ST. JUDE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY   PAGE NINE         JANUARY 13, 2002

"Baptism" is the first and foremost of all the Sacraments.  It is the cornerstone and the entrance into the Life of Faith, for it is the gateway to our encounters with Christ.  Through this Sacrament of Baptism, Jesus gathers to Himself new disciples.  Thus, Baptism is our reception into the Family of God, the Church.   In Baptism we are reborn as children of God.  We are made into the image of Jesus.  Jesus becomes our Lord and Brother, and we become sisters and brothers to one another with God as our Father.  And, we become heirs to heaven and eternal life with the Most Blessed Trinity.

Just as through the power of the Holy Spirit overshadowing the Blessed Ever-Virgin Mary, when the Holy Spirit intimately united the Son of God with the body offered by Mary, so through the overshadowing power of the Holy Spirit in Baptism we are united intimately to Jesus.   Baptism makes us become "other Christs" whereby we become God's Holy People, His Royal Priesthood, His Church, the Mystical Body of Christ.     We also become temples of the Holy Spirit.   We share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ.   We commit ourselves to make the mission of Jesus our own mission.    And, we become heirs of heaven with Christ Jesus whose life we share.

However, Baptism is also a stumbling block, for this Sacrament requires we surrender ourselves over to a new life in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, which includes walking with Him as He carried the cross.  To become baptized takes much, much longer than the few seconds that the water is being poured over us.  Rather, to become baptized takes a lifetime.  It takes a lifetime of hard work.  It takes a lifetime of effort.  It takes a lifetime of an awful lot of perseverance, commitment and starting over when we fail.  It is not easy!  Baptism does not require, rather it demands, "dying to self" to "live for Christ."  It demands putting aside my wishes, my wants, for Christ's wishes and Christ's wants.  It means dying daily again and again to myself and all that I want, so that I can live for Christ and He can live in me.   

It is for this reason that modern liturgical directives ask that "the Baptismal Font" be located near the main entrance into the nave of the church, or even part-way down the main aisle of the church.  This is done so that those entering the church almost trip over the font as they walk around it as a reminder that 1) our Baptism must interrupt all we do and are, and 2) our Baptism requires us daily to walk around our own wants and desires and die to self so that we may live only for Christ.  In the early Church, in fact until well after the beginning of this second millennium, all being baptized removed all their clothing before entering the font for Baptism.  They then walked down three (3) steps into the baptismal font, symbolizing the Three Persons of the Trinity into Whose Life they were seeking to enter.  Next they were immersed three (3) times under the water in honor of each person of the Trinity, and reminded during each immersion that they must die to self to live for God the Father, for God the Son, and for God the Holy Spirit.  Finally, they walked up three (3) steps and were clothed in a white garment as a symbol of new life in Christ, and as a reminder of their marriage to Christ.  It is for this

reason that a white baptismal garment is placed over us in our coffin at the beginning of our funeral liturgy.

For someone to go through a wedding ceremony with another, and then walk away from that person would be considered to have performed a most fraudulent action.  Such an action would not only greatly hurt and dishonor the other person, such action could bring serious civil charges and penalties.  It is the same for Baptism.  Baptism has always been referred to as "a marriage to Christ."  To seek Baptism for one's self or for another without making a life-long commitment is a serious, sacrilegious dishonor to God.  Thus, Baptism, above all, requires a firm commitment from the older child or youth or adult whenever they seek to be baptized.  And Baptism requires that same firm commitment from parents when they seek to have their child baptized.  The parents solemnly promise God to do all in their power to raise their child as a Catholic Christian beginning with their daily example and encouragement in the ways of the Faith.  It also includes doing all possible to have their child educated in that same Faith by faithful attendance at religious education classes and by faithful participation in the Sunday Eucharist.   

Every one who is born comes into life touched by original sin.  While original sin is not a personal sin, it is an inherent weakness all people are born with, which gives them a propensity to sin.  Baptism helps us struggle against that inherent weakness and overcome our propensity to sin personally.  Baptism does not take that propensity to sin away, but it sure does give us graces and blessings from God to avoid sin if we cooperate with those gifts offered by God through the Sacrament of Baptism.

Once baptized, always baptized.  Baptism can never be repeated for any reason whatsoever, provided it has been validly conferred.  Never!   Ever!    [To be validly conferred, means that water was flowing over us while we were baptized in the name of God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.]  The reason Baptism cannot be repeated is that Baptism imprints an indelible sign, which consecrates us for Christian worship and life.  Baptism does this by giving us a sharing in the Priesthood of Christ Jesus.  In fact, Baptism is one of three (3) such Sacraments that imprint a sign consecrating us to Christian worship and life.  The three such Sacraments are:  Baptism which consecrates us to personal worship and personally living our life in witness to our commitment to God, Confirmation which consecrates us to communal worship and service, and Holy Orders which consecrates us to confecting Christian worship.   

Since Baptism is the Initiation Rite by which we become members of God's Family, the Church, Baptism is by its very nature a communal celebration.  By Baptism we become sisters and brothers to one another with God as our Father, and the Lord Jesus as our Brother and Savior.  Thus, this Sacrament, like all other Sacraments, is celebrated communally with as many of the community present and participating as possible.  It is an action of the whole parish community, celebrating and welcoming a new member into its midst.  Because it is a Sacrament of communal worship and life, it should be done primarily on the Lord's Day.