April 21, 2024 - The Baptism of Therese Joy Bellart on Good Shepherd Sunday
Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. (CCC 1213)
Through water and the Holy Spirit, men and women are freed from the power of sin and death and are reborn as sons of God and members of Christ's body, the Church. Faithful to the command of Christ (cf. Mt 28:9), the Church has celebrated Baptism from the very day of Pentecost as St Peter himself declares: "Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)
Baptism is therefore the sacrament by which men and women, freed from original sin, respond to the Gospel call for conversion and adhere to Christ by an unbreakable bond forged by the Holy Spirit.
Baptism seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark or character of belonging to Christ. No sin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation. (CCC 1272)
Because of this indelible character, Baptism may never lawfully be repeated once it has been validly celebrated, even if by fellow Christian Churches or Ecclesial Communities.
"Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by original sin, children also have need of the new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God." (CCC 1250)
The practice of infant Baptism is an immemorial tradition of the Church. Infants are baptised into the faith of the Church, a faith which is professed for them by their Parents and Godparents during the sacramental celebration. For the grace imparted in Holy Baptism to unfold, children must be formed in the faith in which they have been baptised. In this way, they gradually learn God's plan for salvation in Christ and ultimately accept for themselves the faith in which they have been immersed.
