What Are You Looking For? Part 2: The Liturgy and the Sacraments

Baptism: Signs and Symbols

Baptism: Signs and Symbols

            Baptism is a sacrament.  Remember, “The sacraments are perceptible signs (words and actions) accessible to our human nature.  By the action of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit they make present efficaciously the grace that they signify.” (CCC 1084)  So what are the signs and symbols we find in Baptism?

                Before any Baptism begins, whether that of infants or adult catechumens (people seeking to become Catholic and have never been validly baptized), the first thing that happens is the sign of the cross.  This “marks with the imprint of Christ the one who is going to belong to him and signifies the grace of the redemption Christ won for us by his cross.” (CCC 1235)

                The next thing that happens is the proclamation of the Word of God.  This isn’t just filler while we wait to get to the important stuff.  Baptism is an act of faith.  “And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone to preach?...Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10: 14b; 17)  Through the Word of God, not only does the one about to enter the life of faith come to deeper belief, but so do all who are present, who are charged by virtue of their being there with helping the newly baptized to grow in their Christian life.

                The whole point to Baptism is forgiveness of sins.  Since the father of all sin is Satan, the next thing that will happen is that the one to be baptized will either be anointed with the oil of the catechumens, or the celebrant will lay hands on him (or her) and they will explicitly renounce Satan.  This is called an exorcism, and no, it doesn’t look like it does in the movies.  “Thus prepared, he is able to confess the faith of the Church, to which he will be ‘entrusted’ by Baptism.”  (CCC 1237)

                During the Easter Vigil, which is the Saturday night before Easter, the baptismal water is consecrated by prayer.  This prayer asks God to send the Holy Spirit upon the water through Jesus so that the newly baptized will truly be born “of water and Spirit.” (John 3:5 NABRE)

                After all of that, we finally come to the Baptism itself.  This is where the infant or adult is truly joined both to Christ and to his Church.  There are two acceptable ways of performing the rite.  The first is triple immersion, and the second is to pour water over the head three times.  In both cases, the baptized is baptized “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  When they emerge from the water, their sins are all washed away.  They are clean before God.  They have been born into the Church, and whatever their age is, the Church now bears the responsibility of their Christian growth.  If they are children, this responsibility first falls upon the parents and godparents.  If they are adults, it falls upon the newly baptized and the entire community of believers, whose family they are now a part of.

                After Baptism, if the newly baptized is an infant or small child, they are anointed with sacred chrism.  This is an oil that has been consecrated by the bishop.  They will receive a second anointing when they are older when they celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation.  This anointing symbolizes and is a sign of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, “incorporated into Christ who is anointed priest, prophet and king” (CCC 1241)

                The final two symbols are a visual reminder that the newly baptized takes with them to remind them of the great grace that has been given to them.  The first is the white robe that the newly baptized adult will put on, symbolizing what St. Paul wrote to the Galatians, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ.” (Galatians 3:27)  This is as true for the newly baptized today as it was then.  The second is the candle, which is lit from the Easter candle.  This symbolizes that the newly baptized is called, as all Christians are, to be a light to the world.  They are to take the light that has been born in their hearts through the waters of baptism and carry it into their world to light the darkness.  It’s also a challenge to all of us who have been baptized to go and do the same.

                The signs and symbols of Baptism are simple ordinary things.  They are everyday things.  Water and oil.  Fire and clothing.  Yet what they are signs of is so deep and profound we can’t truly comprehend it.  The water joins us to Jesus Christ and now we are able to cry, “Abba, Father”.  The oil anoints us with the power of the Holy Spirit so we can grow and go.  So we can boldly be the light, clothed in the splendor of the love the Father has for us all.  The light the world so desperately needs.