Luke 2:21-22 says,

“And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. And when the time came for the purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.’”

This is the account in the Sacred Scriptures of Jesus’ circumcision. The Blessed Virgin Mary was not present at the Baptism of Our Lord, which the Latin Church celebrated yesterday, but she was present at his circumcision. The Sacred Scriptures don’t really tell us what Mary was feeling during this time, however, St. Luke does say that she kept all these things, pondering them in her heart (Lk 2:19). He also states that her soul will be pierced with a sword.  This is in reference to Jesus’ Crucifixion on the cross.

Knowing what we know about Mary and her total trust in God, I would speculate that she offered up everything she and St. Joseph experienced to God and had great faith in His Divine plan. The gift of motherhood is a precious gift. Mary was a great mother to Jesus who obeyed all the commandments of God, which included circumcision. Circumcision finds its fulfillment in the Sacrament of Baptism for us in the New Covenant. To understand the connection between circumcision and baptism, please read yesterday’s post – The Circumcision and Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

As I did with the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I provide you with experiences from mothers talking about their children receiving the Sacrament of Baptism. They are very heartfelt, honest, and loving testimonies.

After my children were born, the next important day in their lives was their baptisms. Bringing them to church to become Catholics was special to our family. We were so blessed to have our parish priest Fr. Joseph Nativo baptize them. We had known Fr. Nativo since we were children and had always gone to St Lucy’s Church. Who better to baptize our children than the priest who married us and be surrounded by all our family. – Joyce

I felt excitement about my son joining the faith; to know that he was set apart for God. I felt joy as we honored our vow to God to bring our children up in the Catholic faith. It was a joyous occasion that would impact his life and ours forever. – Melanie

On the day my son was baptized, I was thinking what a privilege it was to engage on a journey where by my husband and I would be responsible to form this precious soul to authentically live out his baptism.  We committed to our son to pray with him and for him daily so that he would learn the ways of living out the call to be priest, prophet and king.  We planned on doing all of this, from day one, by living a fully happy and holy life and knew that we really wouldn’t be understood by most people around us.  So, it was a beautiful day because it was a day that our married vocation expanded and our first-born had the full possibility of heaven. – Christine

The morning of my daughter’s baptism I was feeling overjoyed that this day was here.  I was excited that she would be welcomed into a community of Catholics and into God’s loving arms.  She wore the same baptismal gown that my brother and I wore as infants and that tradition meant a lot to me as well.  It was touching knowing our family and friends would be a part of this special day. – Carla

My Goddaugher/Niece and I on the day of her Baptism.

I recall the excitement surrounding our children’s baptisms. The finality of knowing there is no longer original sin on their souls. Also the comfort in knowing if anything ever happened to them God forbid. We wanted them baptized as soon as we could get a priest to do it. To be full in the Church and received this way is an awesome sacrament. I think I need to thank my husband Dan for making me aware more fully how wondrous this sacrament truly is. Each child we have I begin to realize the awesomeness of our faith. – Erika

I remember the night before each of my boy’s baptism. I was very excited to have them be fully welcomed into the church. The fact that all of our favorite family and friends gathered on this wonderful occasion was a blessing! I love that Father Rob Clements and Father John Erich also included a blessing for my husband and I. As parents we need all the blessings and prayers we can get. I thought baptism was a beautiful sacrament to start my boys on their lifelong journey to get to heaven! – Dena