Baptism and Confirmation

They were deeply shaken. They asked Peter and the other apostles:
“What are we to do, brothers?” Peter answered “You must reform and
be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, that your
sins may be forgiven; then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
(Acts 2:37-38)
Are you not aware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? Through baptism into his death we were
buried with him so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by
the glory of God the Father, we too might live a new of life. (Rom 6:3-
4)

I. SACRAMENTS AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

The preceding chapter noted how the sacraments are well-grounded in our very
nature as embodied spirits. We all naturally use sensible symbols to actualize and
make present the spiritual realities of our lives. Now we take up briefly a further
dimension of this anthropological basis for the sacraments: the parallel between
the stages of our natural, physical/social life, and those of our Christian spiritual
life (cf. CCC 1212). Catholic tradition has drawn the comparison between our
physical generation and Baptism, our spiritual regeneration; between our growth
and Confirmation in which we are strengthened by the Holy Spirit; between
nutrition needed for physical life, and the Eucharist, the bread of eternal life. Even
the cure of the physical and spiritual ills of natural life are paralleled by
Penance/Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick, while Order and Matrimony
relate to the essential natural community needs of leadership and propagation.

While social scientists today take for granted and develop such parallelism,
catechists and liturgists are rightfully concerned about the danger of reducing
God’s utterly gratuitous Self-giving to us in Christ in the sacraments to simply the
natural human growing-up process. Such concern is well grounded, given the
common “scientific” and “behaviorist” attitudes so prevalent among us today. What
is needed is to bring out both the relationship of human birth, growth, healing and
vocation with the seven sacraments, and the uniqueness of the sacraments as
uniting us with Jesus. Sacraments keep alive Jesus’ presence within us; through
them we encounter Jesus our Risen Lord and Savior. Both natural growth and
union with Christ in one person ultimately arise from the one universal salvific will
of God who continually creates and redeems all that exists through the Spirit in
Christ Jesus.
The affirmation of both the similarity of our natural life with our grace-life, as well
as the uniqueness of sacramental life, is exemplified in Catholic tradition by St.
Nicholas Cabasilas. “It is thanks to the sacraments __ which proclaim Christ’s death
and burial __ that we are born to supernatural life, develop and are united in an
 admirable way to the Savior. It is through these sacred signs that, as St. Paul says,
‘we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:28). The author then focuses on
the sacraments of initiation:
Baptism enables us to be and subsist in Christ. It is this sacrament which gives life
to those who lie in death and corruption. Confirmation perfects those so born by
giving them the energy that goes with this life. The Eucharist preserves what has
been received and keeps it alive. Thus, we live by this Bread, we are strengthened
by this Anointing, after we have received our being in the bath of Baptism.
The present sacramental renewal continues to affirm this same basic parallelism
between the natural human passage and the sacramental life, especially in regard
to the sacraments of initiation. These are the sacraments which lay the foundation
for the whole of Christian life.

II. SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

A. Church’s Teaching on Baptism

Popular Understanding Church’s Teaching

Baptism makes one think
of:
1. a. water: forgiveness of
original sin and all
personal sins
b. washing away original sin
2. a. entry into Church
building;
b. babies
c. passive reception
d. clerical ritual
e. works automatically
3. a. once-for-all ritual
b. no active influencing
c. single past event
Baptism truly means:
1. a. New life in Christ, sharing in his dying and rising with
him which includes the forgiveness of original sin and
all personal sins.
b. through the cleansing power of water and the Spirit;
2. a. Incorporation into the Christian community, Christ’s
body
b. of adults and babies
c. Sacrament of the Church’s faith
d. a personal prayer of those celebrating the sacrament
e. receiving the transforming grace of Baptism effecting
conversion and drawing to an ever deeper Christian
commitment.
3. a. a ritual calling for a life of Christian discipleship
b. influencing our daily life by power in ordinary life being
the permanent source of sharing in God’s own life in
Christ;
c. a single event grounding the baptized whole future life
process, as manifested in the yearly liturgical renewal
of Baptismal vows.

Baptism, then, is presented here under three major headings:

1) New life in Christ through water and the Spirit, and by dying/rising with Christ in
sharing his Paschal Mystery;
2) Incorporation into the Church through the sacrament of Faith; and
3) Sharing the Trinitarian divine life in an on-going, progressive way that looks ever
to the future.
New Life in Union with Christ

Baptism’s first effect is to unite the baptized with Christ, their Risen Lord. How this
union is effected is biblically developed in two ways: through the symbol of water
and God’s Spirit, and secondly, by sharing in Christ’s “baptism” of his Paschal
Mystery. Both ways are superbly presented for us in the Easter Vigil liturgy (cf.
CCC 1217).

1. Genesis (Chapters 1-2) presents God’s creation of the world, with His Spirit
hovering over the waters. The Church prays: “Almighty God you created all things. .
. Help us to perceive your new creation by which you redeemed your people
through the sacrifice of our Passover, Jesus Christ.” St. Paul had reminded us that
“if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old order have passed away” (2 Cor
5:17).
“And God said: ‘Let there be light’ (Gen 1:3). So the Vigil’s Service of the
Light celebrates Christ our Light, symbolized in the Paschal Candle. Baptism is
called “enlightenment” because the baptized receive Christ the light of the world,
(cf. Jn 8:12), the Word who is “the real light which gives light to every man” (Jn
1:9). So the newly baptized, after having been “enlightened” (cf. Heb 10:32),
become “children of light” (1 Thes 5:5). Since they are “light in the Lord,” they are
admonished: “Live as children of light” (Eph 5:8; CCC 1216).

2. Abraham’s faith in offering his only son Isaac, (cf. Gen 22) prepares us for
Christ’s sacrifice, when God the Father “did not spare his own Son, but handed him
over for the sake of us all” (Rom 8:32). Through the Death and Resurrection of
Christ, God fulfilled his promise to Abraham, the father of all nations, to increase
His Chosen People by His invitation to the new life of grace.

3. The Exodus deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, the land of slavery,
through the waters of the Red Sea, is the Old Testament symbol of our deliverance
from the slavery of sin through the baptismal waters. The Church’s prayer
proclaims that “the Red Sea is a symbol of our baptism, and the nation free from
slavery is a sign of the Christian people.” God who “once saved a single nation from
slavery, now offers salvation to all through baptism” (CCC 1221).

4. Isaiah the prophet speaks of the enduring love of the “Holy One of Israel,”
Israel’s Redeemer, who will never again deluge the earth with the Flood waters of
Noah (cf. Is 54:5,9f). St. Peter explained how Christ suffered and died that he might
lead the unjust to God, and by his Resurrection was given new life in the Spirit. This
new life he communicates to believers through baptism that cleanses their
consciences from sin. As Noah’s family was saved through water, so Christians are
saved through the waters of baptism (cf. 1 Pt 3:18-21). Early Christians saw in
Noah’s Ark a symbol of the Church, and the dove as symbol of the Spirit.
 5. God promised through His prophet Ezekiel (Chapter 36) to “sprinkle clean
water” upon his people to cleanse them from all their impurities, and to give them
a new heart and place a new spirit within them, taking away their stony hearts and
replacing them with natural hearts (cf. Ez 36:25f). So the Church prays to God:
“Send your Spirit of adoption on those to be born again in baptism.”

6. The Vigil’s Epistle is Paul’s description of dying-rising with Christ in

Baptism. “We were 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 6:4). Baptism, then, is how we come to share in Christ’s own
death which he spoke of as his “baptism.” I have a baptism to receive. What
anguish I feel till it is over (Lk 12:50; cf. CCC 1225). Baptism for us is a radical
immersion in Christ, total allegiance to him. So Paul continues: “His death was
death to sin, once for all, his life is life for God. In the same way, you must consider
yourselves dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus” (Rom 6:10f).

Importance of Biblical Images.

This extended sketch of the Biblical images of water and Spirit is intended to
correct the unreflected, superficial idea of water in the sacrament of Baptism that
is commonplace today. Most Filipino Catholics are surely not thinking of Bap-
tismal water as a life death reality. Nor is Baptism considered as relating us
directly to Christ. Yet such is precisely the deep meaning revealed in the Biblical
narratives of Creation, the Flood, the Exodus, and Christ’s own Paschal Mystery. A
renewed understanding of Baptism for ordinary Filipino Catholics, then, depends
in great measure on how well they can grasp the deeper Faith-meaning of the
Baptismal symbols. Can water, Spirit, and Light really bring to mind and heart the
depth realities of life, death, redemption, and grace?

Original Sin and Baptism

Original sin in the context of Baptism refers not to the personal sin committed by
the first human beings and described figuratively in Gen 3:1-7, but rather to the
sinful condition into which all human beings as descendants of Adam and Eve are
born, with the exception of Jesus and Mary Most Holy. Such an inherited “sinful
condition or state” consists essentially in the privation of sanctifying grace.

The “originating sin” committed by Adam and Eve had and continues to have also
other disastrous consequences, both within each human being and on the
environment in which we live. Thus, not only do we experience a painful moral
weakness in trying to do what our conscience tells us to be right (cf. Rom 7:13-15),
but also a certain inclination to evil, which has traditionally been called
“concupiscence.”

As a consequence of concupiscence and our moral weakness and personal sins, we

find ourselves in a society which is characterized by sinful structures, injustices,
suffering, frustrations and moral aberrations, which clearly stand against God’s
original plan for mankind.
Now baptism’s sensible sign of washing with water symbolizes and effects a
cleansing from all sin and rebirth to new life in THE SPIRIT (cf. CCC 1263).
Traditionally, original sin has been described as a “black mark” to be washed off in
Baptism. This image seeks to portray the hereditary privation of sanctifying grace.
It is the HOLY SPIRIT that frees us from sin. Put simply, we are in a state of sin
when God’s Holy Spirit does not dwell within us. Therefore “sin is removed” by the
coming of the Spirit. Baptism takes away all sin, both original and personal for
adults, by signifying and effecting the coming of the Holy Spirit. So St. Peter
proclaimed at Pentecost: “Be baptized. . . that your sins may be forgiven; . . . then
you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37f). St. Paul reminded Titus that
God “saved us through the baptism of new birth and renewal in the Holy Spirit.
This Spirit he lavished on us through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Ti 3:5).

The core of original sin, then, is the privation of grace, which is removed by the
coming of the Holy Spirit effected in Baptism.

This does not mean that the baptized no longer experience any effects of original
sin. We all remain in the world marked by the weight of evil that burdens us all. We
must all continue to “wrestle with” and resist our inner inclination to sin
(concupiscence) (cf. Trent, ND 512). How then does Baptism “take away” original
sin? It does so by symbolizing and effecting the baptized’s saving solidarity with
Christ, within the Spirit-filled community of his Body, the Church. The struggle
against sin must go on, but now the baptized are marked with Christ, indwelt by
the Spirit, and supported by the Christian community. How else could the Father
“wipe away our sins” except through the loving embrace of the Spirit, joining us to
Christ, our Savior, and to one another, members of his Body, the Church?

Summary: The main point of this section has been to explain that Baptism focuses
on Christ, not on washing away original sin. The core of Baptism is new life in
Christ, a sharing in Christ, a radical change of allegiance to Christ. It is “a new birth;
a birth unto hope which draws its life from the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead; a birth to an imperishable inheritance (1 Pt 1:3f). Christ as the
“Primordial Sacrament” means here not only that “when anyone baptizes, it is
really Christ himself who baptizes” (SC 7). It also means Christ himself is the goal
and fullness for which Baptism is administered. Jesus is the man completely
immersed in God, his Father, whose presence completely and perfectly fills Christ’s
humanity. Jesus is the “man for others” because he is utterly and totally “for the
Father.” “I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep know me in the
same way that the Father knows me and I know the Father; . . . The Father loves me
for this: that I lay down my life. . . This command I received from my Father” (Jn
10:14-18). “The Father and I are one” (Jn 10:30). All our celebrations of Baptism
thus derive from Jesus, the Christ (the Anointed One), and are ordered to bringing
us into vital relationship with him, the Good Shepherd, our Savior.
A. Incorporation into the Church

Baptism’s second effect is to unite us with others as members of Christ’s Body, the
Church (cf. CCC 1267-70). “The body is one and has many members but all the
members many through they are, are one body, and so it is with Christ. It was in
one spirit that all of us. . . were baptized into one body. All of us have been given to
drink of the one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:12f). This means that our personal relationship
with Christ is never any “private affair” we have created by ourselves, but always a
loving friendship that originates, develops and grows in union with fellow-
members of Christ’s Body, the Church. Our baptismal life is never a solitary,
isolated thing, but a communal sharing with others in Christ our Lord.

PCP II describes how, empowered through Baptism, the lay faithful act as the heart
of the Church in the heart of the world (cf. PCP II 424).

Thus, Baptism confers a sharing in Christ’s very mission (cf. CCC 1270).
Particularly in his threefold office as Prophet, Priest, and King. Vatican II explains:
The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated
to be a spiritual house and a holy priesthood, that through all their works as
Christians they may offer spiritual sacrifices and proclaim the perfection of him
who has called them out of darkness into his marvelous light (cf. 1 Pt 2:4- 10). . .
Everywhere on earth they must bear witness to Christ and give answer to
everyone who asks a reason for their hope of an eternal life which is theirs (LG
10).

Thus, the baptized are called to exercise their sharing in Christ’s priesthood (offer
spiritual sacrifices) and bear witness to Christ (proclaim, give answer) who is their
Light. But this can take place only in the “spiritual house,” the living community of
members bonded together sacramentally in Baptism.

By the sacrament of Baptism,. . . a person becomes truly incorporated into the

crucified and glorified
Christ and is reborn to a sharing in the divine life. . . Baptism therefore constitutes
the sacramental bond of unity existing among all who, through it, are reborn. But
Baptism of itself is only a beginning, a point of departure, for it is wholly directed
toward the acquiring of fullness of life in Christ. Baptism is thus ordained toward a
complete profession of Faith. (UR 22).

PCP II describes how the baptized are called “to live prophetically as Christ lived,
to witness as He did, to the luminous coming together of Gospel and life. To the
world they manifest and communicate Christ, Christ who loves, Christ who serves,
Christ who saves” (PCP II 424).

B. Sacrament of Faith
 Baptism, then, is rightly called the “sacrament of Faith” in two senses. When people
request Baptism, they are questioned: “What do you ask of God’s Church?” They
respond: “Faith.” They realize they can only believe fully and authentically within
the community of believers. But obviously they would not ask for Baptism if they
did not already possess some initial faith. Therefore, Baptism is also “the
sacrament of that faith by which men and women, enlightened by the grace of the
Holy Spirit, respond to the Gospel of Christ” (Gen. Introduction to Christian
Initiation 3; cf. CCC 1253-55)
.
Both the initial faith which prompts people to ask for baptism, and the baptismal
grace deepening that faith, are clearly shown through the catechumenate of the
restored Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. It presents us with a model not only
for becoming a Christian, but for remaining a Catholic Christian. Its core reality is
conversion of adults to Christ and his mission, a dynamic process of Christian Faith
formation which involves the whole community in a variety of ministries that focus
on the Word of God and dominant Church symbols. The process includes four
major periods, each separated by a particular liturgical ritual:
1. Pre-Catechumenate Period of evangelization, leading to the Rite of Enrollment as
Catechumens;
2. Catechumenate Period of catechetical instruction leading to the Rite of Election;
3. Period of Purification and Enlightenment, preparatory for the Reception of the
Sacraments;
4. Period of Deepening (Mystagogia), or the time of developing the Christian
experience by entering more fully into the life and communion of the faithful.

The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) clearly shows that Baptism is not
something just passively received, but rather demands a “proper disposition of
soul” and an active, personal response that continues throughout the faith life of
the baptized. Baptism thus is really a PRAYER EVENT that involves a radical “turn
around,” “conversion,” a passage from one way of living to a radically different
way. But this change is not produced by any “automatic” or “magical” power of
Baptism. Rather, Baptism offers an initial grace, a new relationship with the Risen
Christ in the Spirit, within the Christian community. Its perduring effectivity
depends on the baptized’s continuing cooperation with grace in personal
persevering effort.

C. Sharing the Divine Life.

From this new life in Christ and being united in his Body, the Church, Baptism is
the effective symbol of our sharing in the divine life. We become a “new creation”
(cf. 2 Cor 5:17), sharers in the divine nature (cf. 2 Pt 1:4) __ not simply creatures
any more, but children of God (cf. 1 Jn 3:1), through THE SON, Jesus Christ, (cf. Gal
4:4-7) in the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us (cf. 1 Cor 6:19). Thus Baptism
ushers us into sharing the very life of the Trinity. “Baptism is heaven-sent
regeneration. . . culminating in the invocation of the Blessed Trinity. Signed with
this name, the baptized are consecrated to the Blessed Trinity and enter into
fellowship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Gen. Introduction to
Christian Initiation 5). This is expressed in the Baptismal formula: “N. . . , I baptize
you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

The ordinary ministers of baptism are: the Bishop, priest and deacon. In case of
necessity, any person, even someone not baptized, can baptize if he or she has the
intention of doing what the Church intends to do, and uses the Trinitarian
baptismal formula (cf. CCC 1256).

We know that John the Baptist’s baptism was not a sacrament, but a baptism of
repentance, ushering in the new age of the coming of the Messiah. Jesus came to be
baptized by John as a sign that he IS the new age in person. In the Gospel account of
Jesus’ baptism, we can see more concretely what this “sharing the divine life” really
means. First, there is the Spirit appearing as a dove, recalling the Old Testament
accounts of creation and the Flood. Then Christ’s definitive identity and Messianic
mission are revealed: “You are my beloved Son, on you my favor rests” (Mk 1:11).
Finally, with the heavenly voice, the Spirit symbolized in the dove, and the
Incarnate Son emerging from the Jordan, the Blessed Trinity is revealed to us in
action.

More importantly, Christ’s baptism inaugurated his whole public ministry,

climaxing in his Passion, Death and Resurrection. Jesus emerged from the waters of
the Jordan as he would rise from the tomb at his Resurrection. He was anointed
with the Spirit, manifesting his divine Sonship, in which we all share as he
promised. The heavens were opened to Christ as he would open them for all
persons when he ascended to his Father. What we have in Christ’s own baptism is
the anticipation, the ritual enactment, of the whole drama of his redemptive
mission. And we have seen how St. Paul claims that through the Sacrament of
Baptism, we share in Christ’s very life and mission.

But how? How does our ordinary, daily life, actually share in Christ’s? Briefly, the
key is the Holy Spirit, the interior, indwelling source of our life of grace. PCP II
warns that “the laity must not be deprived of the exercise of their charisms. By this
exercise, they fulfill their baptismal responsibilities” (PCP II 429; cf. LG 18; AA 24).
What this means is that with God’s Spirit within us, we actually share the divine
life. The Spirit helps us to have faith in God, hope in God’s fidelity and mercy, and
respond to God in love. In other words, the Spirit helps us to begin to think like
disciples of Christ, overcome problems, and be outgoing in love rather than turned
back on ourselves. This sharing in Christ’s own life is spelled out more practically
in terms of the gifts (cf. Is 11:2-3) and fruits (cf. Gal 5:22f) of the Spirit. But this is
not any magical formula that automatically “divinizes” us. Rather it is a life-long
process that needs to be confirmed and constantly strengthened by our free
cooperating with God’s grace.
D. Current Questions on Baptism

1. Necessity of Baptism for Salvation.

The Church teaches that “Christ is the one Mediator, and the Way of salvation. . . In
explicit terms, he himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism” (LG 14).
Jesus warned Nicodemus: “No one can enter into God’s kingdom without being
begotten of water and Spirit” (Jn 3:5). Mark’s Gospel has: “Whoever believes and is
baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mk 16:16;
cf. CCC 1257-58).

But what of all those who are not Christian, and have never been baptized with
water and the Spirit? We know that God wills “all men to be saved and come to
know the truth” (1 Tim 2:4-6). Therefore, the Church also teaches that: those who,
through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, yet
sincerely seek God, and moved by grace, strive by their deeds to do His will as it is
known to them through the dictates of their conscience, can attain eternal
salvation (LG 16).

This has traditionally been called “baptism of desire,” since by their lives these
persons show an implicit desire for baptism. Likewise, those who, although they
have never been baptized with water, die for the faith or for perfect charity, are
said to have gained salvation through a “baptism of blood.”
Moreover, Vatican II has directly linked the salvation of these non-baptized with
Christ’s Paschal Mystery:

For since Christ died for all and since all are in fact called to one and the same
divine destiny, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all in a manner known
only to God the possibility of being made partners in Christ’s Paschal Mystery (GS
22; LG 16; CCC 1258-60).

The same action of God’s loving Providence could confidently be applied to

unbaptized children. The Church does not know of another way for infants to be
saved except by Baptism. However, she entrust the unbaptized children who have
died to God’s mercy upon his will of universal salvation. Contemporary Church
teaching, in fact stresses God’s universal salvific will as well as the necessary faith-
preparation of the children’s parents. “All the more urgent is the Church’s call not
to prevent little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism” (CCC
1261).

2. Baptismal Seal or “Character”

Three sacraments, Baptism, Confirmation and Orders, imprint a permanent sign or
seal, called “character” in technical language (cf. CCC 1121; 1271-74). That is why
these sacraments can only be received once. For although the sacramental grace
they confer can be lost through personal sin, this “character” remains permanent.
It represents the decision of God which cannot be withdrawn. St. Paul reminded
 the Corinthians: “He has put his seal upon us and given his Spirit in our hearts” (2
Cor 1:22). He admonished the Ephesians: “do nothing to sadden the Holy Spirit
with whom you were sealed against the day of redemption” (Eph 4:30). The book
of Revelation speaks of “the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God” (Rev
7:3).

The “character” is Christ’s permanent mark on us, effecting a real change in our
relationship to him and to the Church. Through the baptismal character, all share
in Christ’s royal priesthood, thereby enabling them to actively participate in the
Church’s liturgy, to receive the other sacraments, and to grow closer to Christ
through personal sanctification. In terms of the Christian community, the
baptismal character is the inner source fostering inter-group communication,
while helping to reduce and control the group tensions and conflicts by
strengthening the baptized’s self-identity and social bonding with the other
members of the community.

3. Baptism of Infants

With the new stress on Baptism as the Sacrament of Faith, involving commitment
and conversion, the practice of baptizing infants has been questioned by some. But
the Church has always understood that children should not be deprived of Baptism
because they are being baptized “in the Faith of the Church” (cf. CCC 1250-52).
Concretely, this means the parents and godparents, who moreover have a serious
obligation to see that the baptized children are formed in the Faith by Catholic
upbringing as they grow and mature (cf. CCC 1231).

Infant Baptism highlights the fact that Baptism is above all a free gift of God’s
grace, not something merited. Secondly, just as the origin and growth of the
personal life of every child begins immediately upon birth, so likewise does the
Christian life of faith in Christ. Infant baptism simply shows God’s initiative in
loving the child, the first step “wholly directed toward acquiring the fullness of life
in Christ” (UR 22). More concretely, for believing parents it would be inconceivable
that they would not desire to share their life’s basic faith thrust. Out of their
common life of faith in Christ, they commit themselves to raising their child not in
any artificial religiously “neutral” vacuum, but in their actual Christian family.
Contemporary philosophical and social science studies on the development of the
person, including the person’s authentic freedom, provide strong, confirmatory
support for the Church’s traditional practice of infant baptism.