us at A Catholic Moment, and may God continue to bless you with His grace.
