The Sacrament of Baptism
"Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit." (John 3:5)
The deepest desire of every human heart and the ultimate purpose of every human life is happiness - happiness that is found only in God! God created each person "to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him for ever in heaven." (Baltimore Catechism 1.6)
The Sacrament of Baptism makes it possible to know God intimately, to love Him with our whole heart (and to love others for His sake) and to live with Him one day in heaven. None of this is possible without the grace of baptism!
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us of the infinite and foundational importance of the Sacrament of Baptism:
Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word." (CCC 1213)
The baptism of a child is an incredible blessing, but also a serious responsibility! It is a covenant between not only the child and God, but between the child's parents & godparents and God - this is why the formation of parents and godparents for a child's baptism is taken so seriously.
At the baptism of a child, the priest or deacon asks the parents this following question:
In asking for Baptism for your child, you are undertaking the responsibility of raising them in the faith, so that, keeping God’s commandments, they may love the Lord and their neighbor as Christ has taught us. Do you understand this responsibility?
Immediately before the baptism, he will ask once more:
Dear parents and godparents: through the Sacrament of Baptism the children you have presented are about to receive from the love of God new life by water and the Holy Spirit. For your part, you must strive to bring them up in the faith, so that this divine life may be preserved from the contagion of sin, and may grow in them day by day. If your faith makes you ready to accept this responsibility, then, mindful of your own Baptism, renounce sin and profess faith in Christ Jesus, the faith of the Church, in which children are baptized.
Parents, are you ready to begin to prepare for your child to receive the beautiful grace of baptism? Click below to get started, or call the Parish Office!
Click here to begin preparation for your child's baptism!
Are you an adult who would like to learn more about preparing for your own baptism? See our Becoming Catholic page for more information, or contact Jessica Pehmoeller at jessica.pehmoeller@stwendelin.org or 419-435-6692 x338.