Baptism, the first of the three Sacraments of Initiation [the other two being Confirmation and Holy Eucharist], is the initial act by which a person becomes a member of the Body of Christ, the Church. For adults, this act should be voluntary; for infants, their parents and godparents stand up for them. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1213, it is the gateway to life in the Spirit and hence being baptized, that is being reborn through water and Spirit, makes a person capable of entering heaven [see Titus 3:5; John 3:5].
Though our focus is not about baptism per se - which you could best learn from this site and here - but on the significance of baptism to our journey as friends of the Lord, let us never forget that the Lord Jesus Himself requested John to baptize Him in order to comply with the will of the Father. Such obedience and humility of the Lord has been acknowledged by the Father by declaring from heaven,
"This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!"
[Matthew 3:17]
Then after His resurrection and before His ascension to heaven, He specifically commanded His Apostles to go make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit [see Matthew 28: 19].
Baptism has been prefigured through the following events in the Holy Scriptures: during the Creation when God hovered over the waters [CCC 1218]; the great deluge during Noah's time when God cleansed the whole world with a flood [CCC 1219]; the crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites leaving behind Egypt, called the land of sin and slavery [CCC 1221]; and the crossing of the Jordan River which fulfilled God's promise to Abraham and his descendants [CCC 1222].
The important things therefore that we shall discuss here are the renunciation of sin, living a new life in the Spirit, and becoming citizens of heaven. There are more to talk about but for now, let us focus on these three.
In the ceremony of Baptism, there is that portion wherein the candidate for baptism is made to renounce Satan, his evil works and empty promises. It includes the renunciation of sin. As friends of the Lord Jesus Christ we are called to live our baptismal promises by living holy lives and by avoiding sin in all its forms. Holiness and sinfulness cannot even exist side by side; the more that it cannot co-exist in one person. One cannot be both holy and sinful [see 1 John 3: 9-10]. No person can be a Christian and evil at the same time. As Christians we are called - and are expected - to live in holiness, doing good and avoiding evil [see Leviticus 11: 44-45; 19:2; 20:7; 1 Peter 1:16, Matthew 5:48; Luke 1:75; Ephesians 1:4].
Through baptism we have been infused with the divine life, called grace. It is a free gift of God brought about by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ [see John 4:10; Romans 3:24; Ephesians 2:5, 8; 1 John 2:2]. Through His saving act, the Lord has gained for us a new life in the Spirit, a spirit of holiness and love [see Romans 8; also Galatians 5: 16-17, 25; 1 John 3:24]. We are no longer creatures of the flesh which corrupts and leads to sin [Romans 8:5; Romans 13:14; 1 Peter 2:11; ]. Though such saving act has freed all mankind from the power of sin, there is a need for conscious and voluntary acceptance, meaning one has to have faith, of this gift which can be manifested by being baptized into the Church which He has established on earth [see Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; see also John 3;36; CCC 1246-1252].
By baptism we have become children of God [see Galatians 3:26, 4:5; Romans 8:14; 1 John 3:2; John 1:12] and citizens of heaven [see Philippians 3:20; see also 1 Corinthians 15:48, Ephesians 2:19; Hebrews 12:22]. We are not of the world anymore [see 1 John 4:17]; we are mere pilgrims on earth, waiting for the time to enter into our Promised Land [see 1 Corinthians 1:7], in the same manner that the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years before being allowed by God to enter Canaan [see Numbers 32:13]. Therefore all our efforts on earth must be directed towards our heavenly home [see Colossians 3: 1-2; Matthew 6: 19-20; Luke 12:33].
Living our baptismal promises therefore is a pilgrimage toward our true home, Heaven, the Kingdom of God, in holiness and spiritual perfection. While faithless people, and those people whose faith is fake, run after the things of the world, we, Christians - brethren, followers and friends of the Lord Jesus Christ - consecrate ourselves in order to become worthy to enter our heavenly abode where Jesus Christ, our Lord, God and Friend has gone ahead to prepare a place for us [see John 14: 1-4] while keeping us company while on pilgrimage especially through the Holy Spirit [see Matthew 28: 20; John 14: 16-17, 26-27].
Soon: Confirmation
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