Baptism

Refer to our Sunday Experience pages to find different prayers to pray as a family sometime during the week as well as setting up a prayer space and other activities as a family.

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4. Read through and familiarize yourself with the sample script. 
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Relates to Jesus: Jesus, being fully man and experiencing all that we experience except for sin, entered into baptism and thus ushered in the life available to you and I through the gift of the Holy Spirit given to us through the Sacrament.

Relates to my Faith: Baptism unites us to God and the Church and initiates the life of faith available to us through sanctifying grace.

Sample Script:

An important day that we like to celebrate is our birthday. Can you think of how you celebrate your birthday with your family? The day of our Baptism is like a second birthday for us, and it’s the most important day of our lives! It is like our birthday because we are born to new life in Christ, and given special gifts! 

Baptism is the first sacrament that we receive. Sometimes we are baptized when we are babies and can’t remember that day, but our parents and grandparents can! It takes place at Church, and the priest uses water to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. He made the sign of the cross over you like you make on yourself when you pray.  

Baptism is the gateway sacrament, which means that when we receive it it opens the gate to receive the other sacraments! Think of the gate to the playground, or at an amusement park--once you enter the gate you are able to go on all the rides and all over the playground! In a similar way, once you receive Baptism you are able to receive other sacraments and many special gifts as well! When we are baptized we receive gifts like sanctifying grace--this gift is like a super power that stays with us our whole lives, and it allows us to make acts of love with God’s love--supercharged acts of love like Jesus made! Another gift in Baptism is that God forgives us of all our sins, which helps us to make those supercharged acts of love. Baptism also gives us an indelible mark, which is a mark on our soul--we can’t see it, but it is a seal that will always be there and means that we belong to Christ! 

Another way that Baptism is like our birthday is that through Baptism we are born into a family, the Church! The Church is one big family that takes care of each other like your Mom, Dad and siblings take care of each other at home. Once Baptized, we become members of the big Church family, and the whole Church celebrates our Baptism like your family celebrates your birthday! 

Questions: 

The day of our baptism is like what other day that we celebrate? 

Where did your baptism take place?

What gift do we receive in baptism that is like a superpower? 

When we are baptized, what do we become a member of? 

Why is Baptism the "gateway" sacrament?
 

Activities: 

With Mom and Dad find the date of your baptism and mark it on the family calendar. Think of a special way to celebrate that second birthday. 

Draw gift packages, and label each of them with a gift that we receive in baptism.

Ask Mom or Dad, Grandma or Grandpa what they remember about the day you were baptized. 

Relates to Jesus: Jesus' passion and death restores humanity's lost grace in the Original Sin of Adam and Eve and offers us through baptism a participation in this reality.

Relates to my Faith: The Church knows the human condition as well as anyone and knowing our inclination to choose lesser goods and to fall into sin, she offers us the healing remedy to keep us strong in faith and free from sin.

Sample Script:
Baptism is the first sacrament a person receives, and we may not remember it because sometimes people receive baptism when they are a baby! But why do we need baptism, even when we’re a baby? Just like there are things that you need Mom or Dad’s help to do, like reaching high places or reading, there are things that we cannot do by ourselves and we need special help from God! 

Do you remember the story of Adam and Eve, when they disobeyed what God had asked them to do? We know that when we disobey God it is called a sin. Adam and Eve were the first people that God created, so when they disobeyed God it was the very first sin, and so it is called the original sin. Now think of some traits that you have in common with your parents--do you have the same hair color as them? The same eye color, or maybe you act like them? There are many things that we have in common with our parents. Some traits were passed from your grandparents, to your parents, and down to you. Sometimes, things like sickness can be passed down as well. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, their relationship with God was hurt, and some of the gifts that God had given them were lost. Like a sickness can be passed down, original sin is passed down from our first parents, Adam and Eve, because they were the very first people. Our relationship with God is hurt, and we lack the gifts that God created Adam and Eve with. 

Original sin isn’t something that we can cure on our own or just by our actions. Fixing our relationship with God isn’t something we could do by ourselves! But God loves us so much that he gave us his Son, Jesus to come and save us! Jesus restored our relationship with God, and he gave us graces that we can receive to heal us! This is what God gives us in the sacrament of Baptism. When we are baptized God takes away the guilt of Adam and Eve’s sin that we share with them, and gives us sanctifying grace. Sanctifying grace is like a superpower that stays with us our whole lives, and it aids us in overcoming concupiscence. Concupiscence is the temptation to keep sinning, because once we sin it becomes easier to sin again. It’s like the feeling when we are tempted to eat another cookie after eating a really tasty cookie, and then another, and another until we get a stomach ache. It is easy to do, but it isn’t good or healthy for us. Similarly once we sin it can become easier and easier to sin again. Concupiscence comes with original sin, and it stays with us even after baptism, but thankfully sanctifying grace helps us to overcome concupiscence! Though our actions alone cannot take away original sin, our actions can help us fight concupiscence! Receiving the other sacraments, living virtuously and praying everyday all help us win the fight against concupiscence! 

Questions: 

Why do we need baptism, even when we’re a baby? 
Who restored our hurt relationship with God? 
What is concupiscence?
What special gift do you have, and some actions that you can take to fight concupiscence? 
What is sin?

Activities: 

Draw a superhero battle, with the evil villain “Concupiscence” vs. you, with all that you have to fight concupiscence.

Read together the story of Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:26-3:24), remembering that they are our first parents and why we know we need Baptism from this story. 

Relates to Jesus:  Jesus shows His solidarity with humanity by being baptized. He shows us the necessity of baptism and that living a life in Him as His disciple begins with this foundation.

Relates to my Faith:  We are not meant to live life alone and our faith is no exception; being baptized into the Church unites us with all Catholics and makes us a child of God . God walks with us through His Church.

Sample Script:
Baptism is the foundation of our whole life as a Christian. When a new house is built, do you know what part of a house is built first? The builders first lay the foundation, the flat, strong surface that the house sits on top of. It is the basis of everything that comes after--the floor, the walls, and the roof, and the foundation makes it all possible! Similarly, Baptism is like our foundation--it is the beginning of our Christian life and makes it possible for us to receive other sacraments and special graces! 

The foundation of a house is made out of cement. Cement is made of many different materials combined that make it very hard and strong. There are also many elements in Baptism that make us strong Christians! Firstly, when we receive the sacrament of baptism we are freed from sin. Every person since Adam and Eve is born with the guilt of original sin. Do you remember from the story of Adam and Eve what the first sin was? They disobeyed God by eating the fruit he told them not to eat. Their choice hurt their relationship with God and changed their life. They were no longer united with God, and it became more difficult for them to choose good and much easier to sin. This lack of harmony was passed on from Adam and Eve to all people, so all are also bound to sin, until God gave his only Son, Jesus, out of love for us. He restored our relationship with God and made new life available to us in heaven, and it begins with Baptism! This freedom from sin helps us to be strong Christians. 

We are also made strong in Baptism by becoming a member of the Church! The Church is one big family, where each member takes care of another and celebrates together! This means that we are never alone. We always have people to look up to when we need help, or if we have questions about our faith. Being a member of our Church family also makes us strong Christians. 

Not only do we become part of our Church family, in Baptism we also become God the Father’s adopted sons and daughters! The Son, Jesus, became man so that we could become divine sons and daughters! That means we share new life with God by the gift of sanctifying grace, and someday eternal life in heaven! And so we are also strong Christians because of the gift of sanctifying grace and becoming sons and daughters of God through Baptism! 

Questions: 

Why is Baptism the foundation of our Christian life? 
What elements of Baptism help to make us strong Christians? 
What do we become when we are Baptized that Jesus made possible? 
God wanted harmony with all people so what did he do?
Once we are baptized what else are we able to receive?

Activities: 

With your family, think of ways you could become more integrated and help to build up your big Church family--meeting someone you haven’t met before, praying for someone you know that needs it, or reaching out to someone going through a difficult time to support them like a family does.

Ask about your baptism. What did the priest say and do.

Relates to Jesus:  Jesus' being baptized in a baptism like ours made you and I His brother and sister. We are adopted as children of God who live and follow the way of His Son Jesus, Who opens the doors of grace and washes away our sins so that we might be His disciple and live eternally with Him.

Relates to my Faith:  The sanctifying grace received in baptism washes our souls clean from Original Sin and restores our relationship with God. We are brought together by baptism with all the baptized under the care of the Catholic Church.

Sample Script:
We sometimes like to wear clothing that shows others the things that we like to do. Maybe you like to wear your sports uniform because it shows others that you play and what team you are on. Maybe you like to wear the sweatshirt that shows the club you are in, or where you went on vacation with your family last summer. We like others to know the sports and clubs we belong to because we do it, and are proud of it! 

In Baptism, we become a part of something incredibly special, even more than belonging to a team. When we are Baptized, we become adopted sons and daughters of God the Father. That means that we share in God’s divine life, a life centered on his love! This is all possible because of the Son! We know that the second person of the Trinity is the Son. He shares divine life with the Father fully! When the Son became man, he made it possible for us to share in that life as well, and to be adopted by the Father, and we receive that new life in Baptism!

Why is new life, and becoming an adopted son or daughter of God something so incredibly special? It goes all the way back to the beginning, to the story of Adam and Eve. God wanted to share his life with them too, and they partook in his life in a beautiful and harmonious way! But what happened? Adam and Eve decided to disobey God. They wanted to be like him by eating the fruit, like the Serpent tells them, but they wanted to do it their way. By that sin they hurt that beautiful and close relationship with God by disobeying him, and they couldn’t fix the relationship by themselves. It was then that the Father sent his Son to become man, so that man could become like God and in an even greater way than Adam and Eve had been! Jesus opened the gates of heaven, making it possible for us to share in God’s life and making available to us the gift of sanctifying grace that heals what is wounded in us by sin! We receive the gift of sanctifying grace when we are Baptized, and we begin to share in that divine life by receiving graces and becoming God’s adopted son or daughter! 

Questions: 

What do we become when we are Baptized?
What does it mean to be an adopted son or daughter of God? 
How is it possible that we can partake of God’s divine life? 
What gift do we receive in the sacrament of Baptism that heals what is wounded in us by sin?
What bigger family do we become a part of at our Baptism?

Activities: 

Write down some of those things--clothing, maybe jewelry--that you like to wear that shows you belong to something. Why do you like belonging to this group? 

Journal, perhaps writing a letter to God about what you have learned about being his adopted son or daughter. What does it mean to you? 

Relates to Jesus: When we are baptized, we are united to Jesus by receiving the new life of grace. We also die to the life of sin given to us by Adam and Eve and this same grace strengthens us to choose a life centered in Jesus Christ.

Relates to my Faith: Our death to sin in baptism regenerates us as children of God and offers us the grace to continue in the life of this grace throughout our life.

Sample Script:
Baptism is the first sacrament of initiation. Initiation is the beginning of something, and baptism is the beginning of our life as Christians. The word ‘Baptism’ means to plunge or immerse--can you guess why this sacrament is called Baptism? It is named after the rite by which a Baptism takes place, namely to plunge into water! The priest will dip the baby into the water, or pour a little bit of water onto their forehead, while adults will have water poured onto their head, or they may be fully immersed in water, a real plunge! This plunge into the water symbolizes dying with Christ and being born to new life.

Death with Christ and rising to new life is an important element of Baptism. When a person is baptized it does not mean that their soul separates from their body like in a physical death, rather the person dies to sin. Ever since Adam and Eve committed the first sin, all are bound to sin. Similar to an illness, original sin is passed down through every generation, and human nature is in need of healing. But man can’t heal himself, he needs a doctor capable of treating our illness! By dying on the Cross, Jesus took on man’s illness, our sin, and he restored new life to us that allows us to participate in God’s divine life! This divine life we receive in Baptism, and it is called sanctifying grace. It helps us our whole lives to live the way we ought, following in Jesus’ footsteps in our actions and the way we love that makes Christians! 

In the Gospel of John, Jesus teaches a man named Nicodemus this reality. “Amen amen I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and spirit.” Being born of water and spirit in Baptism allows us to participate in divine life on earth through sanctifying grace, and makes it possible for us to also share in his divine life with him in heaven someday! We begin to experience and show others his love on earth and are able to experience it even more fully with him in heaven, and that is what he wants for everyone! Baptism is the door through which we can plunge into this new life with God! 

Questions: 

What does initiation mean, and why is Baptism the first sacrament of initiation? 
What does Baptism mean? 
What does it mean to die with Christ?
What does it mean to be born to new life?
Who are we meant to imitate in our actions and the way we love? 

Activities: 

Ask your parents to look at pictures of your baptism, or the recent baptism of someone in your family. What...

Read Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus in the Gospel of John (John 3: 1-5). What does Nicodemus ask Jesus, and what is Jesus’s response? 

Relates to Jesus:  Jesus was just as much at work in the Old Testament as in the New, calling people to repent and return to God through the words and actions of the Fathers and the Prophets.

Relates to my Faith:  The presence of grace from the Sacrament of Baptism ensures us of the ever-presence of God working in our life and desiring us to be in right relationship with Him.

Sample Script:
Baptism is the gateway sacrament, which means it opens the doors to receiving many gifts and sacraments which will give us everything we need to live courageously as Christians. One of these gifts is sanctifying grace, which is similar to a superpower--it can never be taken away and it allows us the capacity to act with the level of love like Jesus did. That is no small thing, especially when we look at the heroic actions of the saints! In Baptism God also frees us by forgiving us of our sins, and gives us an indelible mark on our soul--this is a seal on our soul that means we belong to Christ, and no sin that we commit can take it away. These gifts God gives us in Baptism, and we never want to forget that we have them! 

In the Old Testament there are several prefigurements of Baptism that are especially recalled at the Easter vigil Mass. They are past events recorded in Scripture that anticipate the sacrament of Baptism. The first event in the Old Testament to prefigure baptism is the great flood for which Noah built his ark. By the flood God cleansed the earth of sin and death, and similarly in Baptism we are forgiven of all sin and given new life, like a flood washing over our soul! 

The second event the Church recognizes that anticipates Baptism is the parting of the Red Sea. When the Israelites were running from slavery while pursued by the Egyptian Pharaoh and his army, God parted the sea so that his people could escape and the water swelled down on the Pharaoh’s army. God’s chosen people were freed by passing through the water, and it symbolizes freedom from the slavery of sin that we receive in Baptism, wrought by Jesus’ death on the Cross. The Son of God became man to take on all of our sins, so that we are no longer bound to them and can share in new life with God. 

The third event in the Old Testament to prefigure Baptism is the Crossing of the Jordan River. It is momentous--more than 40 years after crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites are ecstatic to enter the Promised Land, the land God has reserved for them, comparable to living in a 5 star all-inclusive resort the rest of your life. They anticipate the happiest way of life they can imagine, and when they must cross an enormous river, the waters part for them. They march triumphantly across. This symbolizes Baptism, and even greater happiness awaits us when we are Baptized. We can look forward to eternal life in heaven, a life greater than we can imagine. These prefigurements of Baptism in Scripture can teach us about the sacrament itself, and can remind us of the incredible gifts we have already received! 

Questions: 

What gifts are we given in Baptism? 
What does ‘prefigure’ mean?
What are the 3 prefigurements of Baptism found in the Old Testament? 
What does it mean that Baptism is the gateway sacrament?
What does Baptism remove?

Activities: 

Pick one of these events to read in the Old Testament to refresh your memory, and think of how you would explain how that event symbolizes Baptism to another person in your family. 

Briefly read or research the life of a saint who heroically demonstrated the gifts we receive in baptism to remind you of the life you are capable of! Some great examples are St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Joan of Arc, St. Isaac Jogues, St. Therese of Lisieux. 

Relates to Jesus:  Jesus' ascension to the Father brought forth the Holy Spirit, who comes upon each individual who is baptized. The Holy Spirit inspires and strengthens us to seek and practice the virtues so that we might each live like Christ.

Relates to my Faith:  We are each called to be saints and to be holy. While we are right in practicing the virtues in our daily life, the virtues are a gift first of the Holy Spirit that we need to ask for and to be open to receiving from God.

Sample Script:
Baptism is the gateway sacrament, which means it opens the doors to receiving many gifts and sacraments which will give us everything we need to live courageously as Christians. One of these gifts is sanctifying grace, which is similar to a superpower--it can never be taken away and it allows us the capacity to act with the level of love like Jesus did. That is no small thing, especially when we look at the heroic actions of the saints! 

Grace is a gift that God gives to us so that we can respond to him and become all that we are made to be. Think of a mighty king who bestows on his knight the gift of a great sword. The knight needs a sword, but the king gives him a sword to suit his height, the right weight, balance--he is given exactly what he needs to carry out his calling. The gift of grace that God gives to us is like this, it disposes us to love others by wanting what is best for them and disposes our soul to receive this love from God. 

There is something left, once a person is Baptized and receives this kind of gift from God. The grace in us will not act by itself, we must act on it!  God does give us what we need, but we must choose whether or not we will use that gift to carry out our calling to live as a Christian, imitating Christ! If we do not practice in the day to day of living with our family and going to school and sports the virtues such as courage, patience, and love, it would be as if the knight put his sword in his closet after it was given to him. By our Baptism we are given new life in Christ, so it would be strange to live and act as if we didn’t have it. 

We have good examples of those who accepted the gifts of their Baptism to become who they are meant to be--the saints! Our Church recognizes those who lived courageously as Christians to stand as role models for us. Not just people to look at and admire, but to be inspired by! Each saint lived in different circumstances and different times, but each trusted in the gifts God had given them to help them become the saint they were meant to be. We never want to forget what God has already given us by our Baptism! 

Questions: 

What is grace, and what is the special kind of grace that we receive at Baptism? 
What does grace dispose us to? 
What virtues do you already have that show the new life you have with Christ?
What is a virtue that you would like to practice? 
What does it mean that Baptism is a gateway sacrament?

Activities: 

Briefly read or research the life of a saint who heroically demonstrated the gifts we receive in baptism to remind you of the life you are capable of! Some great examples are St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Joan of Arc, St. Isaac Jogues, St. Therese of Lisieux.

Think of the virtues; pick one and focus on that for the week and see what is different in your life when you live focused on that virtue.

Relates to Jesus:  Jesus is the supreme example of what it means to live a holy life: loving God and loving neighbor, choosing good and avoiding evil, and following the path of discipleship by adhering to the will of God. We are called to follow Jesus' example and can do so with the grace of baptism and the Sacraments.

Relates to my Faith:  Our lives are filled with ups and downs, good times and bad times. It is important for us to remember to look to the lives of the Saints, who often had up times and down times, and continue to return to Jesus Christ and His Church to restore and receive the necessary grace which began in baptism so that holiness might be achieved in our lives.

Sample Script:
Baptism is the gateway sacrament, which means it opens the doors to receiving many gifts and sacraments which will give us everything we need to live courageously as Christians. One of these gifts is sanctifying grace, which is similar to a superpower--it can never be taken away and it allows us the capacity to act with the level of love like Jesus did. That is no small thing, especially when we look at the heroic actions of the saints! In Baptism God also frees us by forgiving us of our sins, and gives us an indelible mark on our soul--this is a seal on our soul that means we belong to Christ, and no sin that we commit can take it away. These gifts God gives us in Baptism, and we never want to forget that we have them! 

Sometimes it can become easy for us to forget who we are and believe what others say about us, or even what we think they think about us. When we see someone as important or popular, it can be even easier to compare ourselves to them and be extremely hard on ourselves for not being more like them. Forget them for a minute and think: you never have nothing. You were created because God thought it better that you exist than if you didn’t, and you are here because He loves you. He loves you into existence. When man became bound by sin, the Son of God became man so that human nature could be restored and made it possible for us to participate in divine life--that’s the graces we receive in the sacraments, and first and foremost in Baptism. By Baptism we become adopted sons and daughters of God. We were not born divine, but Jesus made it possible for us to share in that life. A simple way that the Early Church Fathers explained this reality is, “God became man so that man might become God.” That is who you are. Created out of love, and an adopted son or daughter of God. 

Incredible people have incredible missions. By our Baptism we are given new life in Christ, so it would be strange to live and act as if we didn’t have it. With the gifts of Baptism we can begin living the Christian life, well equipped to imitate Christ and love others as he did.

Questions: 
Who is your favorite saint, and what is something they did that showed they were rooted in Baptism, filled with sanctifying grace? 
What did Jesus make possible for us, that we become by our Baptism? 
What do do we join at our Baptism?
What is a gateway sacrament?
What is one thing that you didn’t know before from this lesson? 

Activities: 

Take some time to reflect on God’s immense love for you, and write a response to Him, whatever may be on your mind.

Where in your life can you show more grace to someone you love?

Baptism – Extra Page
Scripture References: Jn 3:5; Mt 28:19; Mt 3:11; Gal 3:25-27; 1 Cor 12:12-13; Acts 2:37-39; Acts 8:11-13; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet 3:20-21; Rom 6:3-4; Col 2:12; 1 Cor 10:1-4; Mk 16:16; Acts 8:26-39

Catechism of the Catholic Church References: CCC nos.: 1213 – 1284

Videos:
Video about Baptism | Diocese of Superior | Superior, WI (catholicdos.org)
The Sacrament of Baptism - Word on Fire
Is Full-Immersion Baptism Necessary? | Catholic Answers

Extra Narrative (for deeper study):
Baptism is commonly referred to as the gateway sacrament, as it is the foundational sacrament that begins our cooperation with the life of grace and sets the stage to access the other sacraments, particularly the other two sacraments of initiation (Eucharist and Confirmation). Baptism frees us from sin and marks us as children of God, incorporated into the Body of Christ the Church.

Baptism means to plunge or immerse, in which the person descends into the water and ascends from the water a new creation, indelibly or permanently marked as a son or daughter of God. This descent in the water is a death to self/pride/sin and this ascent is a resurrection to life in the Holy Spirit that is open to God and the other.
Baptism is given to those who are infants, beginning the life of grace from the first moments of life. For those who are not baptized as infants, a period of catechetical instruction prepares the soul to receive the sacrament and thus give the recipient an enlightenment in both word and sacrament, making him or her a holy child of God (cf. St. Justin Martyr).

Baptism was prefigured in the Old Testament before finding its fulfillment in Jesus Christ and the New Covenant. The creation of the world, with the Spirit breathing out over the waters; the great flood that caused Noah to build his boat; the crossing of the Red Sea bringing the Israelites from slavery to freedom; the entrance into the Promised Land situating Abraham’s descendants in their promised blessing; these and others speak of the power that water has as both a life giving source of creation and purification while also a destructive force that can destroy and erode. The spiritual sense of baptism reigns supreme here; baptismal waters bring both life giving grace and destroys sin that incarcerates us in death and destruction.

Baptism begins the life of the Christian and Jesus witnessed to this reality in His baptism by John the Baptist to begin His public ministry.  Jesus, being fully God, became fully man to bridge the human and the divine. Our own baptism unites us to Jesus as a child of God and allows us to specially participate in the divine life of grace that He fully lives in Himself. Here, we come to understand the emphasis of importance of being baptized and why the Church makes it her mission to preach the Gospel and to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Unity with Jesus Christ through a baptism like His allows us to put on Christ, to participate in and live His life, as one with God as His children that prepares us to live eternal life.

The Rite of Baptism is filled with tremendous imagery and depth that explains it’s actual, sacramental (an efficacious sign pointing to an internal reality) meaning. Beginning with the sign of the cross, the recipient is marked with the sign of Christ and shows that this is the One who is desired to be followed more intentionally. The cross also signifies the grace of Christ’s redemption that is available to us by His saving action. The Word of God is proclaimed next and faith is enlivened to receive Jesus Christ, just as the Ethiopian eunuch along the way after hearing the Word proclaimed from Philip (cf. Acts 8:26-40). An exorcism is performed to liberate from sin and Satan as the celebrant anoints with the oil of catechumens, followed explicitly by a renunciation of Satan and confessing faith in Jesus Christ and the Church.

The water in which thus to be baptized is blessed, allowing the Holy Spirit to come upon the water so that new life will come upon those that are graced through the form of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. In these waters, death to sin and entry into the life of the Trinity is restored and regenerated. The three fold pouring of water or of being immersed reminds of the presence of the Blessed Trinity entering into the life of the recipient and tells of His presence in this recreated temple; the life and soul of one of God’s beloved children. Coming forth from the water, the soul arises just as Christ does from the tomb on Easter morning, showing that death no longer has hold over this person and rather that the freedom of the life of grace dwells here.

Being then anointed with sacred chrism, the gift of the Holy Spirit is signified yet again to show that those who are united with Jesus Christ are blessed as priest, prophet, and king to offer sacrifice to God with one’s life in love of God and neighbor, to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed throughout our life, and to reign as a servant leader who loves those in need and points to the One who is Lord over all. The baptized are clothes with the white garment, showing the pure soul as a Christian and the light of the Paschal Candle on the light of the baptismal candle shows the light of Christ ruling and guiding the new life created anew. The blessing of the parents and godparents offers a moment of grace for these souls to be given the strength to witness to and live the faith well in modeling the Christian life for the newly baptized.

Infant baptism is the norm in the Roman Catholic Church, in which the parents of the infant speak for their child in the desire to raise him or her in the faith. For those who are above the age of reason (the age of seven), they themselves are able to speak to their desire to be baptized as a child of God. In either case, godparents/sponsors are charged to be a living witness to the presence of Jesus Christ and to be a loving guide to accompany the baptized in living the faith in all the moments of their lives.

Baptism is called the sacrament of faith because baptism is our first step that authentically opens one up to intentionally develop in faith and in our life of faith. The Church asks that all continually journey to encounter the faith throughout their lives (hence the renewal of our own baptismal promises during the Easter season), and baptism is that initial point in the life of grace that invites the Holy Spirit to allow for this faith to intentionally develop and grow. As one seeks to grow continually in faith throughout one’s life, one prepares to live a life with one’s salvation ever on their mind and heart.

Baptism is necessary for salvation. Jesus speaks to this and this is why the Church has made the proclamation of the Gospel the focal point of her mission. Matthew 28:16-20 shows that this mission is not one that is centered on simply building up Church membership, but rather is centered on humanity returning to the love and mercy of God so that we might find fulfillment in living lives as our Creator has intended for us. Our call to be unified with God as His children, being guided by His Word, allows for our life in the Spirit to point us to our eternal fulfillment for which we were originally created for. To not have this gift of baptism, to knowingly live apart from this sacrament, leaves us apart from the required grace and relationship that brings forth life and love from our loving and merciful God.

Baptism is also given to those who, having desire for baptism in the Lord but suffer martyrdom for proclaiming Christ and the faith before actually receiving the sacrament, are said to be baptized by desire. This baptism of blood proclaims the truth of Jesus Christ and speaks more loudly than words. Further, those who are preparing for baptism (praying, studying, doing works of mercy) by seeking Jesus in love and truth but die before their actual baptism are too said to have been baptized by desire. Those too who die in ignorance of Jesus Christ and His Church and children who are under the age of reason who die, through the work of salvation won by Jesus Christ, are commended to the mercy of God who works outside of the sacraments to save those seeking love and truth and goodness in their lives.

Baptism restores a soul to all grace lost due to Original Sin, personal sin, and even punishment due to sin. This grace, called sanctifying grace, unites the soul most intimately with God and is the grace necessary to be a saint in heaven. However, the temporal consequences of sin remain, in which all souls wrestle with illness, injury, disorder, an inclination to choose the lesser good and even to sin (concupiscence), and finally death. This weakens the soul and can lead one away from grace, choosing our self/the world/sin over and above God. The soul needs to remain close to Jesus Christ and the Church by participating in the sacraments, prayer, and charitably doing the works of mercy for our brothers and sisters, all for the glory of God and so that we might humbly grow in holiness.

Baptism makes the recipient a new creature, an adopted child of God, in which God’s Holy Spirit makes His residence and thus makes the person a temple of the Holy Spirit. This temple is graced with the gift of sanctifying grace which justifies from the stain of Original Sin and restores the person to belief, hope, and love of God through the theological virtues, giving power and strength to live the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and allowing for growth in holiness through the practice and living of the moral virtues. Our Christian life and participation in the supernatural life finds its foundation in the sacrament of baptism (cf. CCC 1266).

Baptism makes us members of the Body of Christ, the Church. We are living stones in the Church, through our baptism called to be holy and to serve others and thus make the presence of God apparent for all to see. As a baptized person and member of the Church, the person belongs to God and commits to living a life modeled after His life, passion, death, and resurrection. While our membership in the Church calls us to obey God, have concern for our brothers and sisters around us, and to submit to the Church’s teachings on faith and morals, being members of the Body of Christ avails us to receive the sacraments and to find sustenance through the Word of God and other spiritual helps from the Church. As members of the Church, we proclaim in charity, faith, and trust the salvation from our God and our Lord Jesus Christ, showing the commitment of the baptized to be missionary disciples.

Baptism imparts an indelible or irremovable mark on the soul of the recipient, forever marking the soul as child of the Most Holy Trinity. Christians baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit share in the same baptism of Jesus Christ as professed by the Catholic Church. All Christians, Catholic and otherwise, who are baptized in this baptism share the grace of salvation and through the faithful practice and living of the virtues in one’s life, maintain this sanctifying grace that leads to heaven.