Baptism: Part 1

What does Baptism mean?
The word baptism comes from the Greek, bapitzein, which means "to dip or to immerse." What does this sacrament "do?"

What does Baptism "do?"
"Baptism incorporates us into Christ and forms us into God's people. This first sacrament pardons all our sins, rescues us from the power of darkness, and brings us to the dignity of adopted children, a new creation through water and the power of the Holy Spirit. Hence we are called and indeed are children of God" (Christian Initiation: General Introduction, 2).

Moreover, "holy baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through baptism, we are freed from sin and reborn as sons (sic.) of God: we become members of Christ, are incorporated in the Church and made sharers in her mission; 'baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and the Word'" (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1213, quoting the Council of Florence; CIC, 204§1, 849).

Remember, baptism is given only once, since it imparts a permanent character. Nor do we rebaptize a candidate for reception into full communion, if they are already validly baptized in another Christian community.

Timeline: Major Baptism Events

Jewish Purification
The Jews practiced various ablutions for the sake of purification and the initiation of proselytes.

John the Baptist
John the Baptist preached repentance and practiced such "washings" in the River Jordan, yet he acknowledged, "One more powerful than I is to come after me. I am not fit to stoop and untie his sandal straps. I have baptized you in water; He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit." (Mark 1:7-8).

Jesus Was Baptized
All four Gospels record that Jesus subjected Himself to John's baptism in the River Jordan. At Jesus' baptism, the heavens opened up, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and a voice said "You are my beloved Son; on You my favor rests" (Mk 1: 9-11).

Disciples Baptize
There is no mention in the synoptic Gospels that Jesus Himself baptized; but the fourth Gospel notes that He did baptize (John 3: 22) and that He authorized His disciples to do so. The conclusion of Matthew's Gospel says that Jesus commanded His followers, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 28:19). After Jesus' ascension, the disciples baptized both with water and the by the laying on of hands (spirit baptism).

c100 The Didache records that one should be instructed, fast, and then be baptized in "cold running water," if possible.

150 Justin Martyr wrote that an inquirer be "taught in prayer and fasting" before being baptized in water and led to the banquet table (First Apology, c. 150). Of course, martyrdom was looked upon as the supreme act of baptism.

100-600 Initiation Practices &
Separation of Sacramental Practices
By the third and fourth centuries, clear initiatory practices began to emerge - they included baptism, chrismation, and Eucharist. (Editor's Note: More on this will follow in the February issue of FAITH Magazine.) That unified approach has been preserved in the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches, but the west saw a gradual dissolution of this sequence of initiation after 600 A.D. Separate sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist began to emerge. This was due to many things, including the availability of the bishop, the high infant mortality rate, and a new emphasis on Original Sin. Augustine (354-430) held that while all of creation is good, mankind inherited a propensity toward evil from the fall of Adam. This state of evilness was "handed down" through the seed of the father to each generation. We needed the grace of baptism, he argued, to overcome it. Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), coined the phrase "limbo" to describe a permanent state between heaven and hell for babies who died before baptism.

Emphasis on Sin
By the Middle Ages, the understanding of baptism as entrance into a community was less emphasized than salvation from Original Sin and the damnation that went with it. The rite used for the baptism of infants was actually an outgrowth of the initiation rite for adults in danger of death.

2nd Vatican Council
The Church rightly refocused our attention on the redemptive acts of Jesus and developed rites for children and adult baptism. The rites for the sacraments of initiation were revised to reflect more accurately our rich liturgical and theological tradition. They were expanded to address many pastoral realities - the initiation of adults, of adults in danger of death, of receiving baptized Christians into full communion, confirmation of one baptized at birth, and a rite for the baptism of infants and young children.

Rite of Baptism for One Child

Reception of the Child

o What name do you give your child?
God calls us by name, the child is "introduced" to the assembly

o What do you ask of God's Church?
The parents answer,"Baptism."

o Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?
The parents are reminded of the awesome responsibility of raising their child in the practice of the faith.

o Godparents, are you ready to help?
The godparents pledge to assist the parents in their duties.

o The Christian community welcomes you with joy
The priest marks the child's forehead with the sign of the cross. Parents and godparents are invited to do the same.

Liturgy of the Word

o Reading

o Homily

o Intercessions - Prayers of the faithful and brief invocation of the saints, especially the child's patron saint

o Prayer of Exorcism and anointing before baptism - The priest offers a prayer of blessing to strengthen the child against the evil of the world. He anoints his/her chest with the oil of catechumens.

Celebration of the Sacrament

o Blessing and invocation of God over baptismal water
Blessing and Invocation of God over Baptismal Water
During the Easter Season, we use the water blessed at Easter Vigil. At all other times of the year, the priest blesses fresh water, recalling the stories throughout salvation history in which God used water. He asks God to send His Spirit upon this water, too.

o Renunciation of sin and profession of faith
Using the ancient practice of renouncing Satan and making a three-fold profession of faith, the parents renew their own baptismal vows and speak them on behalf of an infant.

o Baptism
The child is immersed or water is poured. The priest baptizes the child "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Explanatory Rites

o Anointing after baptism
The priest anoints the child on the crown of the head with chrism, a sign of Christ "the anointed one" who is priest, prophet, and king.

o Clothing with the white garment
The child is clothed in a white garment: " … the outward sign of your Christian dignity … bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven." Some families may have an heirloom christening gown; actually, this would be the proper time to dress the child in it.

o Lighted candle
"Receive the light of Christ." The child is presented with a lighted candle and parents and godparents are reminded to keep the light of Christ burning brightly in the life of the child.

o Ephpheta or prayer over the ears and mouth (optional)
This rite is optional in the United States. The child's ears and mouth are blessed, while the priest says, "May Christ soon touch your ears to receive His word and your mouth to proclaim His faith."

Conclusion of the Rite

o Lord's prayer

o Blessing and dismissal
There are a series of blessings. First the blessing of the mother, then the blessing of the father, then the blessing of all present. We are invited to go in peace.

Reflect on This

Are you aware that we, who were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into His death? Through baptism into His death we were buried with Him, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life. If we have been united with Him through likeness to His death, so shall we be through a like resurrection (Romans 6:3-5).

I solemnly assure you, no one can enter into God's kingdom without being begotten of water and the Spirit (John 3:5).

Want to read more?

The Bible - John 3:1-21; Roman 6:1-11; the First Letter of Peter, the First Letter of John

Sacrosanctum Concilium, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy
Second Vatican Council, 12-3-1963.

The Rites of Christian Initiation: Their Evolution and Interpretation
by Maxwell Johnson. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1999.

The Shape of Baptism: The Rite of Christian Initiation
by Aidan Kavanagh. New York: Pueblo, 1978.

Documents of the Baptismal Liturgy
by E.C. Whitaker. London: SPCK, 1977.