The Sacrament of Baptism in the Life of God's Children

What is the Sacrament of Baptism?

The Word of God

"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned".

Mark 16:16. The Peoples Bible

It is a sacred sign that makes us children of God. We specify, however, that to speak of God is to allude to an immeasurable immensity, one of the concrete manifestations of which is found in Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh for the salvation of all humanity. By accepting to die in our place on a cross because of our multiple lies, betrayals, disbeliefs… (Our sins) which condemned us to certain death, He showed us that He loves us. By resuscitating three days later in accordance with the scriptures and by the action of the Holy Spirit of God the Father, He proves to us that He is not a seller of illusions but a God whose love is stronger than death. If He triumphed over death, it is to show us that He is the path that really leads to eternal life. Thus, all those who believe in Him and are baptized will be saved. On the other hand, those who will persist in their revolts and their disbelief by calling Him a liar and by leading a life in contradiction with the love of God without seeking the path of repentance will be condemned. Whoever accepts passing from an old to a new life with Christ through the sacrament of baptism will become a visible sign of God's love for all men. This new state of child of God configured to Christ is a divine grace that predisposes to obtain other divine graces.

God's Call and Human Response 

Christ's victory over death must constantly be proclaimed in word and deed so that all who have lost hope will have reason to hope. It is a call to follow Christ and to help or enable others to follow Him as well. Indeed, although it was only a minority who had the grace to witness the resurrection of Christ, it was for the salvation of a greater number. If God through Christ calls everyone to come to Him, everyone is free to answer yes or no. However, it is important to specify that by giving us the possibility of being configured to Him, Christ also recognizes and understands our choice to follow God outside of Christianity.

There is therefore first of all God who calls, then a favourable response which is concretized by the reception of the sacrament of Baptism, and finally the dignity of children of God which makes us full members of the mystical body of Christ. . In other words, to receive the sacrament of Baptism one must manifest the desire to be accompanied, renounce evil and confess the faith of the Church to which one will be entrusted by Baptism after hearing the word of God who is a heritage transmitted to us by the apostles, and finally depending on the Church to which we belong or wish to belong, we are baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit with baptismal water previously blessed.

The response to the call is personal and not limited to adolescents and adults, especially within churches that recognize infant baptism. It is important to note that despite differences in sensitivities, all Christian churches agree that children who cannot yet profess their faith should not receive this sacrament. This is the reason why in the Pedobaptist Churches (those which admit the baptism of small children), it is the parents (biological and spiritual) who profess their faith. In other words, children are baptized on the faith of their parents who have the responsibility to raise their children in the fear of the Lord. This is the beginning of an accompaniment that must continue over time.

Accompaniment in preparation for the reception of the Sacrament of Baptism

It must be said from the outset that accompaniment involves the whole Church. If a Christian is a member of the body of Christ, it means that just like him, all other Christians must work for the welfare of the whole body. The accompaniment is not limited to the level of the catechism course. From 0 to 6 years old, for example, the child who is baptized is called to continue the accompaniment initiated by his parents from the age of seven and over, through catechesis courses and other useful teachings in his life of faith. Accompaniment is not limited to the church (gathering places for the faithful). It also takes into account family and societal life. By having good information by the power of the Holy Spirit, both inside and outside the church, we can accompany or continue an accompaniment as it should be. We explain ourselves by this practical example to meditate on:

A candidate for the Sacrament of Baptism presents himself; that is to say, he wants to be baptized. But it turns out he's a "bad person" who has no intention of changing. A good part of the community including his parents are aware of this but they say nothing. After being baptized after a mediocre accompaniment due to the absence of all the necessary information and aware of the fact of bringing a new soul to Christ, the baptized continued in his bad behaviour. Those who knew who he was and were silent, started to accuse the Church, when they are also members of this Church.

Additional rites after receiving the Sacrament of Baptism

The celebration of the sacrament of Baptism differs according to the Churches. One of the peculiarities of the celebration of the sacrament of Baptism in the Catholic faith is the existence of additional rites following that of water which brings the candidate into a new life with Christ. We have that of the white garment, that of the light and that of the chrism. It is through these same stages of the liturgical celebration of Baptism that Christians from Protestant Churches will pass. We specify that it is not a question of a re-baptism but rather of additional rites specific to the Church to which they wish to belong. “The anointing with holy chrism, perfumed oil consecrated by the bishop, signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit to the newly baptized. He became a Christian, that is to say “anointed” with the Holy Spirit, incorporated into Christ, who is anointed priest prophet and king. CCC 1241

In the liturgy of the Eastern Churches, post-baptismal anointing is the sacrament of chrismation (confirmation). In the Roman liturgy, it announces a second anointing with holy chrism which the Bishop will give: the sacrament of confirmation which, so to speak, “confirms” and completes the baptismal anointing. » CCC 1242

The white garment symbolizes that the baptized person has « put on Christ » (Ga 3, 27): is risen with Christ.

The candle, lit at the Paschal candle, signifies that Christ lit the neophyte. In Christ, the baptized are “the light of the world” (Mt 5:14). CEC 1243

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Bibliographic orientation

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paris, Pocket, 2015.