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Today's gospel affords us an
opportunity to reflect on the wonderful gift of Baptism. Those of us who
grew up in Christian families often take our membership in the Church
and in the Body of Christ for granted. What else would we be but
Christians? But there was a time when we were not members of God's
family. We were born into a human condition contaminated by sin. In most
cases it was our parents who brought us to the Church and asked for the
gift of Baptism.
In days past most people thought that the purpose of infant Baptism was
to free the child from original sin. While Baptism does free us from the
isolation of sin, there is so much more that Baptism is all about. In
Baptism we die and rise with Christ.
The life-giving and life-taking symbolism of water is not as powerful in
our lives as it was in the lives of our ancestors. Early Christians
practiced adult Baptism in moving waters, rivers, streams, etc. The
Bishop held the catechumen under the waters until they struggled for
air. The new Christian emerged with a sense of a near death experience
with the Lord. The community welcomed them as a new person, dead to sin
and reborn in Christ.
Baptism is the beginning of the life of Grace in each of us. At the time
of Baptism we experience the divine life of the Holy Trinity for the
first time. We become the dwelling place of God's Holy Spirit.
Sanctifying grace, the very holiness of God, conforms us to the image of
Christ and grafts us to the Body of Christ, the Church. Many of
the signs which accompanied the sacramental grace of Baptism do not
appear with infant Baptism. We can hardly expect an infant to rejoice in
tongues or praise the wonders of God in song or words. But there is a
great deal our adult catechumens can tell us about their experience of
God's love at Baptism.
Through Baptism we are called
not only to live the holiness of Christ, but to be Christ for others. In
the case of infant Baptism the Church commits herself to teach, nourish,
and educate young Christians. When they have reached adulthood they are
expected to confirm their Baptism by making a personal commitment to
live for Christ through the sacrament of Confirmation. The confirmed
Catholic accepts responsibility to make Christ and his Church present in
the world through his or her discipleship and stewardship. Only a
confirmed Catholic can serve as a Baptismal or Confirmation sponsor.
These are the reasons Confirmation is such an important sacrament for
every Catholic to receive. For the catechumen, mature enough to make an
adult commitment, Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation are celebrated
together as a three part sacrament of initiation. |
