Baptism
Baptism is the
first sacrament of initiation
Baptism is a sacrament of initation that
makes one a member of God's family through
the Catholic Church. In baptism, we become
children of God and we are washed from the
original sin committed by our first parents:
Adam and Eve.
Sacraments of initiation in the Catholic Church
To be incorporated as a member of the Catholic
Church, there are sacraments of initiation that
need to be received. These are: baptism,
confirmation, and eucharist. Although penance
is a sacrament of healing, it is often received
early in the Christian's life also. The tradition
of the Church for a long time was that the parents
will have their baby baptized and when the child
reaches the age of 7, to receive the sacraments
of eucharist [first communion] and penance
[sacrament of reconciliation]. As the child
reaches the age of 12-15, he is also to receive
the sacrament of confirmation. Today, because
of the new situations of the times, there are
many adult baptisms. Thus, after Vatican II,
the church brought back the old tradition of
adult baptism through the Rite of Christian
Initiation for Adults or RCIA program.
The baptismal consecration
Previous theology and spirituality tend to
obscure the value of baptism consecration and
put more emphasis on the value of consecration
to Christ through the Church through holy orders
or religious life. However, with the renewed
vocation of laity and a more revitalized view
of their vocation to sanctify with the gospel
the secular realities of marriage and family
life, social and economic life, culture and
media, and the political life of their
communities, the Church now stresses that
what is really important is the baptismal
consecration to which all of us make our
first commitment to Christ through the
Church as clergy, religious or lay faithful.
Baptism and its symbols
Baptisms are performed not only in the midst
of a society where Catholics already abound.
More than this, many baptisms are performed
in many countries who still do not know
Christ. These are done by our faithful and
zealous missionaries. In the baptismal rite
they perform, it is often that they use the
cultural symbols of the peoples they are
evangelizing. As for societies that are
highly urbanized and industrialized, there
are standard symbols that are always
employed [these symbols are made more
meaningful by missionaries when they use
the cultural symbols of the indigenous
culture they evangelize related to these
official symbols]:
The sign of the cross, marks with
the imprint of Christ the one who is going
to belong to Him
The proclamation of the Word enlightens
the candidates the whole assembly for the
celebration about the faith
The baptismal water signifies that the
one to be baptized is to be "born of water
and Spirit"
The anointing with sacred chrism marks
the sign of the gift of the Holy Spirit to
the newly baptized
The white garment symbolizes that the
person has "put on Christ"
The candle, lit from the Easter candle,
signifies that Christ has enlightened the
baptized one. In Christ, the baptized
become "the light of the world"
Baptism in the tradition of the Church
We know as we read through Scriptures, more
specifically in the gospels, that John the Baptist
performed baptisms before the ministry of Christ.
Christ Himself underwent the baptism of John as
this was necessary for Him as the Messiah and the
Christ, who though anointed by the Father Himself
and confirmed by the presence of the Spirit, said
to John, "it is fitting that we should, in this
way, do all that righteousness demands'. [Mt 3:15]
Baptisms were of the water and the Spirit. When
Christ has to suffer and die on the Cross, He had
to also undergo a baptism by blood. All those who
followed Christ and gave their lives to Him to
witness to their faith in Him, also underwent this
baptism by blood and have become the martyrs we
know of who strongly attest to the truth of our
Christian faith.
To those interested in joining the
Catholic Church
For those interested in joining the Catholic
Church, it is important that you know some ways
by which you can avail of this sacrament and
what are the necessary requirements to be
fulfilled in the reception of the sacrament.
If already an adult, then the RCIA program is
what the person is to take. You can inquire
from Catholic friends, acquaintances or
associates you know about this and what Catholic
parish ministers to your residence. If you
know a Catholic priest, this is even better as
he can guide you well in receiving the sacrament.
Take all the aids and means you can obtain in
order to know more about the sacrament of baptism,
the RCIA program and the Catholic Church in
general. You can use all the resource articles
in this web site to initially inform you of
the Catholic faith. Eventually though, your
Christian formation must take place primarily
on the level of your parish.