A Life to Imitate

One of my most favorite responsibilities to perform as a deacon is being a minister at a baptism.  Getting to do the work that the Lord calls His disciples to do, baptizing in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is so fulfilling that I can’t help but get emotional every time I have the gift to do so.  One of the other gifts I have the pleasure to perform is the interview with the parents of a child before baptism.  Seeing the excitement in a family’s eyes as they bring their child to the Church to give their child eternal life by becoming one with Christ in baptism can not be expressed in words.  During the interview I always cover the topic of the responsibility the parents are committing to on the day of the Baptism and that is their commitment of raising the child in our Christian faith.  The best way for them to honor this is to practice our faith themselves.  Children imitate what they are exposed to, and this is probably the best way we all learn.  I explain to the parents that if they surround themselves in the faith their children will grow up learning and loving this wonderful journey with our Lord.  This method of learning is not a new thing.  God has sent us all the perfect example for all his children to imitate and that example is the mother of His Son, the Blessed Mother Mary.

Today we celebrate the Assumption of Mary into heaven.  After a life of dedication to the calling of God she is gloriously assumed into heaven where she is crowned the Queen of Heaven.  We all have the possibility of the same reward of heaven and all we have to do is follow Mary’s example.  We need to say yes to God and His will.  We need to tell others of Christ and the rewards that come with answering His call. We need to celebrate with joy and devotion our Savior’s coming into our world. We need to follow the teachings of our Church and fully participate in the Sacraments.  Lastly, we need to find Jesus again and again whenever we fall.  The easiest part of that is we always know where He is.  Waiting for us with His Father.  Mary leads us directly to her Son through the Joyful Mysteries of her life.  We will find the joy she did simply by imitating her.

They say imitation is the best form of flattery.  What better way to honor the Blessed Mother and glorify her Son than through imitation. May Jesus live in our hearts forever. Deacon Chris