BAPTISM-5

BAPTISM & CONFIRMATION SUBMITTED BY: LAMORENA, ANGEL G. SUBMITTED TO: MS. KIM FLORENDO

BAPTISM I have never been a godmother ever since I was born, but I already experienced being invited to a baptism of a baby and I had the chance to see what really is the essence of baptizing a baby. The baptism of a child is always held in a church where the ninongs and ninangs are specially picked by the parents of the baby. They wear white clothes and they have white candles with them that need to be lit up in between the ceremony. During the ceremony, the priest will read readings from the Bible and as much as I can remember, the godparents will then move forward and light up their candles while saying their vows to do their duties as godparents. Lastly, the minister will then pour water over the head of the baby and will recite: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”. But then, it made me think. Do parents really want their child to grow and be a part of the Catholic community or do they just want their child to undergo that kind of process simply because it is already a part of Filipino culture and tradition? Filipinos lost the true essence of baptizing their children. For me, baptism is more than a normalized tradition in the Philippines and I think it is time that we reminisce that the true significance of baptism is giving our commitment, responsibility, dedication, and faithfulness to God as we are already a part of His kingdom.

CONFIRMATION For me, maturity is when you know and encourage yourself to always be the bigger person because you know what is right from wrong. It is when you know how to act and speak wisely to others and always avoid being immature or childish. Practicing maturity will personally be hard for me, there are times when I cannot control myself and my emotions would just overcome me. That's why I tend to be immature most of the time. It’s hard to always be the one who understands because being the bigger person would just spoil others to continue being childish and irrational. But sacramentally speaking, the sacrament of confirmation allows a baptized person to make a mature commitment to God. When we were baptized, we had no control over our parents who made the decision to make us a part of the Catholic community, however the sacrament of confirmation gives us the chance to make a decision now that we are at the right age to think and to decide for ourselves. What makes the sacrament of confirmation a sign of mature witnessing is one’s capability to make rational and personal decisions for themselves. We are mature enough to decide whether we want to deepen and strengthen our connection with God. The sacrament of confirmation highlights our growth as a Catholic and it gives us a greater awareness of the Holy Spirit which we received when we were baptized. It seals our acceptance of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

BAPTISM & CONFIRMATION SUBMITTED BY: LAMORENA, ANGEL G. SUBMITTED TO: MS. KIM FLORENDO