Baptism

Text Box: Sacraments of the Catholic Church—BaptismA reminder to take this material slowly, prayerfully, inviting the Holy Spirit to enlighten.

 

Some comments on Sacraments in general:

 

1) “Sacraments are signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions.”

 

2) “The Holy Spirit prepares the faithful for the sacrament by the Word of God and the faith which welcomes that word in well-disposed hearts. Thus the sacraments strengthen faith and express it.”

 

3) “The seven sacraments touch all the stages and all the important moments of Christian life: they give birth and increase the healing and mission to the Christian’s life of faith.”

 

The three sacraments of initiation are Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.  These three are the foundation of every Christian life. A Catholic is born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receives in the Eucharist the food of eternal life.”

 

                                                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1)Baptism is a Sacrament of Faith. Faith needs the community of believers. St. Peter declared: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2, 38

 

2) “For the grace of Baptism to unfold, the parents’ help is important. So too is the role of the godfather and godmother, who must be firm believers, able and ready to help the newly baptized on the road of Christian life.”

 

3) “Baptism is birth into the new life in Christ. In accordance with the Lord’s will, it is necessary for salvation, as is the Church herself, which we enter by Baptism.” And Baptism incorporates us into the Church and so makes us members of one another. Purification from sins and new birth in the Holy Spirit are the two principal effects of Baptism.

 

4) Baptism imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual sign, the character, which consecrates the baptized person for Christian worship. It establishes a permanent relationship with Jesus Christ and the Catholic-Christian community— an indelible relationship that can’t be erased but will either deepen and become stronger or become dormant and lifeless through a lack of effort.

 

Quotations taken from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, pp. 293, 311-312, 324-325

BAPTISM

 

Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments.. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as children of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers of her mission.

 

I was baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

 

A reflection

 

 

All Catholics are Christian but not all Christians are Catholic.

 

v All people [including Agnostics, Atheists, Humanists] serve God but not all people know and love the God they serve. Knowing and loving the One we serve makes a difference.

 

v In any human relationship it is knowledge of the person and love for the person that makes the relationship meaningful and of substance.

 

v Jesus would say: “This is eternal life; to know you the One True God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

 

v Our Catholic spiritual life is based on a relationship with Jesus Christ that was initiated in Baptism and cultivated through prayer, worship, service, sacraments  – all with the help of the Holy Spirit.

 

v To fall in love with the person makes the motive for faithful friendship stronger and more enduring. As the Good Shepherd Jesus said: “I know mine and mine know me; for them I lay down my life.”

 

v As a Catholic are there certain gifts of grace you don’t want to depart with? In the area of your religion what are the treasures of your heart for which you would be willing to sacrifice in order to keep?

 

v Catholic history is filled with saints who sacrificed their lives rather than give up the treasures of their heart. What do you think some of these treasures were?

 

 

Many Catholic homes display a variety of symbols

a holy picture, a bible, a crucifix, a statue etc.

To bless ourselves with holy water as we enter our church is to remind ourselves of our baptism that first brought us into this catholic community.

 

It can also remind us how we have been blessed to be named a Catholic.

 

 

 

Baptism, Water, and the Holy Spirit

 

Every Catholic Church has “holy water” containers to the right and left as you enter the church. Catholics are taught to bless themselves with this blessed water. Why? It is to remind us of our Baptism that initiated us into the Catholic community.

 

It is also to remind us that we were baptized “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Sprit.” One can renew our baptismal commitment by blessing oneself with “holy water.”

 

What symbols have you kept from your Baptism? Do you still have a rosary and personal prayer book? These are common Baptism gifts.

 

If you were creating a banner or sign to show your baptism in the Catholic religion what symbols and signs and words would you use?

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