Baptism
The gateway to the sacramental life — the new birth of water and the Spirit by which one becomes a child of God, a member of the Church, and an heir of heaven.
Natural water, poured three times over the head (or by immersion).
Ordinarily a bishop, priest, or deacon. In an emergency or in danger of death, any person — even one not baptized — may validly baptize, provided they intend to do what the Church does and use the correct form and matter.
N., I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
N., ego te baptizo in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.
Any unbaptized person. For infants, the parents (or guardians) act on behalf of the child, with godparents as witnesses and assistants in the child's Christian formation.
- ✦Forgiveness of original sin and (for adults) of all personal sins committed before Baptism, with their punishment
- ✦Birth into the divine life — sanctifying grace and the indwelling of the Holy Trinity
- ✦Incorporation into the Body of Christ, the Church
- ✦An indelible spiritual mark (character) configuring the soul to Christ as priest, prophet, and king — Baptism can never be repeated
Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 28:19) Jesus answered: Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)
Baptism is the first of the Seven Sacraments and the door which gives access to all the others. Christ Himself was baptized in the Jordan by John (Mt 3:13–17) — not because He needed cleansing, but to sanctify the waters and to begin His public ministry. On the day of His Resurrection He commanded the Apostles: 'Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them.'
From the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38–41), the Church has baptized those who come to faith. By the second century, the practice of baptizing infants was established and universal. The form used has not changed since the Apostolic age.
The matter of Baptism is water — the symbol of cleansing, of new birth, of crossing from death to life (as Israel crossed the Red Sea, Noah was preserved through the flood, and Christ rose from the waters of the Jordan). The form invokes the Holy Trinity. Together they effect what they signify: a soul washed, regenerated, and adopted as a child of God.
The ancient baptismal creed of the Roman Church — twelve articles by tradition handed down from the Twelve Apostles.
The Creed of the Council of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381), professed at every Sunday Mass and on every solemnity.