LESSON 27
BAPTISM
"Do penance: and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ,for the remission of your sins." (Acts 2:38)
DIRECTIONS TO THE STUDENT
You cannot understand this new section on the Sacraments without an understanding of grace. Therefore we ask you once more to go back and review thoroughly the lesson on grace. Christianity is not a natural religion; it is supernatural, because its principal purpose is to bring you to heaven which is a supernatural place. No one can get into heaven without grace. You get grace through the Sacraments. Usually a man first receives God's grace through the Sacrament of Baptism.
A. GRACE
God made you to bring you to heaven. This is the purpose, the reason for your life. Ultimately you are made for nothing else, neither riches, nor fame, nor good health, nor pleasure. You cannot get into heaven without God's grace. If you go through life without God's grace, your life is a failure. We have studied all these truths in previous lessons; I hope that you understand them.
Grace is a sharing in the li/eofGod. Through grace God raises man from man's level to God's level. Through grace, a new kind of life is added to your soul.
You become ". ..partakers of the divine nature." (2 Peter 1 :4)
Grace makes you an adopted son of God: "we are the sons ofGod. And i/sons, heirs also." (Rom.8:16-17)
Through grace God dwells within you: "and we will come to him and will make our abode with him." (John 14:23)
When you receive God's grace you are made a temple of God: "Know you not that you are the temple ofGod." (I Cor. 3:16)
B. THE LIFE OF GRACE IS GIVEN TO YOU BY BAPTISM
Let us suppose that your mother is very old; she is eighty-seven. She is home with a complication of diseases -arthritis, cancer and a weak heart. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could have a priest visit your home, say some prayers over her, or perform some religious ceremony which would make her young once more! One of the greatest gifts God could give would be to bring your mother back to the fine health she had thirty or forty years ago! Man's most treasured human possession is his health, his life. Most men will sacrifice riches, honors, and pleasures, and will undergo the most painful medical operations if they can prolong their lives by even a few years by doing so. The most dreadful punishment that the law can inflict on a criminal is to deprive him of his life. Life is the greatest human gift that God can give. Your parish priest cannot give life back to your old, inflfffi mother. B ut suppose that a man full of sin should come to the priest, a man who has on his soul every crime known to the human race. The priest can give life to the soul of that man, the life of grace, no matter how many or how great the man's sins are. Through Baptism your parish priest can wash away all the terrible sins and crimes of that man. Your priest can make him a child of God; he can make him share in God's life and assure him ofaplace in heaven if he dies immediately after he is baptized. What a wonderful gift Baptism is! A father brings his new born baby to the parish church on Sunday to have the baby baptized. As the priest says "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost," he pours water over the head of the baby. That baby now has a sharing in the life of God; he is a child of God and an heir of the kingdom of heaven. The priest's guardian angel, the father's guardian angel, and the baby's guardian angel bow in reverence to that baby. The baby is now like his Creator; the baby is like God Himself!
C. EVERYONE MUST BE BAPTIZED Everyone who is born into the world is born without God's grace (except the Blessed Virgin Mary). An unbaptized person who is leading a very good life cannot get into heaven! It is possible to get into heaven without some of the other Sacraments like Conflfffiation, Extreme Unction, Marriage, but it is absolutely impossible to get into heaven without Baptism. It is a serious sin to neglect your Baptism or the Baptism of anyone under your charge. The Catholic Church teaches that Baptism is absolutely necessary because Christ, our Blessed Lord taught us so.
'Go ye into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned." (Mark 16:15-16) The command of Our Lord to the Catholic Church was: "Teach ye all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." (Matthew 8: 18) Christ is very definite and clear on the necessity of Baptism: .'Amen, amen,I say to thee unless a man be born again ofwaterandthe Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom ofGod." (John 3:5)
God gave His grace to Adam and Eve: but Adam lost grace for himself and for the whole human race by his sin. Since the time of Adam and Eve, everyone born into the world is born without God's grace.
.'But when the goodness and kindness of God our Saviour appeared. ..He saved us by the laver of regeneration and renovation of the Holy Ghost. Whom He hath pouredforth upon us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour: that, being justified by His grace, we may be heirs according to hope of life everlasting." (Tit.3:4-7)
Jesus Christ came to earth and died on the Cross in order to give us grace. He has taught us that grace is given to each individual soul through the Sacrament of Baptism, and that it is absolutely necessary for all persons to be baptized. There is no other way for us to get God's grace. We do not discuss in this book the question of people in pagan lands who do not know about Baptism; you know about it -therefore, you must be baptized. (Martyrdom or an act of perfect love of God would take the place of Baptism if Baptism were impossible to obtain).
D. WHEN YOU ENTER THE CATHOLIC CHURCH WE BAPTIZE YOU OVER AGAIN
Because Baptism is so absolutely necessary to get you to heaven, the Catholic Church does not take a chance on your Baptism in another church. Perhaps your Protestant Baptism was a real Baptism; perhaps it was not. At any rate it is most difficult for the priest to determine whether it was real or not. Usually a priest will baptize a person over again so that he can be sure that the person is baptized. Once you have been baptized by a Catholic priest, there will be no doubt about your Baptism.
E. HOW TO GET BAPTIZED Our Lord taught the Apostles and the priests, who carry on their work, to teach the people ftrst and then to baptize them. Therefore, in the Catholic Church we insist that you take a full course of religious instructions. At the end of the course the priest will examine you to see if you are prepared for Baptism. And if you have the right intention he will baptize you.
To have a "right intention" means that you understand the teachings ofChrist, that you understand that the Catholic Church is the only true Church, it also means that you promise to break away from all false religions, to be a good Catholic, to give up any habits of serious sin. When you are baptized you also take the name of a saint. The name of a saint is given so that you might imitate the life of that saint; the name is also given so that you will have a saint who will pray particularly for you before the throne of God. When you are baptized it is also required that you have a good Catholic godfather and godmother, called sponsors. The godfather or godmother have the duty of helping new converts lead a good life especially during their first month in the Catholic Church. Converts in particular need very good Catholics as their godfathers and godmothers.
F. BAPTISM WITHOUT A PRIEST The Sacrament of Baptism ordinarily must be administered by a priest. However a priest is not absolutely necessary .In case of necessity anyone can and should baptize. In the case of a dying baby all you need to do is pour water on the head of the baby while you say: "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."In the case of an adult, whois dying and who is still conscious, ask him whether he wants to be baptized and whether he is sorry for his sins. Find out if he believes in God, if he believes that God rewards the good and punishes the wicked, if he believes that Christ died for his sins, if he believes in the three Persons in God. He must know at least these truths before he is baptized. If the dying adult is unconscious, baptize him conditionally. To baptize him conditionally pour the water on his head and say: "If you are sorry for your sins and want Baptism, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."
G. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OFFICIALLY TEACHES YOU THE METHODS OF BAPTISM
The Catholic Church alone has the authority to teach us religion and decide disputes about religious matters. The Catholic Church teaches that there are two different ways of baptizing a person:
(I) You may baptize him by pouring water on his head as you say, "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." (2) You may immerse him in water as you say the words of Baptism. If you have the intention of doing what Christ wanted, the person will be baptized whether you pour water or immerse him in water.
The Church has baptized by immersion and by pouring water on the head of the person; either way is all right. The Bible tells us that while Peter was in prison he baptized the jailer and his family. There was no river flowing through the prison; Peter must have poured water on the heads of the people he was baptizing, at least while he was in prison.
| GETTING BAPTIZED Death comes like a thief in the night. You cannot be sure whether you will be alive or dead tomorrow. Look at your soul for a minute; perhaps you have never committed a serious sin during your lifetime; but if you do not have God's grace in your soul you cannot get into heaven; there is no other way of getting grace in your soul except by Baptism. This is the way Christ wanted it to be. Christ's death for you was in vain if you are not baptized. Or maybe you are the person who says to Almighty God, "Wait a while longer God; I'm not sure thatI want to give up serious sin." God might not wait. Why should God wait? And why should you wait? You know that you will have to give up the sin sooner Babies should be baptized a week or two after their birth. It is a serious sin for parents to neglect the Baptism of their children. Almighty God gave you your child, so that you might lead your child into heaven. It is absolutely impossible for your child to get into heaven without Baptism. Pay no attention to people who say, "Wait until the child grows up and then let him choose for himself." Do you let the child grow up before you decide to give him something to eat? Do you wait until the child is an adult before you decide to send him to school? You are the child's parents, and you are supposed to show him what is right by doing what is right yourself. The child is made for heaven just as anyone else; Our Lord told the Church to baptize everyone. Say an Act of Contrition for your sins before you go to sleep tonight. Study your religion more carefully now and prepare yourself for Baptism. |
