First of all, what is baptism? Why are we baptized? Well, we all know the answer to that one, right? To take away original sin committed by Adam and Eve. But then we most likely ask ourselves, but how can a little baby have any sin? Or, how can a loving and merciful God blame this poor innocent baby for what someone else did thousands of years ago? All of these questions are quite normal and natural, and you may have asked them of yourselves before. Let’s see if we can answer them for you.

What is baptism? Baptism is one of seven sacraments instituted by God and administered by his Church. It is also the first sacrament we receive. The other sacraments are: reconciliation, the Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the sick, and Holy Orders.

Now we have to ask ourselves, what is a sacrament? Well, a Sacrament is a symbol, instituted by God, to give grace to man for his salvation. In other words, it is something freely given to us as a gift by God, which, although it is something intangible, it is nonetheless, very real, and helps us to grow toward God and eventually, united with Him.

What distinguishes baptism from the other Sacraments is that it is the first gift we receive from God on our journey to be reunited with Him. By baptism, we are washed clean of the original sin, with which we come into the world. Since sin is a roadblock between ourselves and God, then naturally it has to be removed. This cleansing is accomplished by the waters of baptism.

When we speak of original sin, we are not talking about sin as we might ordinarily think of it, which is the weakening or breaking of our relationship with God, which we, as an individual, have somehow caused. Rather, what we are saying is, when a child is born, it comes into a world, which because of the original sin of Adam and Eve, who severed the perfect relationship they had with God at the time, is now imperfect and disunited with God. Because of this disorganization and disunity of the world, we are unable to see the full light of the truth, which is the Word of God, and are therefore, unable to share the perfected relationship, the oneness with God to which we have been called. It is through Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God, that we have the opportunity to make everything right again. Thus, when we are baptized, and express our faith in Christ, at that moment, God gives us this special something, which we call grace, to help us on our lifelong journey of faith back to him, until we are totally reunited with God.

When we baptize a child because of original sin, we are not saying that the child is guilty of a personal sin, but rather, as one who has been created by God, in God’s own image and likeness, and called by Him to be one with Him as His adopted child, then the child has a responsibility to help straighten out the imperfect world in which he finds himself. It is this imperfectness which helps to keep the gap between himself and his God. By his baptism, the child is given a special grace by God to help him in this task. Thus, we could say that original sin is similar to a boat with a hole in it. We may not have put the hole in the boat, but we sure as heck have the responsibility to block it up before the boat sinks and we drown. Original sin, then, is not a personal sin, but rather, a weak condition of the human being.

We can probably best sum up baptism by saying, it is the moment that the infant is touched by the saving act of his God. He is initiated or brought into the Christian faith. It is the first step on the road of life and is the bridge that fills in the gap between where we are and where we’re going, namely, to be reunited with God our creator.

For the rite of baptism itself, the celebrant starts off by greeting the child, the parents and the godparents at the entrance to the church and welcomes the child as a gift from God.

The celebrant will next, for reasons which are fairly obvious, ask the parents what name they give to their child, and what it is they ask of God’s Church. To this the parents respond — baptism, or faith, or eternal life, or other such responses. The parents are then asked if they clearly understand what they are undertaking, and then the Godparents, if they are ready to help the parents in their duty as Christian mothers and fathers. It is extremely necessary for everyone concerned to be fully aware of the importance of what is going on. When a child is baptized, it is baptized into the faith of the Church and accepted into the community of believers. Because baptism is an acceptance into a community of believers, it is thus, not a private affair, but a community affair. The parents and godparents represent the faith of the community. It is essential then, that they seriously intend to raise the child as a catholic in the faith to which they are committing him. The parents are in fact accepting the faith on behalf of the child, since the child, itself, naturally, cannot make a profession of faith. The baptismal ceremony then, is only the initiation, for the sacrament is yet to be completed in future years by the child’s subsequent formation of faith.

This then means it is imperative that the parents set the living example of this faith they are professing for their child by living what they profess to believe and by receiving the sacraments frequently. Therefore, we can now see the important role the parents play in baptism. In effect, what is really being celebrated in infant baptism is the faith of the parents, not the child, beause they are saying on behalf of the child, I do believe and I repent.

Next in the ceremony will come the liturgy of the word — the readings, the gospel and the homily. After this will be the Prayer of the Faithful. This is followed by a prayer of Exorcism and Anointing before baptism. This is not an exorcism to drive out evil spirits, but rather, a prayer to introduce the anointing with oil, and a request that God strengthen the child against the evil in the world.

The reason oil is used in the anointing is because it has been traditionally looked upon as having healing properties and of transmitting life giving spirit. It is also a symbol of joy, love, election and consecration.

Next the celebrant will bless the water of baptism by invoking God and recalling his plan of salvation, whereby, although we broke our Covenant with Him, he did not forsake us, but sent his only Son to suffer and die for us, that our sins might be forgiven. By rising from the dead, he assured for us everlasting life and established a new Covenant between God and man, which will never be broken again. Thus by baptism, we are born again, because we die to this world, so that we can rise again to life with Christ in the kingdom of God. Our sight is no longer on this world, but on the life to come. In other words, in order to rise, we first must die. Thus, baptism is the call to die to sin, so we can rise to a new life. It is a call to conversion — to change our life from one of sin to one of holiness. It is a continuing and ongoing process, however. It not only has a beginning, but also a future. Therefore, we have to be what we are called to be — the children of God. If then, we, through baptism, become the children of God, we consequently, also have a responsibility to live out that role; not only to be it, but also to live it.

Then moving on in the ceremony, we have the renunciation of Satan by the parents and godparents, and their profession of faith, to which is added the assent of both the celebrant and the community of believers present. The child is then baptized by the pouring of water over its head three times, during which the celebrant says, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

There are many reasons why we are baptized with water — biblical, traditional, historical and theological. Water is traditionally and symbolically viewed in terms of its ability to wash things clean or to purify them. Thus in the baptismal ceremony, we have the washing or cleansing of sin. It is also historically symbolic for its necessity for life – we cannot live without water. Thus by the baptismal waters, we are given life with Christ and saved from the death of sin.

In Jewish theology, water had the meaning of death, as viewed in terms of the death of the Egyptians in the Red Sea. Similarly, water in baptism is symbolic of death as viewed as one being immersed in the baptismal waters, but then, also of life as one climbs out of the waters to rise again to new life, much in the same manner as the Jews viewed the crossing of the Jordan River into the new Promised Land, as new life. And finally, we also have water, symbolic of death to sin, in the story of Noah and the Ark, where the waters, in the form of rain and covered the earth and thereby destroyed all life because of the wickedness or sin of humanity.

If we look to the New Testament, we also find reference to the waters of baptism.

In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter points out to the people that they will soon receive the spirit of God — it would be poured out on them when they were immersed in baptismal waters. This reference to the pouring out of the spirit is what sets the Sacrament of Baptism apart from the baptism of John the Baptist in the New Testament. We recall that Jesus was baptized by John as a sign that it was the beginning of a new age, and that symbolically, Jesus was the fulfillment of all Jewish history, and that the kingdom of God is actually, now. However, this baptism by John was not baptism as we know it. It was not a sacrament. It was not instituted by God to give saving grace to man. As we also recall, John said, I baptize with water, but one will come who will baptize with the Holy Spirit — that person, of course, being Jesus. It was ultimately, not until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, that baptism, as a sacrament, first came to be. Because it is only through the power of’ the Holy Spirit, which Christ first sent to the Apostles on that Pentecost Sunday, that we can receive saving grace.

The celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism is finally completed, first by the anointing with chrism, which signifies the royal priesthood of Christ, in which all the baptized share, as well as enrollment in the fellowship of God’s people. Second, by the ceremony of the white garment, which signifies holiness and purity from sin as a result of baptism. And, third, by the ceremony of the lighted candle, which is lit from the Easter candle by either the father or godfather, and signifies that Christ is the light of the world. In the same way that the light of the candle dispels darkness, so to the light of Christ — the Word of God and Truth — also dispels sin. And lastly, there is the prayer over the ears and mouth of the child, in which the celebrant asks that the child’s ears receive the word of God, and that its mouth proclaims it to all the world.

The rite itself is then finally concluded with the "Our Father" being prayed by all, and then a special blessing being given to each of the parents of the child.