MEETING JESUS IN

THE SACRAMENTS
CHAPTER 3
THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

Pompa Diaboli
The anti-culture and its apparent promises of
satisfaction and joy

Baptism requires a NO to sin, evil, and Satan

the father of lies

Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as

sons of God; we become members of Christ, are
incorporated into the Church, and made sharers in her
mission.

Understanding the
Sacrament of Baptism
Baptizein: to plunge or immerse
Being buried with Christ and emerging as a
new creature

Washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit

Enlightenment

Baptism
Prefigured in the
Old Testament

WATER IS A
SOURCE OF LIFE
At the very dawn of
creation [Gods] spirit
breathed on the
waters, making them
the wellspring of all
holiness
Noah and the Flood
The Exodus
The Promised Land

Christs
Baptism
Jesus baptism
shows us the value
of self-emptying
Jesus baptism
prefigures his
baptism in blood
Jesus baptism is a
revelation of his
true characterthe
Messiah

Christian
Initiation in the
Church
Repent and be
baptized
Catechumenate:
study, instruction
Precatechumenate
Catechumenate
Purification,
Enlightenment, or
Illumination
Mystagogia

Celebrating the
Sacrament of Baptism
Every nonbaptized personadult or
infantcan be baptized

Baptism takes away Original Sinthe

fallen state into which people are born

The
Necessity
of Baptism
Baptism is necessary for
Salvation (John 3:5)
God has bound Salvation
to the Sacrament of
Baptism . . . He himself is
not bound by his
sacraments
Baptism of Blood
Baptism of Desire
Infants are entrusted to
the mercy of God

Rite and Symbols

of the Sacraments
Baptism has a
connection to the Easter
Vigil, and to the Eucharist
Baptism is the sacrament
of faith. But faith needs
the community of
believers. It is only
within the faith of the
Church that each of the
faithful can believe.

Rite and Symbols of the

Sacrament
Sign of the Cross
Word of God
Exorcisms and
Profession of Faith
Blessing of the
Water
Essential rite of
Baptism

Anointing with
Sacred Chrism
Receiving or
clothing in a white
garment
Receiving a lit
candle

The Grace of Baptism

Immersion in water symbolizes both death to sin and new birth in Christ

The Grace of Baptism

The Forgiveness of Sins
Sin is an abuse of the
freedom that God gives
us.
Concupiscencethe
inclination to sin
Baptism grants the life of
Christs grace and turns
us back to God
Protoevangeliumthe
first announcement of the
Messiah and Redeemer

The Grace of Baptism

Becoming a New Creature

Incorporated into the Church

Our fundamental identity

is changed
Baptized people receive
sanctifying gracethe
grace of justification

Baptism makes us
members of the Church

Enables us to believe in
God
Gives us the power to live
and act under the Holy
Spirit
Allows us to grow in
goodness

Right to receive the other

sacraments
Right to be nourished with
the Word of God
Right to take part in and be
sustained by the other
spiritual helps of the
Church

We share in the
priesthood of Christ

The Grace of Baptism

Unity with Other Christians

The Seal of Eternal Life

Baptism strengthens the

opportunity for unity
among all Christians
The Church recognizes
most Christian baptism as
valid
We believe in one
baptism for the
forgiveness of sins

Baptism seals Christians

with an indelible spiritual
mark or character that
cannot be erased
Readies Christians for
worship
Requires us to participate
in the liturgy and to live a
holy life and love others

Loving God More Deeply

The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God.

The moral virtuesprudence, justice, fortitude,

temperancehave their roots in the
theological virtues, the foundation of the
Christian moral life.

Faith
Virtue by which we
believe in God, all
that he has said, and
all that the Church
teaches
Only professing
ones faith is not
enough
For just as a body
without a spirit is
dead, so also faith
without works is
dead.

Hope
The virtue by which
we desire happiness
and the Kingdom of
God and in which we
place our trust in
Christ and his
promises
If I saw the gates of
hell open and I stood
on the brink of the
abyss, I should not
despair, I should not
lose hope of mercy,
but I should trust in
Thee, my God.

Charity
Jesus called the New
Commandment
The Christian life,
begun at Baptism, is
rooted completely in
our love for God and
neighbor
Love is the greatest
of all virtues
Baptism clothes us
with Christ

More on Living
the Sacrament
of Baptism
The graces of Baptism
remain stagnant
unless we put them to
use, so the Church
has many reminders:
Holy water fonts from
which we make the
Sign of the Cross
Reading the creation
account at the Easter
Vigil
Blessing the
baptismal water at
Baptism
Renewal of our
baptismal promises at
the Easter Vigil

Thomas Merton
Overcame life of sin
and converted to
Catholicism
Entered the Abbey of
Our Lady of
Gethsemani in
Kentucky to become a
Trappist monk