Dear Friends,
Thanks for all the positive comments on the new baptismal font. It is beautiful! John Lajba did an incredible job of designing the font and creating the beautiful bronze depictions on its base. We are considering lighting the bronze images so that they would be easier to see. My thanks to Sam Marchese and his team from CFK for the creation of the elegant marble top and to Koley’s for the gold lamination of the inner bowl.
When you come up close and look at the bronze images you will see one that is repeated four times, the Holy Spirit “breathing on the waters and making them the well-spring of all holiness”. One of the panels contains the other symbolic items used in baptism – a lit candle and holy oils. The other three are moments in Jesus’ life that involve water – Jesus’ own baptism in the Jordan River by John, the washing of the disciples feet at the last supper, and the calling of the fishermen.
You might think that the water connection with those last two items is a bit of a stretch, but it is not just because of the water that they are on the baptismal font. Those two moments in Jesus’ life are also important in our understanding of what baptism is all about. When we are baptized, we are responding to the call of Jesus to be his disciples. Baptized Christians are followers of Jesus, people who are striving to live the life he called his disciples to live. Our baptism commits us to that discipleship. Our baptism is a call to be fishers of people, a call to reach out to others and bring them to Jesus.
When Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, he said to them, “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you must also wash one another’s feet.” In our baptism, Jesus has washed us clean and he calls us through our baptism to serve others as he did.
I like the fact that the font is in the front of the church to remind us of the mission we have received from Jesus. As is so often said, “It is not so much that God has a mission for his church in the world, but that God has a church for his mission to the world.” We follow in the footsteps of the apostles, we are sent by Jesus to announce Good News to the world. The mission of the church becomes even more critical when we consider the speed and breadth of change in our world. The ever greater emphasis on individualism, the shifts in media, the easy access to so much through the internet, rapid progress in science, the rise of nationalism, the loss of community, and the loss of belief in God have made the challenge of fulfilling our mission ever greater.
To complete the work that God has given us to do it is important to remember that this is God’s work, not ours. Christ ultimately is the one who transforms you and not you yourself. God is changing you now, this day, for his glory and for your joy. Through Christ you are being made new. It’s as simple as that. Our new font reminds us of that transformation in us and what God desires for the whole world. Enjoy your part in God’s great adventure!
Peace,
Fr. Damian