One Small Child: on the beauty of baptism

One thing having a lot of children does for a man is ti free him from embarrassment or general discomfort brought on by things that would have earlier made him cringe or run away in fright. Perhaps some examples would be helpful.

• I feel completely free to order the girliest of drinks in social settings. When asked - no male gathering is free of manliness of drink quotient checks - I will affirm the existence of my five children as proof of my manliness, quaff my drink, and order something with a cherry and small, festively colored umbrella.
• I am on Orthodox and Eastern Catholic homeschooling mailing lists. I am often the only man subscribed or at least willing to make the occasional comment.
• I no longer fear the color pink as shirt choice option, but still refrain from its purchase.
  

In this vein I feel free to post about an article on Baptism in the Orthodox tradition from a decidedly feminine blog dedicated to the manufacture and care of attire for baptisms, christenings, and flower girls. I know no fear.

Imagine yourself living at the time the very first Christian Church was established by the apostles. See the soft glow of the oil lamps hanging in front of the icons (St. Luke painted the first several). Smell the incense circling around you. Hear the chanting of what seems to be angels. Welcome to the Orthodox Church, a Church that has remained unchanged since Christ established it. Many Americans have never heard of it even though it is the oldest and second largest Church in the world.

The Sacrament of Baptism is one of seven holy mysteries of the Orthodox Church. Children born to Orthodox families are generally baptized as infants. We dedicate our children to God as early as possible so they can grow in Christ. Although a child does not have the ability to reason they are still able to participate in Divine Grace. Adults may also be baptized; if the adult is converting from a different faith they first become a catechumen. A catechumen is simply a person who is receiving instruction in the Orthodox faith in preparation for baptism.

The service of baptism in the Orthodox Church is a sacred act that is rich in symbolism and truly spiritually transforming. The service itself can be traced back to the apostles. St. Cyril of Jerusalem also described it in great detail in 386 A.D. Some of the highlights of the service are...

Complete article here.