Today is the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, and a good opportunity for a little catechesis on the Sacrament of Baptism, which is the gateway to eternal life. While this Feast is about what happened to JESUS, it is even more about what He came to restore in us.

Due to the original sin of our first parents in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-7), Heaven was closed to mankind, the supernatural life of grace was lost, and no mere human effort could reopen to us the gates of eternal life. The Church teaches that without sanctifying grace in our souls, we cannot enter Heaven. So from the moment of that first sin, sanctifying grace was lost, and we were gravely wounded and powerless to save ourselves. Therefore, mankind needed a Saviour, and that is the whole reason for the Incarnation, why Christ came into this world – to redeem us and repair the damage done to our relationship with God.

When Our Lord entered the River Jordan to be baptised by John, being God and being sinless, He didn’t need any cleansing or purification. He sanctified the waters themselves for our Baptism. And the Gospel tells us that, “immediately He went up from the water … the Heavens were opened to Him”, signifying that what was closed by Adam is now reopened by Christ. And from that moment forward, Baptism became the Sacrament of regeneration, the means by which souls are reborn to supernatural life. “Unless a man is born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).

In Baptism, original sin (the sin that barred us from Heaven) is completely removed. Also, if the person being baptised has reached the age of reason, all their personal sins are forgiven as well as any punishment due, meaning there is nothing now barring them from Heaven. So through the Sacrament of Baptism, we become heirs to eternal life. If sanctifying grace is lost through mortal sin, it can regained through the Sacrament of Penance or Confession.

Baptism also gives us a new identity: we become the adopted sons and daughters of God, and a member of the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Catholic Church, and a temple of the Holy Spirit. Baptism also imprints an indelible mark upon the soul – a spiritual branding – which can never be erased. Therefore Baptism is never repeated. If there is doubt as to whether a person has been validly baptised, the Sacrament may be administered conditionally.

It is good to know the date of our Baptism. We celebrate our natural birthdays, so why not our supernatural birthdays, which is the day Heaven was opened to us personally? Baptism also involves a solemn promise made to God by parents. A newborn child cannot yet profess the Faith, so the parents and godparents speak on their behalf. They promise to bring up the child in the Catholic Faith, which involves teaching them to pray, and bringing them to Mass each week, and leading them to the other Sacraments. This is why a godparent must be a practising and confirmed Catholic in good standing. To neglect the religious instruction of a child is to neglect the very life given to them in Baptism.

Finally, Baptism is not only a gift received; it is a lifelong commitment. At the font, Satan is solemnly renounced along with “all his works and empty promises.” We were claimed for Christ and belong to His army. So we have committed to saying no to sin, practicing self-control, and to striving to live according to God’s commandments. And with the help of God’s grace through prayer and the Sacraments, this is always possible.  

Fr Paul Gillham, IC