Bring Us to the Day of Baptism

When Joseph and I first found out we were expecting our honeymoon baby, I was elated and nervous. I remember sitting in spiritual direction early in the spring of 2017, sharing that I was scared to entrust our baby to the Lord because I was struggling to trust. My mama bear instincts had kicked in and I didn’t want to do anything but protect our baby myself.

My spiritual director recommended praying a short, simple prayer: “Bring us to the day of baptism.”

The prayer was a few simple words, but we began praying it. My heart began to open up to the Lord, and we entrusted the little baby growing inside of me to God.

When we miscarried Marion a short eight week later, there was so much heartache and grief. But there was also hope.

My mother’s heart was comforted by that simple prayer - we’d desired baptism for our sweet Marion, and we’d expressed that desire in prayer.

Later that year, I happened upon a quote from Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who wrote to a couple that had miscarried their child. They asked the saint what would happen to their child, who hadn’t been baptized before death.

“Your faith spoke for this child. Baptism for this child was only delayed by time. Your faith suffices,” Bernard wrote in reply. “The waters of your womb — were they not the waters of life for this child? Look at your tears. Are they not like the waters of baptism? Do not fear this. God’s ability to love is greater than our fears. Surrender everything to God.”

Last summer, we found out we were expecting again after a year and a half of unexplained infertility. Right away, we began praying that short, simple prayer again. We knew that whatever happened with this pregnancy, we desired baptism for our little baby’s soul.

Every night, Joseph and I prayed that we would be able to bring our little baby, growing inside of me, to the day of baptism. We consecrated our baby to Our Lady, and worked on trusting in God’s plan.

Then, yesterday, God brought us to that day.

We gathered with friends and family at our parish and washed Maeve Benedicta Langr’s soul clean of original sin.

God is a good, good father. He shows up - both in Marion’s story and in Maeve’s story, too. He keeps his promises.

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4).

p.s. Maeve’s dress was made by the amazing Annamarie from Annamarie’s Sweing and Alterations, who created the gown out of fabric from my wedding dress!