A journey of discernment is culminating this Easter weekend for Mason Thompson, a young, married family man who is getting baptized in the Catholic church.
“I’m a little nervous, but mostly I’m just excited because this has been a two-year process for me. We’re just finally at the finish line, and I’m ready,” he said a few days earlier, sitting in a pew at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, where he will end his catechumen days.
Thompson is just one of several catechumens who each year receive the three sacraments — baptism, first Holy Communion and confirmation — during Easter Vigil or Easter weekend services. Holy Trinity Catholic Church in the Northeast held its poignant Mass on Saturday evening.
Christian initiation during Easter weekend goes back to ancient times, the Rev. Mike Lewis said.
“The Easter Vigil Liturgy is the longest of the church, but it’s also the most beautiful, I think. The whole liturgy is meant for Mason and the other catechumens. It’s for them. We start outside with the service of light. We actually start with a bonfire, and we light the Paschal candle for the first time from that Easter fire. And then we proceed with it in and gradually share that one light with the others carrying candles.
“And then the whole church, which is dark, is illuminated by this candlelight,” he said.
The service starts at night, which is symbolic of the church being dark until the light of Christ enters, Lewis said.
“We’re doing what the early church did. And the wisdom there is that when we celebrate Easter, it’s a celebration of our baptism too. It’s a reminder how we became saved through Jesus’ Passion, his death and his resurrection,” he said. “We not only have had our sins forgiven, but also, we now have access to eternal life. We have access to heaven, so we celebrate the sacraments of initiation.”
Thompson grew up in a Christian, non-denominational background. He says he used to read the Bible at night while in the military. But after marrying his wife, Isabella “Bella” Gonzalez, with whom he has two girls, he started to want more from his religious experience.
He attended different churches with his family until his wife suggested they try attending a Catholic Mass. They have been married for six years, but recently got married in the church.
In conjunction with that, he also started reading about the history of the Catholic Church and became more interested when he read The Confessions of Saint Augustine, a series of books written between AD 297 and 400, that outlines Augustine’s youth, some of his immorality, and his conversion to Christianity.
“He was a saint that really got me, you know, into saying I’m going all in. He is a good theologian and his journey kind of reminded me a little bit of myself and someone who had experienced some similar things.”
He said, being military, the structure and tradition of the Catholic Mass feels right to him. He enjoys going to Mass with his wife and two girls, Sofia, 3, and Rose, 4.
“When I had my kids, it was like, this is really God’s work. That just made me want to go more into (the faith). We will make sure they get all their sacraments, and we read to them little Bible stories here and there. And every night we pray the rosary with them. They can’t go to sleep without their nightly prayers.”
For her part, Gonzalez said she is happy that her husband came to the Catholic religion on his own, and she has seen some changes in him.
“He’s more mindful and takes time to think about his actions more. He was never reckless, of course, but tries to be kinder. That’s the thing, he’s more intentional about being kinder,” she said. “And I really appreciate that my husband can show (our girls), this is what you should look for in another person that is a partner. That if they’re not in the faith, they’re willing to at least try. We’re not going to be crazy about it, but at the same time, it’s just a standard that my husband is setting for my children. He’s showing them the example of what a good person and a good father should be.
“And that means a lot to me,” said Gonzalez as her little girls naturally dipped a finger in the Holy Water font.
María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com; @eptmaria.bsky.social on Bluesky, and @eptmariacg on TikTok.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso family man’s spiritual journey culminates in Easter baptism
Reporting by Maria Cortes Gonzalez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
