“I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” These are the words that thousands of catechumens around the world are preparing to hear on Easter night when they are baptized. Throughout Lent, Aleteia is sharing with you the stories of some of these men and women, who are happy to become children of God. Read all of the testimonies here.
Mexico is a country where it’s customary to baptize children in infancy. It’s a legacy that the Spanish Franciscan friars bequeathed to Mexicans when they evangelized the country. For this reason, it’s still uncommon to find young people and adults without this sacrament.
Nevertheless, such is the situation of Dilan Jesús Venancio Capulín, a simple and kind seventeen-year-old boy who has gradually matured in his faith, which is reflected in his desire to receive the sacraments of Christian initiation.
In an interview for Aleteia, Dilan tells us that he works in construction and lives with his grandmother. She has been a fundamental part of his journey towards the Catholic faith; she always told him that he needed to be baptized and receive Communion.
However, the problem was that his mother never agreed because she belonged to a different religion.
The young man recalls:
From a very young age I wanted to be baptized. I imagined that all those who had been baptized were already children of God, and I wasn't. I felt strange. And when they asked me if I was baptized (and I said I wasn’t), they were surprised, and that made me want to be baptized even more.
Now he can make the decision to be baptized because he’s almost of legal age. But the real reason is because, unfortunately, his mother recently passed away.
Getting to know Jesus has changed him
The young man, who belongs to one of the dioceses of the Bajío region of Mexico, attends his catechism classes on Saturday afternoons, where a large group is preparing for the big day.
Attentive and respectful, they listen to the pair of catechists who've accompanied them on their journey of discovering Christian doctrine.
“I really like going to the talks and listening,” he says. Dilan is receiving his preparatory course at the parish of the Resurrection, which belongs to the Diocese of Celaya, in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico.
We ask him if he has already encountered God through this preparation. Without hesitation, he replies that he has. “It has helped me a lot. I’ve changed in personal ways. And I’ve become more interested in Christ.”
Later he tells us how he joined the group, and he reflects:
I looked in several churches but they didn't want to accept me, or they told me that I had to wait three years to do one sacrament and then another three years for another; they made it very difficult for me, until, thank God, we found this one.
The parish is run by the Diocesan Director of Catechesis, where a six-month course is given to young people who will receive the sacraments of Christian initiation, mainly Confirmation and Eucharist. Only Dilan and two other boys will be baptized.
An unforgettable birthday
Dilan is very dedicated to his sacramental preparation. He does homework and learns prayers, he is getting to know Jesus more and more, and is starting to understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity. He knows that the date of his Baptism is approaching: it will be on April 19th, during the Easter Vigil.
He happily suggests, “My birthday is April 20th. That's what I was telling my grandmother: it's going to be an unforgettable birthday.” He adds with a smile, “I'm very happy.”
