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Baby
McGrath was born into this world
on the morning of 12 August 2009.
His father and mother, Tony
and Orla, were over the moon at
the birth of their beautiful
little boy.
Four
weeks later on September 11, 2009
Tony and Orla took him to their
local church and there his
granduncle, the present writer,
poured water over the little lad's
head and baptised him, Paul
Anthony, in the Name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit.
At
that moment in the mystery of
faith, God the Father echoed in
the heart of that little child the
words of today's Gospel, 'You are
my son the beloved, my favour
rests on you'.
At that moment he was no
longer just the apple of Tony and
Oria's eye but also the apple of
God's eye.
He was no longer just a
child of planet earth or of
history but a child destined to
share the new creation of God his
eternal Father.
In
the years to come if Paul Anthony
has an inkling that he is truly
beloved of God then his baptism
will truly live.
If Paul lives his baptism,
then even in some little way he
will mirror the heart, mind and
life of Christ and he will be not
just in word but in deed God's
beloved Son
In
doing this, something of the words
of the Prophet Isaiah will be made
present in our world of the 2 1 st
century, 'the Glory of the Lord
shall be revealed'.
For
the seed of faith to grow in the
heart of Paul it will mean that
Paul's people, especially his
parents and his God-parents, Ciara
and Shane, will have to lead by
example.
They will do this best
when, as St Paul says, they give
up everything that does not lead
to God.
May
Paul Anthony McGrath and all of us
and all whom we have brought for
Baptism never forget the last
words of today's Gospel, 'You are
my Son, the Beloved, my favour
rests on you'; words that floated
on the waters of Jordan all those
years ago.
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