The Sacrament of Baptism

The teachings of the Catholic Church on the sacrament of baptism might be summarized in the following points:

• The fruit of Baptism, or baptismal grace, is a rich reality that includes forgiveness of original sin and all personal sins, birth into the new life by which man becomes an adoptive son of the Father, a member of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit. By this very fact the person baptized is incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ, and made a sharer in the priesthood of Christ (CCC 1279).
• The essential rite of Baptism consists in immersing the candidate in water or pouring water on his head, while pronouncing the invocation of the Most Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (CCC 1278).
• Since the earliest times, Baptism has been administered to children, for it is a grace and a gift of God that does not presuppose any human merit; children are baptized in the faith of the Church. Entry into Christian life gives access to true freedom (CCC 1282).

​Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1214-1284

​For the relationship between what we've been studying so far and the sacrament of baptism, read Jon Stotts's "Theses on Baptism".

​Check out Fr. Tom Richstatter's discussion of baptism in "The Sacraments of Initiation," The Sacraments.

​Beatrice Bruteau provides some practical exercises for thinking about baptism in her book Easter Mysteries. Check out chapter 1.

​Catholic theologian Michael Himes links the death and resurrection of Christ to the sacrament of baptism in this chapter of the The Mystery of Faith.

​Orthodox liturgical theologian Alexander Schmemann explores the cosmic implications of baptism in For the Life of the World.

​Religious scholar and theologian David Bentley Hart writes about baptism from a cosmic and historical perspective in "Baptism and Cosmic Allegiance".

Baptism is God’s life abiding in us. It is more than an event -- it is a transformative reality. To understand what this means, we might compare it to marriage.

We talk about marriage in two ways. Marriage is what takes place on THE DAY -- the exchange of vows, the celebration, the kiss. But marriage is what takes place every day after that. Marriage is what the marriage ceremony is for. Marriage is a ritual that expresses and initiates a new way of life. Baptism is exactly like this. Baptism is the ritual washing of a person responding in faith to the Gospel in the name of the God we worship as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But baptism is the new life that flows from God’s compassionate gift of Jesus to the world. You were baptized on that day, but your baptism continues to operate in you, through you -- because your baptism is the Holy Spirit living out God’s life in you.

Baptism is the public and visible sign of the beginning of our Christian journey. As we tell the story of God saving us, this story takes an immense leap forward when we come to the event of our baptism. Before baptism, our story is about what it's like to get by on our own. Even if we were baptized as infants, our story begins with a baby who has the assurance of her parents, maybe her community, but no ultimate assurance that the universe is a friendly place. But in baptism, God reaches out and assures us, "Yes, you are mine. I've got you. You will fall. You will fail. You will break. But I will pick you up, I will make up for your failures, I will heal you completely. You will never be alone, because I am delighted with you." We can count on this promise, because Jesus counted on it, and God raised Jesus from the dead. 

• Take a minute and remember your baptism. (If you're a catechumen, you'll have to remember  ahead, into the future.) For those of you baptized as infants, do your best to bring to mind all the details you can remember from stories and pictures of your baptism. Who was there? Who baptized you? What was the baptism like? A dunking? A trickle of water? 

• To prepare yourself for the discussion of baptism and confirmation on Sunday, try to share these memories with your sponsor. Ask your sponsor about her or his own baptism. Compare your stories: what do they have in common, and how are they different? What makes your baptism a meaningful event in the history of your life?

• Finally, take another minute and consider this: Catholics baptize babies, we baptize adults, and we recognize non-Catholic baptisms. What does this say to you about the nature and extent of God's Church?