June 26, 2005: The Sacrament of Baptism

+THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

One of my favorite saints is St. Francis de Sales, who lived in the 1600’s. Francis was ordained a priest and eventually was named the bishop of Geneva, Switzerland, at a time in the Reformation when many Catholics had given up their faith and became Calvinists. St. Francis won many souls back with his gentleness and sweetness. In fact, he is the author of the famous remark that you can catch more flies with a spoonful of honey than with a hundred barrels of vinegar.

There’s a wonderful story that as St. Francis walked through the city, he would often stop to visit with the children and take them to the neighborhood parish church. He would show them around and explain things to them, and invariably, he would stand them around the font where as newborn babies they had been baptized. “See,” he would say, “this is the spot that should be dearer to you than any other, for it was right here that you were made children of God.” Then St. Francis would lead them in the “Glory be to the Father” in thanksgiving for God’s mercy, the children would kneel down and kiss the font, and then they’d go back to their games.

In baptism you were made children of God… Just think about the amazing reality of that statement. To be made somebody’s child means that you were chosen … adopted… rescued. To take in a child this way is a lifetime commitment… an act of love, devotion and dedication. It entails embracing and caring for that child through sickness and health, in success and failure, in good times and bad, when the child is flourishing and also in times of despair, when his faith and love are strong and when they are weak or even non-existent… It is for ever and always… an irreversible choice to make that child part of the family. And not just any family, but God’s own family.

This adoption—baptism—is the doorway into the fullness of our relationship with God. Before baptism, you were “just” a creature… an outsider. Yes, of course God loved you, because He made you… but it’s not quite the same as being family. The neighbor’s youngster may be a wonderful kid, but not the same as your own.

So what is this sacrament called baptism? In a spiritual sense, the water in the font comes from the water that flowed from Christ’s side when He was pierced on the cross. When that water is poured over our head three times—in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit—or when we are fully immersed in it three times, we are baptized into Christ’s redeeming sacrifice. Symbolically, you—along with your sins—drown and your old life is over; then you come out of the water reborn in Christ—totally clean. That’s what St. Paul means when he says in our second reading today, “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed 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.”

At the moment of our baptism, we enter into the Church. All our sins—both original sin and actual sins—are completely forgiven in the Father’s joy as He receives us into Christ’s mystical body. We receive the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit, including the virtues of faith, hope and charity. And just as the priest marks the sign of the cross on the person’s forehead, so does Christ place His indelible imprint, called a “character,” on his soul.

Yes, baptism is a new birth of water and the Spirit, opening up to us all the sacraments of the Church—the gateway to eternal life with God in heaven. It is our first sacramental step into the fullness of life in the Church, of our life of grace. It is the cornerstone of our holiness.

Baptism is altogether so important and necessary, that in case of an emergency, anybody, even a non-Christian, can baptize—even over the objection of a family member! So a Moslem or Buddhist doctor or Ob/Gyn nurse could baptize a newborn baby in imminent danger of death… a police officer or any passerby could baptize a victim of a serious automobile accident at the side of the road… a Catholic wife could baptize her obstinately non-believing husband as he slips into a final coma before death. All the baptizer has to do is pour water on a person while saying, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Of course, the person doing the baptizing must actually intend to baptize the other person into Christ. And you must use real water; you can’t baptize with Coke or orange juice.

If there’s a question of whether the person is already baptized, you can still baptize conditionally. Simply say, “In case you are not already baptized, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

By the way, if the person baptized in an emergency does survive, you should go at once to a priest or deacon who will supply the rest of the ceremonies, including the anointings and blessings.

So: to be reborn in baptism is a great privilege and joy. The baptized get to share in a unique way in the light and life of Jesus Christ. We get to bask in the favor of God’s grace… we are invited to travel a holy path… and we are blessed to journey to eternal life in light.

At the same time, as we grow in these blessings and graces, we have a special responsibility and mission to share the favor we have received. The baptized must love and welcome each other in Christ. Like St. Francis de Sales, we must be gentle and charitable. We must strive for justice. We must look for ways to bring out the best in each other. We must build up the very kingdom of which we now are heirs.

Let us pray that the divine life that we received in baptism will continue to grow and flourish always. Amen.


Today’s Readings:
2 Kings 4: 8–11 and 14–16
Psalm 89
Romans 6: 3–4 and 8–11
Matthew 10: 37–42