What is your chosen religious ritual about?

We Christians believe that God raised Jesus of Nazareth from the dead, who taught throughout Galilee and Judea
and died on a cross, to reveal the full extent of the love of God for all human beings. Through the Christian
Scriptures (the New Testament) and through the community of those who believe in him, Jesus reveals God's saving
love, "the Church," whose lives and love for their fellow human beings are meant to be witnesses and signs of the
fullness of the love of God. Baptism and the Eucharist are the two most important sacraments. Baptism is the ritual
action of prayer through which a person becomes a member of the Church, the Christian community. A ceremonial
washing is the heart of the ritual, either by water being poured over the head of a person, or by someone being fully
immersed under water. Baptism gives a person a new birth into God's life and takes away all the person's sins. On
the Christian Sacraments, the Eucharist is the most important. It is celebrated on the first day of the week, every
Sunday. In an assembly, all the members of the Catholic or Orthodox Christian community in a place come together.
To God, hymns and prayers are offered. For all to hear, readings from the Jewish and Christian Scriptures are read
aloud. The ordained priest, who presides, explains the readings of the Scriptures, and urges us to live as God teaches
us.

Describe your observation and experiences during the religious ritual

The person doing the washing (the "minister" usually a priest or deacon) says: "I baptize you in the Name of the
Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Then a special perfumed olive oil ["Chrism"] is anointed to the
person being baptized. The newly baptized person becomes a new member of the Church through these actions,
joins Christ (sharing in the new resurrected life of Christ) and enters communion with God (who Christians believe
is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) While the Eucharist, some bread and wine is placed on the altar-table. The priest or
bishop prays, in the name of the whole assembly, a great prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God, thanking God for
all His great gifts to us – especially for Jesus Christ and for His life, death, and resurrection. Everyone presents
affirms this prayer by answering "Amen".

Why do you think the community believes in this ritual?

Because the great prayer of Thanksgiving is understood by Catholics and Orthodox as a sacrificial action in which
we offer ourselves to God in and through Jesus Christ. Out of obedience to God and love for all people, it is our real
participation in the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus himself on the cross. We believe that God transforms the bread and
wine placed on the altar table into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ during the prayer of thanksgiving, through the
power of His Holy Spirit.

How does it affect the members of the community?

Baptism and Eucharist are important for the Christians, it allows them a renewed life in God, Once initiated into the
church, the individual must make a commitment to the teachings, practices, and life of the Christian faith, it further
allows the adherent to be free from sin and be reborn as a child of God. Christian community is both a creation in
the world and an influence upon it, the Church has been a major source of social services like schooling and medical
care; an inspiration for art, culture, and philosophy; and an influential player in politics and religion.