Baptism

Do you know the date of your baptism? I do. It was two days after I was born. There was anxiety in the maternity ward that I might be vulnerable to a virus: so I was baptised as an emergency. Later on, my parents took me to the local Catholic church, in Stockwell, where ceremonies were supplied.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes baptism as: ‘the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit … and the door which gives access to the other sacraments.’

Pope Francis used to say that we should know and celebrate the anniversary of our baptism. ‘With your baptism, you were born into the life of grace.’

In baptism, he said, ‘it is God who comes into us, purifies, heals our heart, makes us forever his children, his people, his family, heirs to paradise… God becomes intimate to us and he does not leave us anymore.’ I agree with Pope Francis when he says, ‘Christians should pause, and ask themselves, “Am I aware of the immense gift I carry within me through baptism? Do I acknowledge in my life the light of the presence of God, who sees me as his beloved son or his beloved daughter?”’

In recent years, there has been a change of attitude regarding baptism for our children. I have noticed those who come to our baptism preparation meetings are bringing older children. Sometimes there are good reasons for this. I have found helpful an excellent document (click here) issued some years ago by Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (now known as the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith) that tackles some of the pastoral issues and objections to infant baptism.

On this feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we have an opportunity to reflect and give thanks to our parents, who brought us to the font to receive this most precious gift of life. I love these words of St Gregory of Nazianzus:

‘Baptism is God’s most beautiful and magnificent gift.… We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God’s Lordship.’