A few years ago I contacted a man who had been asked to be a godfather for his nephew. I asked him the required question: are you a practicing Catholic? This was his answer. “I’ll admit to you, Father, that I don’t go to Mass very often. However, I do work one day a week at the soup kitchen, take my carless neighbor grocery shopping, visit my elderly mother every week in the nursing home, and say prayers each night with my children. You tell me, Father, am I a practicing Catholic or not?” His response made me think of the words of Jesus: “For every tree is known by its own fruit.” This gentleman showed the fruits of faith: compassion, generosity, charity. I personally find it necessary to go to Church every week to get pushed out of my lethargy, to be reminded of these virtues and to connect with God who is the reason why I want to produce good fruit. But didn’t this proposed godfather possess the qualities one looks for in a baptismal sponsor?
