A Real Name Changer

I met a man whose story I'll never forget a few weeks ago. The entire FORO group had the privilege of hearing it today. The man didn't know his real name until last fall, and he's 70. This was also a revelation to him, having never known when his birthday is (August) or celebrated it.

But he is baptized into Christ.

We talk often in the Lutheran Church about baptismal identity. About Christ claiming us as His own through the water and the Word and henceforth making His dwelling within us. About whose we are, not who we are. The man's Baptism, though, granted him newfound identity as a child of God as well as a literal newfound identity. 

He resides in Los Callejones, a hop, skip, and a jump down the road from my church and the focus of recent evangelistic efforts, and makes his living farming a small plot of land and working as a watchman. He is being catechized in his humble home on a weekly basis by seminarian Rudy Carbajal, who also picks him up on Sundays for Divine Service. A few weeks ago, their topic was the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. A little probing revealed that he didn't know whether or not he was baptized. Having been raised Catholic in the very community where he now lives, my pastor paid a visit to the local Catholic church, which astoundingly had annals of its sacred acts dating back far enough to prove useful. The man learned that he is, indeed, baptized, and also what his full name and birthdate are!

That late February afternoon, I joined Rudy, vicar Yban, and congregational president Luis as we slogged our way through Confession & Absolution with the man. Suffice it to say that things that seem obvious to me as a lifelong Lutheran are not obvious to everyone. Next up was Holy Comminion. The man has since completed his catechetical journey and will make a public profession of faith at his confirmation tomorrow!

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of him, so you'll have to conjure up your own image. I had to share his incredible story, though, if for no other reason than to preserve it for posterity!

Until next time, blessings!