A few questions about Baptism......

Who can be baptised? Anyone who has not been already baptised.

Why does the Church baptise infants? Because they are born with original sin. They need to be freed

from the power of the Evil One and brought into that realm of

freedom which belongs to the children of God.

What is required of one who is to be baptised? A profession of faith. This is done personally in the case of an

adult or by the parents and by the Church in the case of infants.

Also the godfather or the godmother and the whole ecclesial

community share the responsibility for baptismal preparation

(catechumenate) as well as for the development and

safeguarding of the faith and grace given at baptism.

Is Baptism necessary for salvation? Baptism is necessary for all those to whom the Gospel has

been proclaimed and who have had the possibility of asking for

the sacrament.

Is it possible to be saved without baptism? Since Christ died for the salvation of all, those can be saved

without Baptism who die for the faith (Baptism of blood).

Catechumens and all those who, even without knowing Christ

and the Church, still (under the impulse of grace) sincerely

seek God and strive to do his will can also be saved without

baptism (baptism of desire). The Church in her liturgy entrusts

children who die without baptism to the mercy of God

What are the effects of Baptism?

Baptism takes away original sin, all personal sins and all

punishment due to sin. It makes the baptised person a

participant in the divine life of the Trinity through sanctifying

grace which makes one into Christ and his Church. It gives

one a share in the priesthood of Christ and provides the basis

for communion with all Christians.

A baptised person belongs forever to Christ. He is marked

with the indelible seal of Christ (character).

Water seen as a source of both life

and death (Noah’s Ark; passing

through the Red Sea)

Cf. Blessing of water

•Jesus as Baptist

Mt 3:14

Jn 3:22 and 26

John 4

Mark 10: 38

John 3:5

Mt 28:19

Acts 3: 38, 41

Acts 8: 14-17; Acts 10: 44-48

1 Cor 12:13

“This is circumcision according to Christ. You have been buried with him when you were baptised; and by baptism too, you have been raised up with him through your belief in the power of God who raised Him from the dead.”

(Col 2: 11-12)

“They were all baptised into

Moses in this cloud and in this

sea”

(1 Col 10:2)

“I shall pour clean water over you and you shall be cleansed; I shall cleanse you of all your defilement and all your idols. I shall give you a new heart, and put a new Spirit in you” (Ez 36: 25-26).

“when that day comes, a fountain will be opened for the House of David and the citizens of Jerusalem, for sin and impurity.” (Zec 13:1).

Baptizei

“I have baptised you with water, but He

will baptise you with the Holy Spirit”

(Mk 1:8)

“The baptism of John did not confer grace, but only prepared for the grace; and this in three ways: first, by John’s teaching which led men to faith in Christ; second, by accustoming men to the rite of Christ’s baptism; third, by penance, preparing men to receive the effect of Christ’s baptism”

Summa III, 38, 3

John 3: 22 :

“After this, Jesus went with his disciples into

the Judean countryside and stayed with

them there and baptised.”

John 4:2:

“though it was in fact his disciples who

baptised, not Jesus himself”

Jn 3:25-28.

“Now a discussion arose between some of

John’s disciples and a Jew about purification,

so they went to John and said: ‘Rabbi, the man

who was with you on the far side of the Jordan,

the man to whom you bore witness, is

baptising now, and everyone is going to him’

John replied: ‘No one can have anything

unless it is given him from heaven. You

yourselves can bear me out. I said: “I am not

the Christ; I am the one who has been sent to

go in front of him.””

“With baptism it is as follows: when you have said all the preceding, baptise in running water in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. But if you have no running water, then baptise in another. If you cannot do it in cold water, then do it in warm. If you have neither, pour water on their heads three times, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Spirit. The person baptising, the person to be baptised, and anyone else who is able to, should fast before the baptism; the person to be baptised should fast for one or two days beforehand” (didache 7)

Acts 8:17-19ff

“Then they laid their hands on them and they received the

Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given

through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered

them money, saying, “Give me also this power, that anyone

on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit”.” ff

Acts19:5-7

“On hearing this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord

Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy

Spirit came on them; and they spoke with tongues and

prophesied. There were about twelve of them in all.”

“Becoming Christian” in the New Testament

•death and resurrection (Romans 6)

•“rebirth” (John 3)

•receiving forgiveness for sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit

(2:38)

•being ‘enlightened’ (Heb 6:4; 10:32; 1 Pet 2:9),

•having put off the old nature and put on the new (Col 3: 9-

10)

•being ‘marked’ or ‘sealed’ as God’s people (2 Cor 1:22; Eph

1: 13; 4:30; Rev 7:3).

“Having been baptised into Christ and

having been put on Christ you have

been conformed to the Son of God, for

God predestined us to be adopted sons

and made us to share the likeness of

Christ’s glorious body”

(Cyril of Jerusalem- 4th C

Mystagogical catechesis III)

Baptism of desire

“…through no fault of their own, do

not know the Gospel of Christ or

his Church, but who nevertheless

seek God with a sincere heart, and

moved by grace, try in their actions

to do his will as they know it

through the dictates of their

conscience- these too may attain

eternal salvation.” (LG16)

Baptism today

“Thus by baptism, men and women are implanted

in the paschal mystery of Christ; they die with

him, are buried with him, and rise with him. They

receive the spirit of adoption as sons and

daughters ‘in which we cry, Abba, Father’ (Rom

8:15) and thus become true adorers such as the

Father seeks.”

(SC6)

“By his power, he [Christ] is present in the sacraments so that

when anybody baptises it is really Christ himself who baptises.”

(SC7)

In this body [the Church] the life of Christ is communicated to

those who believe and who, through the sacraments, are united

in a hidden and real way to Christ in his passion and

glorification. Through baptism, we are formed in the likeness of

Christ: ‘For in one spirit we were all baptised into one body’ (1

Cor 12:13). In this sacred rite our union with Christ’s death and

resurrection is symbolised and effected: ‘For we were buried

with him by Baptism into death’; and if ‘we have been united

with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be so in the

likeness of his resurrection also’ (Rom 6:4-5).

(LG7)

“By the sacrament of baptism, whenever it is properly

conferred in the way the Lord determined and received with

the proper dispositions of soul, people become truly

incorporated into the crucified and glorified

Christ…Baptism…establishes a sacramental bond of unity

among all who through it are reborn.”

(Decree on Ecumenism, 22)

“…one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who

at present are born into these [separated] communities and in

them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic

Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers

and sisters. For those who believe in Christ and have been

properly baptised are put in some, though imperfect,

communion with the Catholic Church.”

(Decree on Ecumenism, 3)

Jesus himself had spoken of the Spirit, the helper whom he would send:

“If you love me you will keep my commandments. I shall ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you for ever, the Spirit of truth whom the world can never receive since it neither sees nor knows him; but you know him, because he is with you, he is in you...the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.” (John 14:15-17,26)

“When Pentecost day came around, they had all met in one room, when suddenly they heard what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven, the noise of which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and something appeared to them that seemed like tongues of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak foreign languages as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.” (Acts 2: 1-4)

“You must repent and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

“When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, and they went down there, and prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet, he had not come down on any of them: they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8: 14-17)

The very early liturgies of Christian Initiation included a post-baptismal laying on of hands and anointing, but it is not always clear if this was a separate sacrament from baptism. Even today in the rite of baptism for children, there is anointing with chrism after baptism which foreshadows the later confirmation of the child: “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has freed you from sin and given you a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit. He now anoints you with the Chrism of salvation so that you may remain forever a member of Christ who is priest, prophet and King.”

Distinction between the two sacraments became clearer by the time of Hippolytus in the Apostolic Tradition. He referred to the Roman rite of initiation in which there were two post-baptismal anointing. After baptism, the candidates came out of the font and were immediately anointed with the oil of thanksgiving by the priests who used the following words: “I anoint you with holy oil in the name of Jesus Christ.” Then afterwards, the second anointing with consecrated oil clearly seems to be confirmation. After everyone had been dried and dressed, all went into the Church, where the Bishop laid hands on the candidates, and prayed over them. He then poured the consecrated oil on each candidate and laid his hand on the head of each one, reciting the formula: “I anoint you with holy oil in God the Father Almighty and Christ Jesus and the Holy Ghost”. The Bishop then sealed every candidate on the forehead and gave him a kiss of peace. This very early description of Confirmation is very similar to what occurs today.

“Now after baptism you went up to the Bishop.

Consider the anointing that followed. Was it

not what David says: “It is like precious oil

upon the head, running down upon the beard,

running down upon Aaron’s beard.’... You have

received the spiritual seal... God the Father

has sealed you, Christ has confirmed you, and

the Spirit has given you the pledge in your

heart.”

(Ambrose, De Mysteriis, 6,29. 7,42)

The effects of the sacrament:

•Completes the sacrament of baptism;

•Confers grace beyond that already received in

Baptism and also imparts a new sacramental

character. It perfects what has been given in baptism,

but both Baptism and Confirmation are completed in

the Eucharist;

•Character is connected with the specific nature of the

sacrament.

•The Sacramental character in confirmation is the

basis for the increase of the divine life, in terms of a

closer union with Christ, and a deeper indwelling of

the Holy Spirit, in a closer adopted Sonship of God the

Father.

“Through the sacraments of Christian Initiation, men and women are freed from the power of darkness. With Christ they die, are buried and rise again. They receive the Spirit of adoption which makes them God’s Sons and daughters and, with the entire people of God, they celebrate the memorial of the Lord’s death and resurrection. Through Baptism men and women are incorporated into Christ...are formed into God’s people...and are the children of God. Signed with the gift of the Spirit in confirmation, Christians more perfectly become the image of their Lord... They bear witness to him... and work for the building up of the body of Christ. Finally, they come to the table of the Eucharist to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man... and show forth the unity of God’s people. Thus the three sacraments of Christian Initiation closely combine to bring the faithful to the full stature of Christ.” The Rites, Christian Initiation, pg 3, para 1-2

The Church on Confirmation:

Why is it called Confirmation? Because it confirms and strengthens baptismal grace.

What is the effect of Confirmation? A special outpouring of the Holy Spirit like that of Pentecost;

This outpouring makes an indelible mark on the soul and

produces a growth in the grace of baptism;

Roots us more deeply to Christ and the Church and

reinvigorates the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our souls;

Gives a special strength to witness to the Christian faith.

Who can receive this sacrament? Only those already baptised and it can only be given once.

Who is the minister of Confirmation? The original minister is the bishop. In this way the link between

the confirmed and the Church in her apostolic dimension is

made manifest. When a priest confers the sacrament, as

ordinarily happens in the East and in special cases in the West,

the link with the bishop and with the Church is expressed by the

priest who is the collaborator of the bishop and by the sacred

Chrism, consecrated by the bishop himself.