Often, when you read the author
blurb on the back of a book, there is a potted history of their life, other
books they have written, awards and honorary degrees and so on. It is
interesting to see what they regard as worth mentioning about themselves, what
they wish to share with their readers.
It leads to the general
question of what are the important dates and events in our own lives ? However
old we are, what are the significant events that we respond to?
Sometimes it may be a date
that is very personal- our birthday comes to mind- or it might be an event that
we have lived through, that although not directly relating to our own story, has
nonetheless made a huge impact on us.
In the years of the late 40s
and early 50s when I was a child I have a distinct memory of my parents often
mentioning in conversation with family or friends the phrase ‘before
the war’. It was obviously an enormous marker in their lives and so was
constantly referred to in that ‘before and after’ phrase.
Our birth dates are
repeatedly requested on forms and each year we celebrate that time of
independent life with cards, presents and parties. Another year passed, another
moment in our stories…
We could list many other
dates, of weddings and funerals, the arrival of children and grandchildren
together with the joy they brought. Some of these memory dates are occasions of
happiness, others time of sorrow.
Only days ago, the
Hillsborough Inquest gave its final verdict on the loss of 96 lives of
Liverpool
fans on April 15th 1989, the greatest loss of
life at any sporting event held in this country. For their families, that date
will always be remembered, it is an inherently tragic part of their life
experience. Since then Liverpool FC has not played a game on that date and each
successive year a memorial service for those who died has been held at Anfield.
This year’s service was a conclusion to that pattern of memory with the
Inquest due to declare, as now it has. It is ironic that those families who have
fought so hard for justice should support a football club whose club song speaks
of ‘never walking alone’. May
those who died that day, rest in peace.
All important, all personal,
all dates part of the very fabric of our lives.
But one date that we rarely
refer to is the date of our baptism; in fact many would not be able to respond
to the question “When were you baptised?”.
Yet, why not? Why is it that,
as baptised Christians, we do not remember a truly significant date that began
our faith journey? The obvious answer is that we cannot personally remember it.
But then neither can we remember our birth. That date has been given to us by
our families and so we know it and celebrate it with thanks.
Francis in a letter issued
from
Rome
in late April writes this, reflecting
on the role of baptism.
"Looking
to the People of God is to remember that we all made our entrance into the
Church as laypeople. The first sacrament ... is baptism."
"The
first and fundamental consecration sinks its roots in our baptism. No one is
baptized a priest or a bishop. They baptized us as laypeople and it is the
indelible sign that no one can ever wipe away."
For those baptised in their
later years, it is different, being there, it is an event we can recall.
Wouldn’t it be a good idea
if baptism dates were part of family folklore and celebrated each year? Not may
be with the huge razzmatazz of birthdays but with quiet and sincere prayer of
thanksgiving, and maybe mentioned at Sunday Eucharist. Just a thought.
With Pentecost, we celebrate a starting point, those men and women present
in the upper room not knowing then what would follow.
It is a worth-while exercise
to look at our own life experience in respect to its marking posts. How have we
been changed by those events, where would we have been if one or other occasion
had not occurred?
In many ways, that is a pointless question, for we always imagine the
“what would have happened if?” question as an occasion for speculation. Life
isn’t like that. Decisions are made, actions are taken, that determine the
routes we take. So maybe we should reflect carefully as we move along. Do ask
someone who knows you that simple question “Hey,
when was I baptised?”. Then
celebrate it.
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