Pastor's Corner

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells of a farmer who generously scatters seed. The seed is the Word of God and the gift of His grace. Some seed falls on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on rich soil where it bears abundant fruit.

Every Baptism is a living example of this parable.

In Baptism, God plants the seed of divine life within a child. Through the waters of Baptism, the child becomes an adopted son or daughter of God, is freed from original sin, and is incorporated into the Body of Christ. The seed is perfect because it comes from God.

Yet Jesus reminds us that every seed needs fertile soil.

That is why the Church asks parents and godparents to make such solemn promises during the Rite of Baptism. Parents are asked if they understand the responsibility they are undertaking in raising their child in the practice of the faith. Godparents are asked if they are ready to help the parents fulfill that sacred duty.

These promises are not simply ceremonial words. They are a commitment to cultivate the soil in which God’s grace can flourish. Children learn the faith by watching the adults who love them. They learn to pray because someone prays with them. They discover the importance of Sunday Mass because their family makes it a priority. They learn forgiveness, generosity, and trust in God because they experience those virtues at home.

Because the role of a godparent is so important, the Church has established certain requirements in Canon Law. According to Canon 874, a godparent must:

Be chosen by the parents (or guardian) or, in their absence, by the pastor or minister, and have the aptitude and intention of fulfilling this role.

Be at least sixteen years of age, unless the diocesan bishop has established another age or the pastor grants an exception for a just cause.

Be a Catholic who has received Baptism, Confirmation, and the Holy Eucharist.

Be living a life of faith that is in keeping with the responsibility of serving as a godparent. This ordinarily means practicing the Catholic faith and striving to live according to the teachings of the Church.

Not be bound by any canonical penalty that has been legitimately imposed or declared.

Not be the father or mother of the child being baptized.

The Church also allows a baptized Christian from another ecclesial community to serve as a Christian witness, but only together with a Catholic godparent. A Christian witness is not a substitute for a Catholic godparent.

These requirements are not intended to exclude family members or close friends. Rather, they reflect the Church’s conviction that every baptized child deserves someone who can truly accompany them in the Catholic faith. A godparent is more than an honorary title. He or she is a spiritual mentor, a prayer partner, and a faithful witness to the Gospel.

In a world filled with distractions and messages contrary to the Gospel, children need adults who can help them recognize the voice of Christ. Parents are the primary educators in the faith, and godparents are called to support them through prayer, encouragement, and the example of a faithful Catholic life.

The Parable of the Sower reminds us that while only God can give the gift of faith, He invites us to prepare the soil. Every prayer offered with a child, every Sunday Mass attended as a family, every act of charity, every conversation about Jesus, and every faithful example helps cultivate the soil where the seed of Baptism can grow and bear fruit “thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

We are Catholics. We are Americans. We are proud to be both, grateful for the gift of faith which is ours as Christian disciples, and grateful for the gift of liberty which is ours as American citizens. To be Catholic and American should mean not having to choose one over the other. Our allegiances are distinct, but they need not be contradictory, and should instead be complementary. That is the teaching of our Catholic faith, which obliges us to work together with fellow citizens for the common good of all who live in this land. That is the vision of our founding and our Constitution, which guarantees citizens of all religious faiths the right to contribute to our common life together.

Freedom is not only for Americans, but we think of it as something of our special inheritance, fought for at a great price, and a heritage to be guarded now. We are stewards of this gift, not only for ourselves but for all nations and peoples who yearn to be free. Catholics in America have discharged this duty of guarding freedom admirably for many generations.

In 1887, when the archbishop of Baltimore, James Gibbons, was made the second American cardinal, he defended the American heritage of religious liberty during his visit to Rome to receive the red hat. Speaking of the great progress the Catholic Church had made in the United States, he attributed it to the "civil liberty we enjoy in our enlightened republic." Indeed, he made a bolder claim, namely that "in the genial atmosphere of liberty [the Church] blossoms like a rose."

This is not a Catholic issue. This is not a Jewish issue. This is not an Orthodox, Mormon, or Muslim issue. It is an American issue.

From well before Cardinal Gibbons, Catholics in America have been advocates for religious liberty, and the landmark teaching of the Second Vatican Council on religious liberty was influenced by the American experience. It is among the proudest boasts of the Church on these shores. We have been staunch defenders of religious liberty in the past. We have a solemn duty to discharge that duty today.

We need, therefore, to speak frankly with each other when our freedoms are threatened. Now is such a time. As Catholic bishops and American citizens, we address an urgent summons to our fellow Catholics and fellow Americans to be on guard, for religious liberty is under attack, both at home and abroad.

Please continue to educate yourselves about religious freedom and the threats it faces every day. Both the Kansas Catholic Conference and the USCCB have great resources as well as there are good videos on FORMED.org too.

Fr. Jerry