Lesson 11
The Sponsors (Godparents)
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While it is not essential for the validity of Baptism to have a Godparent, or Sponsor, the Church asks us to have Sponsors, and the Sponsor for Baptism is later invited to be the Sponsor of the child for Confirmation when that time comes.
The role of the Sponsor is to step in for the parents in case they die or in any other way are unable to provide for raising the child as a Catholic. Accordingly, the Godparent should be a good practicing Catholic, and usually needs a letter from his or her pastor verifying that the Godparent is a practicing Catholic in good standing. The Godparent could be a relative, but should be sixteen years or older, already baptized and confirmed, and ready to take on the task of raising the child as a Catholic if circumstances warrant it. It is sufficient to have one Sponsor, but if you have two, one should be male and the other female.
For those couples who are nominal Catholics and attend Mass only a few times a year, they can feel pressure from their relatives to have the baby baptized in order to please mom and dad and grandparents and keep peace in the family. In those situations, they may want to make sure that other relatives are “included” in the ceremony as Godparents, even if they are not practicing the faith themselves. This situation presents the parish with an opportunity to educate the parents and the godparents in their responsibility, otherwise the sacrament of Baptism devolves into a sentimental ritual devoid of real meaning and content.
In the highlands of Michoacan, where I served the native people for fifteen summers, they take Baptism very seriously, and at the moment when the priest asks them if they believe in Jesus Christ, they all raise their right hands into the air and at the top of their lungs they cry, “Si!! Creo!!” “Yes, I believe! You can hear them all the way over the mountain and into the next village. Why are they so passionate? Because that is the land of martyrs and they have suffered for their faith in the last century, and Baptism is not a sentimental hallmark card kind of ritual. It carries consequences. And sometimes life or death!
So tune in every day of Lent to learn more about your Catholic faith, because if you Learn it, then you can Live it; and if you Live it, you will Love it; and if you Love it, you will never Leave it!
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