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The
major elements of the baptismal ceremony
PRAISED BE JESUS
CHRIST!
(Now and Forever)
Continuing my reflection on the sacrament of baptism begun last week,
the goal this week is to highlight eight major elements found in the
ceremony of baptism.
The first is the sign of the cross. At the beginning of the celebration,
the celebrant traces the sign of the cross on the forehead of the one
being baptized and invites the parents (in the case of infants) and
sponsors to do the same. This recalls Christ’s saving death and
redemption. Baptism is a sacrament of salvation, an umbilical cord (if
you will) that brings the graces won for us by the life, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ (the paschal mystery) into our lives.
The ritual calls for a reading from Scripture. Proclaiming the word of
God in the midst of the community sheds divine light on the celebration
and is meant to build the faith of those who have gathered together to
celebrate the sacrament. One of the traditional names for baptism is
“Illumination.” The Holy Spirit fills heart and mind with the light of
revealed truth and prompts a response of faith. Ideally, baptism should
be administered during a Lord’s Day Mass. Why? Because God, a community
of persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), calls us to relate to him as
members of a community. The sacraments are celebrations of that faith
community.
An exorcism and anointing are the third major element. They emphasize
that baptism liberates us from sin. A prayer of exorcism is recited
asking God to free the person being baptized from evil. The person to be
baptized is then anointed with the oil of catechumens, an oil that has
been blessed by the diocesan bishop as pastor of the Local Church. In
this way, the person is called to renounce sin and to leave behind the
domination of the power of evil, again as a member of a faith community.
Special water, baptismal water, is used in baptism. It is blessed at the
Easter Vigil. However, outside the Easter Season, the water used for
baptism can also be blessed at each celebration of the sacrament. The
blessing prayer asks the Father that through his Son the power of the
Holy Spirit may be sent upon the water, so that those who are baptized
will be born of water and the Spirit.
Renunciation of sin and a profession of faith is the fifth element.
Those being baptized are asked to reject sin and Satan, and to profess
their faith in the Triune God. In the case of infants, parents and
godparents do this on behalf of those who cannot yet speak for
themselves.
The heart of the ritual for baptism is the pouring of water three times
on the person’s head or immersion of the candidate in water three times.
The celebrant proclaims: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” This washing with baptismal water
helps us understand that sins are washed away as we die with Jesus, and
that we are filled with divine light and life as we rise from immersion
in the water or are cleansed by the pouring. The words of St. Paul to
the Romans come to mind: “Are you unaware that we who are baptized into
Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with
him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from
the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of
life” (Rom. 6:3-4).
The Christian Initiation of Adults begins with their entry into the
catechumenate and reaches its culmination in a single celebration of the
three sacraments of initiation — baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist
— at the Easter Vigil. After the completion of the initiation, the new
members of the Church begin a period of learning and formation in
Christian life called mystagogia, a new yet ancient word explained in
this column last week.
When infants are baptized, at least in the Latin Church, the sacraments
of confirmation and Eucharist are received at a later time after
baptism. This is partly because of the emphasis on the fact that the
bishop is the ordinary minister of confirmation. Though the bishop
cannot baptize everyone, he has a role in everyone’s initiation into the
Church by administering the sacrament of confirmation to them.
The washing with water is followed by an anointing with Sacred Chrism,
the sixth major element. The baptized are chrismated, christened,
conformed to Christ, the anointed one. Chrism is a perfumed oil which
signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit. This oil is blessed by the bishop
and the priests of the diocese at the Chrism Mass during Holy Week.
Following the anointing with chrism, the minister of baptism presents
the newly baptized with a white garment and a candle. This is the
seventh element. The white garment shows that the newly baptized have
put on Christ. To be clothed in the baptismal white garment is to be
clothed in Christ’s protective love. Included in the ceremony is the
admonition to keep the garment unstained by sin. The Book of Revelation
describes the significance of the white robe: “They have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb” (Rev. 7:14).
A candle is lit from the paschal candle, which represents the Risen
Christ. The lighted candle reminds the newly baptized of the light of
Christ they have received in baptism. It also reminds all those baptized
in Christ that they are to be lights for the world.
Interestingly, these two symbols (white garment and candle) appear again
in the funeral liturgy in the form of the white pall covering the casket
and the lighted paschal candle which stands near the casket. This is to
remind all that the salvation and new life promised in baptism is
experienced fully in life after death.
When parents bring a child for baptism, it is important to note that on
two occasions during the ceremony they are asked if they are prepared to
accept the serious responsibilities given to them when an infant is
baptized. The celebrant asks: “Do you realize that in bringing your
child to Church, you are accepting the duty of raising him/her in the
faith, so that by observing the commandments he/she will love God and
neighbor as Christ taught us?” This theme of seriousness is repeated
later in the ceremony. The celebrant says: “On your part (parents and
godparents), you must make it your constant care to bring him/her up in
the practice of the faith. See that the divine life which God gives
him/her is kept safe from the poison of sin, to grow always stronger in
his/her heart. If your faith makes you ready to accept this
responsibility, renew now the vows of your baptism. Reject sin; profess
your faith in Christ Jesus.”
I sometimes refer to this when administering the sacrament of
confirmation. When a child is presented for confirmation, parents are
able to say to the Lord, “We have kept our word” — that is, they have
seen to it that their children attend weekly Mass, convenient or
inconvenient; they have seen to it that their children have been
schooled in prayer; and they have seen to it that their children have
been catechized.
One final point. It is the tradition of the Catholic Church that those
to be baptized be placed under the protection of a saint. When the
celebrant of baptism asks the parents of an infant “what name have you
given to your child,” the expected response is the name of a saint of
the Church. Sometimes the names offered have nothing to do with a saint.
In such situations it is not unusual for the priest celebrant to
silently place the child under the patronage of a saint, not necessarily
“Mary” for girls and “Joseph” for boys, but a saint nonetheless. It is
much preferred that parents choose saint’s names for their children.
Next week: reflections on the second sacrament of initiation. |
