Over the years, I’ve baptized many babies.
Parents come to the prep class.
They nod. They promise.
“We’ll raise our child in the faith.”
“We’ll come to Mass.”
They mean it—at least in the moment.
But sometimes, it feels like that child’s baptism was just a photo op.
A reason for a family dinner.
They leave the church and forget why they came.
And yet—I’ve seen the opposite.
Young adults I haven’t seen in years return.
They marry. They have children.
They bring them to be baptized.
Something stirs.
They come back to the Church.
They come back to Christ.
Jesus told of a great banquet.
Invitations were sent.
But one by one, the guests made excuses.
They missed the feast.
Baptism is an invitation.
Not a guarantee.
The water is holy—but the journey must follow.
Not all who are baptized will taste the Kingdom.
But the table is still set.
The door is still open.
And the Lord, ever patient, still calls:
“Come. Everything is ready.”
O Lord, my heart is not proud.
Nor are my eyes haughty.
I am your servant.
Let me never forget why I came.
Prayer at the Font’s Edge
Lord Jesus,
You call, You wait, You pour.
The water flows, the promise begins—
but the journey must follow.
Let water of Baptism not be forgotten,
nor the vow fade in the noise.
Stir again what once was stirred.
Awaken what once was named.
For every soul who wandered far—
keep the door open, keep the table set.
May we never forget why we came.
Amen.
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