Want to prove youâ??re a good Catholic? Iâ??m afraid youâ??ll have to do more than feed the hungry and teach your children the Lordâ??s Prayer in at least four modern languages and one or two dead ones. The absolute steel test for proving youâ??re a good Catholic has little to do with the directives of Matthew 25 or your ability to educate and evangelize. No, it has everything to do with whether or not you can pry a 3x6 inch piece of paper from the hand of your parish priest.
That paper is called a â??sponsorship certificate,â? and it attests to the fact that you meet all the requirements and qualifications to be a sponsor for the sacraments of Baptism or Confirmation. There are three hoops to jump through. First, you must be a fully initiated member of the Catholic Church, meaning you have received the three sacraments of initiation. Second, to the best of your abilities, you are living a life that is in accord with the codes, canons, and teachings of the church. For most, this means keeping the churchâ??s marriage laws. And if youâ??re still with me, there is one more requirement, and perhaps it is the trickiest of all. The third requirement is that you are a practicing Catholic and have a relationship with a parish community. Does that mean you have filled out a registration card? (Quick! Do it now and pre-date it!) Does it mean you signed up to receive envelopes? (Never hurts.) Does it mean youâ??re the head usher who gives Father a nice bottle of Scotch at Christmas? (Highly recommended!)
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