Un-baptizing; can that be done?

The Christmas season is over; today we read about the Baptism of Christ, and recall our own baptisms. some of us today renewed our baptismal promises.

But not everyone. Deacon Greg Kandra notes that some are trying to “unbaptize” themselves.

Some wish to “de-baptize” because they are responding to the sexual abuse scandals within the church; they are so sincerely disgusted that they cannot reconcile the message of Christianity, as voiced by the church, with the deceit and harm that has occurred.

Others, perhaps poorly catechized and uninspired, have no sense of what their baptism means.

And some really don’t want to be Catholic, and will jump for any reason that “works” for a narrative. T’was ever-thus.

In her weekly column Pat Gohn’s explaining why–even if one wishes it to be so–baptism cannot be “undone.” One can denounce it or ignore it, but Signed, Sealed, Delivered, we’re His:

Baptism announces our Christian identity as beloved adopted sons and daughters of God. This is not earned; it is a pure gratuitous gift of purification and mercy meant to free us, that we may receive Jesus and grow in likeness to him; it consecrates our mission in the Body of Christ, the Church on earth, as it anticipates our promise of heavenly resurrection.

The Gospel invites us to contemplate these things anew; being called a son or daughter of God is not some meaningless platitude designed to make a Christian feel “special.” No, it is a fast reality.

We are God’s beloved, always.

God brands a soul in baptism—like a soul tattoo.

You can read the rest here