A Retired Rector's Reflections

Celebrate the anniversary of your baptism like a birthday, says Pope Francis.

Today, October 27th, is the anniversary of my baptism, and I decided to mark it in a special way.

I was only 24 days old when I was baptised. At the time of my baptism such services were not the large celebrations they were to become, they were intimate family celebrations. Babies were usually only a few weeks old and the gatherings were quite small.

Of course I don’t remember the baptism. But today I did ‘re-member’ it. Firstly, by visiting the place. My baptism took place in the beautiful 12th century parish church of St Michael, Bishop Middleham in County Durham. I revisited the church today, the anniversary day. St Michael’s was the parish church of many of my ancestors, and great great grandparents lie in the churchyard. My grandmother’s funeral took place here. And there is the 13th century font of Frosterley marble in which I was baptiosed. For over 250 years members of my family lived in this small parish, no doubt many ancestors were also baptised in the same font.

Then the event itself. I talked with my mother several years ago about my baptism, she told me who the guests were and how the priest, Fr Porteous OGS had forgotten and had to leave his gardening that Sunday afternoon. She told how she was ‘churched’ before the service and how my sister playfully pushed the service cards into the water in the font, and then she told me of tea afterwards at home in Mainsforth. As I visited the church today I imagined the event. I gave thanks for parents and godparents and those who cared for me in infancy.

Martin Luther engraved on his desk the Latin words Baptizatus sum. It reminded him that God accepted him unconditionally. Similarly today my own baptism reminded me that I am God’s beloved child, loved absolutely and unconditionally. And so, for me, to recall my baptism is a means of reminding myself of my Christian identity. I am a child of God, I do not need to ‘achieve’ or be ‘stressed.’ Remembering baptism is to remember God’s love flows in us, and is interwoven in and for us.