Baptism Essay by David Langford
Baptism is a sacred action in which the Christian community comes together to celebrate. This sacrament is a symbol of God's care for us, and by carrying it out we bring ourselves together closer to the Lord. During Baptism, we are received into the church.
The first thing that happens during a Baptismal celebration is the welcome into the Christian community by the priest at the entrance to the church.
The Priest, or Celebrant asks the parents the name they wish to give their child followed by what they ask from the church for that child. When the parents reply that they wish for their child to be baptised the celebrant explains to them their responsibilities and asks the godparents if they are willing to help the parents bring the child up in the church.
The role of godparents is to help the child lead a catholic life. Traditionally, the godparents are the ones who insure that the child is given a Christian upbringing if the parents are no longer able to do it. But they also help the parents in every day life.
The Priest claims the child for Christ by signing the child's forehead and he encourages the parents and godparents to do the same.
Everyone moves on to celebrate God's word. A Gospel passage or two are read, usually describing the baptism of Jesus; during which the parents and godparents sit. After a short Sermon in which the priest explains the reading, the prayers of the Faithful or Bidding prayers are read to help the parents, godparents and the child followed by the Litany of saints, where all those present ask the saints to help the child: "St. Anthony pray for us.... etc."
The priest now recites the Prayer of exorcism; asking for the child to be rescued from the slavery of sin and pass into the freedom of God.
"We pray for this child:
Set him free from original sin
Make him a temple in your glory
And send your holy spirit to dwell with him
We ask this through Christ our Lord"
He anoints the child on the breast with oil of Catechumens and everyone proceeds to the Baptismal font. A hymn may be sung before the Priest blesses the water and prays to God over the water at the font. As the child cannot declare faith for himself those present give up sin and profess their faith, and the parents are asked again if it is their will to have the child baptised, after which the actual Baptism takes place.
"I baptise you, in the name of the Father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit"
As the Priest names each member of the Holy Trinity, he pours water over the child's head. He then anoints the child on the crown of the head with Chrism. This is done in silence, after which the child is dressed in a white gown which symbolizes being clothed in Christ and sharing the resurrection of Christ.
The celebrant now holds the Paschal candle and says: "Receive the light of Christ"
A Parent or Godparent lights the ...
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"I baptise you, in the name of the Father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit"
As the Priest names each member of the Holy Trinity, he pours water over the child's head. He then anoints the child on the crown of the head with Chrism. This is done in silence, after which the child is dressed in a white gown which symbolizes being clothed in Christ and sharing the resurrection of Christ.
The celebrant now holds the Paschal candle and says: "Receive the light of Christ"
A Parent or Godparent lights the child's Baptismal candle from the Paschal candle as a sign of sharing the new life with Christ and carries it to the altar for the child after the Prayer over the Ears and Mouth of the Child:
"The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak.
May he soon touch your ears to receive his word,
And your mouth to proclaim his faith,
To the praise and glory of God the Father."
The rite of baptism ends at the altar. The Priest says:
" Dearly beloved, this child has been reborn in baptism. He is now called the child of God, for so indeed he is. In confirmation he will receive the fullness of God's spirit. In Holy Communion he will share the banquet of Christ's sacrifice. Calling God his Father in the midst of the church."
The Our father is recited by all those present; the Priest blesses the mother, then the father and finally he finishes by blessing the congregation.
"May God send his peace upon all who are gathered here, in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Baptism is a sacrament where new life is celebrated; it is a sign of God's welcome and the welcome of the Christian community. Baptism is full of important and very significant symbols, words and actions. Christians believe baptism washes away sin, and gives new spiritual birth as a child of God.
The most important symbol in Baptism is water. Water has many deep meanings.
It is widely used for cleaning, but it also brings life, and we would not be able to live without it. Water is powerful but as well as life giving, it can be destructive. Floods, torrential rain and tidal waves all represent the destructive force of water.
In the Old Testament water is described as a hostile element, and it meant both destruction and life for a Jew.
The water in the Red sea helped Moses escape form the Egyptians. In the story of Noah's Ark, the floods killed everyone except Noah's family and the animals.
In the times of John the Baptist, being baptised symbolized repentance.
In today's ceremony the full significance of water can be seen most clearly in full immersion, where a person dies to sin and rises again to share a new life with Christ.
Fire can also be very useful; for giving light and cooking, and like water it can also be very destructive or used as a signal. There are a lot of references in the bible to fire, in the call of Moses, as a burning bush symbolizing the presence of God.
Jesus said: " I am the light of the world, anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark, he will have the light of life" and John the Baptist said of Jesus: "I Baptise you with water for repentance, but the one who follows me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
The fire of a candle reminds us to let the light of Christ shine through. It symbolizes Christ's love. When the Baptismal candle is lit from the Paschal; the Parents are asked to keep the flame burning in the child's heart by praying with them and by taking them to mass so that when the child grows up he can be an example to others by living a life of generosity and mercy like Jesus.
In the Old Testament, oil was used when altars were being consecrated, and it was used for anointing priests, prophets and kings, as well as dead bodies. In the New Testament, when the sinner woman came into Simon's house, she washed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried them with her hair and poured oil over them. Anointing was a sign of respect, as we can see when the two women went to Jesus' tomb to anoint his body.
During a modern Baptism there are two times when the child is anointed. One is before baptism, which accompanies the prayer of exorcism. This is the oil of Catechumens, which is a sign of strength to resist temptation, sin and evil. The other one is the Oil of Chrism, which also is a sign of strength against temptation but is also a symbol of consecration for special serviced in the Family of God. It reminds us that we have taken the name Christian and that we are followers of the 'anointed one'. The Child is then dressed in a white garment, which is a sign of new life and faith.
One of the most important gestures during the ceremony is the sign of the cross, which is a sign of the saving power of the crucifixion of Jesus.
The symbols of baptism are not restricted to one day. Your parents promised to bring you up in the faith, so that should be continued on through life.
Baptism should only take place when a person is old enough to confirm his or her own faith. Debate this statement.
Most of us were baptized as children, meaning that our parents and godparents decided that we should be members of God's family from the very start.
Baptism is something we live everyday; we have the free choice to be members of the Christian community. This choice involves saying yes to Jesus.
I believe that by baptizing an infant we are saying that we have faith. Faith is very important for Christians, and it is something we want to demonstrate to our children. To me, this is what makes us Christians.
Although adult baptism was the normal procedure in the early church; child or infant baptism quickly became the norm as people baptized their children with them.
Some people dispute that baptising infants is wrong, because baptism demands things that a baby couldn't give: turning away from sin, a mature commitment and a sustained effort. Some smaller denominations practice what is called 'Believers baptism' where the person to be baptised makes a statement on his faith, and is submerged in a small pool or baptistery sunk into the floor of the church. This symbolises being dying to old way of life or buried in the waters of baptism before rising up to a new life as a Christian, which I think is very symbolic and important.
It's my opinion that by carrying out infant baptisms we may be losing the true meaning of baptism in the sense of mature commitment etc. but infant baptism actually suits most people.
Others think that infant baptism is correct because "we always did it that way" and it has become traditional but I don't this is not the reason why we should baptise our children.
St. Augustine expressed some extreme views in support of infant baptism. He believed that we need God's grace to gain salvation and come face to face with God, so unbaptised children were unable to meet God in the after life.
Some Scholars dispute this and claim that God's infinite mercy stretches to those to those who died unbaptised.
Some also believe that baptism is not an individual thing, and because infants aren't capable of faith, it symbolises God's unconditional love and it says that we have faith.
I believe that in infant baptism, the whole community is involved to help the parents and godparents bring the child up in the Christian faith although I find adult baptism very symbolic and meaningful, as it is more demanding faith wise. I do not think it is correct or incorrect to baptise either infants or adults, but rather that they will be baptised when they are ready; and parents will decide this for their children, who later on in life will have the freedom to choose what beliefs to follow. They will have this chance at their confirmation where they will be able to confirm what had been said for them at baptism, and make those early promises to live as Jesus did their own. For me adult baptism gives those people who have seen and heard God's message and were not able to be baptised as children for whatever reason chance to become part of his Christian family.
