Holding Heaven In My Arms

Deacon Martinez has had the privilege of baptizing six of his nine grandchildren, a unique experience as a deacon, a father and a grandfather. (Photo by Neil McDonough/Denver Catholic)

As a deacon, I have been blessed to baptize more than 100 children. Of all those moments, none have touched me more deeply than baptizing six of my nine grandchildren.

I have stood in many places during my life. As a police officer, I witnessed both tragedy and grace. As a husband and father, I have experienced the joys and challenges of family life. As a deacon, I have stood at altars, gravesides, hospital beds and wedding celebrations. Yet there is something uniquely moving about holding a child over the baptismal font. Perhaps it is because, in that moment, the future is literally in your hands.

I can still remember each grandchild. Their tiny fingers wrapping around mine. The smiles of their parents. Family members leaning forward with anticipation. Then the water.

In some of the Baptisms I celebrate, I have been blessed to use immersion, an ancient practice of the Church dating back to the earliest Christians. There is something profoundly beautiful about lowering a child into the water and lifting them up again. It is a sign that speaks directly to the heart. Parents and grandparents often tell me afterward that they will never forget the image.

Perhaps that is because water is woven into every human life story. Before any of us ever saw the light of day, we lived in water. For nine months, each of us was carried safely within our mother’s womb, surrounded by the waters that nurtured and protected us. Long before we took our first breath, life was already flourishing in that hidden sea. Water is where human life begins. It is also where new life in Christ begins.

From the opening verses of Genesis, where the Spirit of God hovered over the waters, to Noah and the flood, to the Israelites passing through the Red Sea, to the Jordan River where Christ himself entered the waters, salvation history continually flows through water. During the baptismal liturgy, the Church’s beautiful prayer recalls these saving moments. Standing there, holding one of my grandchildren, I often feel as though all of salvation history converges in that single instant. Life bursts forth.

The water touches the child’s head, or, in immersion, embraces the child entirely, and I am reminded that God is never finished writing his story in our lives. Over the years, I have learned that Baptism is rarely just about the child. It often becomes an encounter with the entire family.

Deacon Martinez smiles with his daughter, Lauren, his son-in-law, Santiago, and five of his grandchildren. (Photo by Neil McDonough/Denver Catholic)

Many parents and godparents who come forward love their children deeply and want what is best for them. Yet many will candidly admit they have not been actively practicing their faith. Some come because a grandparent gently encouraged them. Others come because the birth of a child has awakened questions they had not considered in years.

As a grandfather, I understand the desire to pass on something precious to the next generation. As a father, I understand the responsibility. As a deacon, I see an opportunity.

The baptismal preparation meeting is often much more than explaining requirements or discussing godparents. It becomes a conversation about family, discipleship and hope. It is a chance to remind parents that bringing a child to Baptism is not the finish line; it is the starting line of mission.

One reality I have observed is that many Catholics today are sacramentalized but not always catechized. They received the sacraments but were never fully formed in living the faith. They love God but often lack confidence in how to pray, attend Mass faithfully or teach their children about Christ.

Yet I have also witnessed something beautiful. The birth of a child can reopen doors that seemed closed. Parents who have been away from the Church begin attending Mass again. Couples return to Confession. Families reconnect with parish life. A request for Baptism becomes the first step of a renewed journey with Christ.

(Photo by Neil McDonough/Denver Catholic)

I have seen grandparents initiate the conversation about Baptism. I have helped families navigate difficult conversations about godparents. I have walked with parents who felt unprepared to hand on the faith they themselves never fully received. Every family arrives with a different story. Some need encouragement. Some need clarity. Most simply need someone willing to accompany them a little further down the road.

That accompaniment matters because the Church is not simply preparing a family for a ceremony. We are inviting them into a relationship with Jesus Christ and into the life of his Church. Parents generally want more than a ritual. They want meaning. They want purpose. They want their children to know God.

I often think of the children I have baptized over the years. Many are now in school. Some have received First Communion. A few are approaching Confirmation. I pray for them regularly. I pray for their parents and grandparents as well.

And when I hold one of my grandchildren in my arms and gently lower them into the waters of Baptism, I silently pray that this moment will echo throughout their entire lives, that they will come to know Jesus personally, love his Church, receive his mercy often and someday bring their own children to these same saving waters.

For me, that is the enduring beauty of Baptism. It begins in water, just as life itself begins in water, and if it is lived faithfully, it can transform generations.