Two weekends ago, we celebrated the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  That is a celebration that concludes the liturgical season of Christmas and launches the first part of Ordinary Time each year.

In near proximity to that Feast, therefore, we consider is some detail the Sacrament of Baptism.  It is one of seven Sacraments in the Catholic Church (and, in fact, the very first Sacrament that all of us receive).  Every Sacrament is comprised of Matter, Form, and ordinary Minister.   The Matter (that is, the “stuff” of Baptism) is water; water must be used or else the Sacrament does not take place.  The Form (that is, the “formula,” or the words used in conjunction with the Matter) is the Trinitarian formula:  “N., I baptize you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  No other “formula” of words would suffice; any other “formula” used would render the Sacrament void and incomplete – Baptism simply does not happen in absence of water and the Trinitarian formula.

The ordinary Minister of Baptism is a deacon, priest, or bishop.   Though, little-known fact:  anyone can administer Baptism when there is danger of death.  Even a non-Catholic, or even any non-Christian, can baptize somebody who is dying.  But that would be an extraordinary circumstance; the ordinary Minister of Baptism, again, is one of the ordained clergy of the Catholic Church.

There are three primary effects of Baptism, three things that Baptism does for us.  One, it cleanses us of Original Sin (and, if we are baptized at an age after the age of reason, about seven years old, then Baptism cleanses us also of all actual sin, in addition to Original Sin).  Two, Baptism marks us as a child of God; we are made part of God’s family by the grace of adoption.  Three, Baptism inaugurates us into the community of the Church.

Baptism (along with Confirmation and Holy Orders) is a Sacrament that cannot be undone and is not repeated.  Even if a baptized person were to make a public show of renouncing Christianity and becoming an atheist or even a Satanist, that person’s Baptism is not erased or nullified, nor does that person get baptized again upon returning to Christianity.  Baptism leaves an “indelible mark” within us (something like a spiritual tattoo implanted by God right onto our souls).  

In the Baptism ritual, we see and hear many symbols used.   First, we hear the parents state the name of the child to be baptized.  This part of the ritual emphasizes the dignity of the parents as partakers in the creative prerogative of Almighty God.  It is God alone who can create.  It is God alone who assigns a nature and therefore a destiny to every creature.  But God has allowed parents of children to participate in both of those divine prerogatives:  the mother and the father procreate and thereby create new life; and just as God allowed Adam to name the animals as a demonstration of Adam’s authority over them and stewardship of all Creation, so parents are entrusted with the naming of their child.

Next, we trace the Sign of the Cross on the child’s forehead:   the Minister, the parents, and the godparents.  This reflects the truth that our pilgrim’s journey of faith here on Earth is exactly that:   our journey.  We are all of us in this together; we are none of us an isolated rock or island.   And so we all share in this great and glorious ministry and mission of being Christians in a world that has always been hostile toward God and religion.

Next, we see two of the three sacred oils used in Baptism: the Oil of Catechumens and the Oil of the Sick.  The use of oil is interesting.  In the ancient world, oil was used as something of a universal healing agent (“just throw some oil on it!”), and we still see some measure of this today (whenever a therapeutic massage is administered, for example, oil frequently is used).  Also in the ancient world, oil was used for limbering up the muscles in preparation for combat.  Greco-Roman wrestlers would douse themselves in oil so as to render themselves much more difficult to grasp and grapple.  So too does the sacred oil render us more difficult for Satan to grasp and grapple us in spiritual combat.

Of course, we see the use of water, the Matter of Baptism.   Water is a paradoxical element, just as Christianity in totale is paradoxical (for example, Jesus had to die so that we might have life; and it was on the utter defeat of the Cross that Jesus achieved definitive victory).  Water is both life-giving and death-dealing.  We need water to drink, to wash, to feed our plants and animals.   And yet, how many drown each year, are blasted by floods and hurricanes each year, and so on?

The use of a white garment in Baptism symbolizes the newness in Christ that we have become after being Baptized; like Jesus (the Lamb of God without spot or wrinkle), we are perfectly purified in the waters of Baptism, and the white garment visibly displays this invisible reality.

The candle:  both the large Paschal Candle and the little candle given to the child (to the child’s parents and godparents).  The Paschal Candle symbolizes the Light of Christ (Christ, Who is the Light of the world); the little candle is given its fire and light from the Paschal Candle, and that is because Jesus calls each of us, likewise, to be the light of the world, but without Him, we can do nothing, and without the Paschal Candle, the child’s little candle cannot ignite.

Incidentally, the use of holy water, the white garment, and the Paschal Candle are all present also at the funeral:  the casket (or urn) is sprinkled with holy water as a reminder that this person who has died and entered into eternal life had entered into earthly life through the waters of Baptism; the white garment on the child now becomes the white pall for the casket; and the Paschal Candle that was lit for the Baptism is lit again for the funeral.  Again, because with Baptism, we enter into a life of faith here on Earth; with the funeral, we are ushered into life eternal.

~Fr. Lewis