Earlier this morning, I attended the christening of my new inaanak, Erik Ferdinand (fondly called Macky by his parents Dette and Eric) at the National Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Makati. It was my first time to visit the church and I was surprised because I never imagined how beautiful the church was.
As the priest began the ceremony, he shared to us that coincidentally the Gospel today (Luke 3:15-16.21-22) speaks about the baptism of Jesus Christ. He also explained each and every part of the ceremony as symbols commemorating our commitment to accept God and to reject everything that is evil.
More importantly, the priest explained the significant role of godparents in the life of the child. He even went further by asking all the godparents: "If the child goes to Hell, who are we going to blame?" It was supposed to be a rhetorical question but the underlying idea behind the question completely summarizes how important our roles as godparents are. We must become role models, the priest said, and we must guide the child to live like how God wanted us to live -- free from sin and to live in the presence of His light.
To Dette ad Eric, thank you for making me a significant part of Baby Macky's life. And to Macky (I hope sooner or later you will be able to read this!) I hope you will grow up strong in faith and with deep respect both to your parents and to your godparents (that includes me!) On my part, I will do my best to be a role model for you. Just like what the priest said, being a godparent is not only a commitment to the baptized child but to God as well.
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