Baptism

Some question why the Catholic Church baptizes those who are not old enough to understand what’s happening.  And recently, some have asked why our parish has begun to celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism during Sunday Mass.

Just as one enters a family by birth and is really a part of that family even though for a long period of time there is no real capacity for giving love but only for receiving it, so infants are brought into the family of the Church before they are capable of understanding its significance or of expressing the love that marks this community as the Body of Christ and the Temple of the Holy Spirit. 

We baptize our children because all human beings are offered grace and redemption through Christ.  We recognize that all mankind is flawed because of the Original Sin of our first parents, and because God wills that all should have grace which frees us from the bondage of sin.  We baptize our children because Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God" (Luke 18:15–16).

Just as one who is to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation has a sponsor who assumes the duty of witnessing the faith – so an infant’s parents assume the duty of living the faith so that the child may learn what it means as part of their daily life, and not something that is spoken of only at Church.

But why do we baptize during Mass?  We do so because Holy Mother Church teaches us that the proper time for Baptism is on Sunday when the entire community is present, so that we can all spend some time reflecting upon our own baptismal promises, whether we made them ourselves as an adult, or they were made by our parents.  Also, Baptism during Mass allows us to see the relationship between Baptism and the Eucharist more clearly. 

The ritual for Baptism reminds us that we are buried with Christ in the death of Baptism and rise also with him to new life.  Just as in the Eucharist we witness the same Paschal Mystery – Christ died and rose again to new life.

The parents and godparents commit themselves to seeing that the divine life God gives their children is kept safe from the poison of sin.  This is a role we can all help with when we live our faith as a verb.