Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sometimes when I am preparing parents for the baptism of their child, I will say to them that their most sacred work is beginning. That is the work of preparing their children to die. (I am sensitive to the fact that I am bringing this up on Mother’s Day.) The commercial significance of this day cannot escape notice; still there is deeper meaning to honoring our mothers. That meaning resides in the ancient fear of birth which until recently often resulted in death. Birth itself represents danger and threat; yet, at the same time it represents life, love and hope.

Today and annually we celebrate the unconditional love represented by mothers. Of course, this unconditional love is an ideal. It would never occur to us to think of mother love as unconditional if we did not expect it in life through the care and devotion of our mothers.

So how is it that we can dare to speak to parents of preparing for death those very dear ones who have just now arrived in this world to live? The answer lies in the reality of this world. We are all beings moving toward death. There is no escape. Were we to deny this fundamental reality, we would do our children a terrible injustice. There is nothing worse for our children than to grow up in the delusion that we will live forever.

So is it actually possible to talk with our children about death? Yes, of course. There are ways to talk with our children about death in such a way that we champion life and instill in them such a grasp of reality that they can live more vital and courageous lives.

Do not look for a lot of support in our death-denying culture for such realistic conversations with our children. For culture is a death-denying culture that wants to distract us from the certainty of death. One gets the idea that we can remain children and play “peek-a-boo” with death, pretending that we can actually hide from it. If we ourselves cannot deal with death, it is very difficult for us to prepare our children for the whole of life from beginning to end.

In today’s gospel reading we have an eerie scene with Jesus talking to the disciples whom he addresses as “little children.” The scene is a very long one comprising four chapters of the Gospel of John. But it is a dear picture of Jesus preparing his friends for his departure, that is, his death. Jesus is the one sent by God to make God known. For that reason he spends a long time in conversation with them about death and about life.

The life, death and resurrection of Jesus will not reveal that we humans are immortal and do not need to worry about death. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus will reveal the transcendent, all-encompassing holiness that surrounds us. Jesus prepares his disciples for the reality that is beyond life and death, for in the end there is nothing but God.

It is for this reason that Jesus can comfort his disciples with the promise that his work on earth will end, but God’s work never ends. It will continue through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the comforter, who will continue to teach the children of God about holy things. So it should not surprise us that the voice of Jesus is like a mother comforting her children. For a good mother wants nothing more for her children than that they live unafraid and courageously while they have breath to breathe.

I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.(John 14:25-27)

I do think that the church has trivialized this great scene with Jesus and his disciples. We have yielded to the temptation offered by our culture. We would rather ignore death by making of Jesus’ imminent death as a mere formality, as if we could sit with our family and friends and speak apathetically about death. No, Jesus leaves his disciples a great testament. It is the promise of eternal life. Eternal life in the Gospel of John must first be understood as life that is no longer dominated by the fear and anxiety of death. That is exactly what baptism is about. St. Paul adds his voice to make clear that baptism is itself death unto death so that we may be enabled to live toward God.

We were buried with Christ through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we, too, are to walk in a new life. (Romans 6:4)

Dear brothers and sisters, baptism is, in fact, a rehearsal for death, not in a morbid way, but in a way that evokes in us the spirit of life. To prepare our children for the reality of death is to speak the word of the gospel. “God has raised Jesus from the dead, signifying for us that Jesus, the one sent by God to make God known has done so in the most amazing way.” By submitting to death like all human beings, Jesus has revealed to the world the God who is Lord over life and death.

The greatest gift that a father and mother can give is the sacrament of baptism. In baptism we die to death and live to God by the perpetual remembrance that we belong to God who through faith gives us the courage to love and live. We are no longer in captivity to our fear and anxiety. We may now live in God’s peace, knowing that, come what may, we belong to God. Therefore, like a mother who is willing to give up her own life for her children, we may live our lives empowered to give away our lives for the good of the world.

Today, Scott and Melissa bring Sophie Ann to the waters of baptism, just as they did their son James. By bringing Sophie Ann and James to the waters of baptism they are preparing Sophie for life.

Amen.