Calibration

 He who calibrates the universe,

Gives order to my days,

Fine tuning each element,

In His omniscient ways.

 

He carefully combines,

The balance to maintain,

Each joy and sorrow,

The pleasure and the pain.

 

A plan I cannot see

Is clear to His mind.

He lovingly directs to

A path I’d never find.

 

In the puzzle of life,

As I struggle with decision.

I trust in Him who rules the world,

With insight and precision.

Invalid Baptism?

There is something terribly wrong with the notion that changing one word in a ceremony can invalidate it.  I get that the “ceremony” is a “sacrament” in the Catholic Church, but seriously, there is nothing magical in words.  The important element is the intent of the heart.

Personally, I do not believe in infant baptism, if one is relying on it for salvation.  The infant has no ability to understand what is happening.  The child is not old enough to really be a participant in the meaning of the event.  It can in truth be nothing more that the parents expressing their desire to bring the child up in a way that causes them to seek a relationship with God.  That being the case, the change of one word is pretty meaningless.

Yes, I have read that changing “I” to “we” is viewed as saying that the community is doing the baptizing rather than Christ doing it. However, as far as we know, Christ did not practice infant baptism when he lived here on earth.  He did put his stamp of approval on adult baptism, having been baptized himself by John.

Christ sees into our hearts.  He knows the intent of the parent in the case of infant baptism.  He knows if it is just for the sake of tradition, or if it is heartfelt.  He knows that a few drops of water and some spoken words do not assure the child’s salvation. When a parent commits to raising his/her child with a knowledge of God, he/she should realize there are no guarantees. A child who has been baptized as an infant and goes through First Communion can still make a choice as an adult to reject everything he has been taught about God and the Church.

Christ also knows whether an adult is genuinely making a public profession of faith through adult baptism.  He is privy to our thoughts and intents.  We cannot fool him with pasted on piety or the repetition of specific words.

The real issue is whether we, at some point in our lives, acknowledge that we are sinners in need of a Savior, and that Jesus Christ is that Savior.

I have read that for those who were baptized incorrectly, further sacraments…such as marriage…may also be invalidated.  Now that is ridiculous.