Talk on Sacrament of baptism.Preparation class

Baptism
Baptism is generally a water purification ritual practiced in many of various religions including Christianity, Mandaeanism, and Sikhism.
The word Baptism is derived from the Greek word, bapto, or baptizo, to wash or to immerse. It signifies, therefore, that washing is of the essential idea of the sacrament. Scripture uses the term baptize both literally and figuratively. It is employed in a metaphorical sense in Acts 1:5, where the abundance of the grace of the Holy Ghost is signified, and also in Luke 12:50, where the term is referred to the sufferings of Christ in His Passion. Otherwise in the New Testament, the root word from which baptism is derived is used to designate the laving with water, and it is employed, when speaking of Jewish lustrations, and of the baptism of John, as well as of the Christian Sacrament of Baptism (cf. Hebrews 6:2; Mark 7:4). In ecclesiastical usage, however, when the terms Baptize, Baptism are employed without a qualifying word, they are intended to signify the sacramental washing by which the soul is cleansed from sin at the same time that water is poured upon the body. Many other terms have been used as descriptive synonyms for baptism both in the Bible and Christian antiquity, as the washing of regeneration, illumination, the seal of God, the water of eternal life, the sacrament of the Trinity, and so on. In English, the term christen is familiarly used for baptize. As, however, the former word signifies only the effect of baptism, that is, to make one a Christian, but not the manner and the act, moralists hold that "I christen" could probably not be substituted validly for "I baptize" in conferring the sacrament.
Form of Baptism
Among those Christians espousing the practice of baptism, the ritual is performed as:
Aspersion - sprinkling water over the head,
Affusion - pouring water over the head, or
Immersion - lowering the entire body into a pool of water.
For Christians who baptize by pouring or sprinkling, the washing with water from above pictures the cleansing of one's sins by the blood of Christ, by the Holy Spirit, who unites the baptized person to Christ in his death, and in His resurrection from the dead. It is administered from above to point to that gift of the life-giving Spirit, and to portray baptism as an act not of man, but of God. In contrast, a person baptized by immersion is enclosed under the water and brought out, to signify cleansing through death and burial with Christ, and consequent raising again in newness of life by the Holy Spirit. Regardless of the form, baptism is a public rite, in testimony to others of the grace of God bestowed upon the person, and as a seal of God's promises in Christ to those who believe.
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for the baptism of children and adults. It is typically intended for baptisms using a non-immersion method. The simplest of fonts has a pedestal (about 1.5 metres tall) with a holder for a basin of water. The materials vary greatly consisting of carved and sculpted marble, wood, or metal.
The shape can vary. Many are 8-sided as a reminder of the "new creation" and as a connection to the practice of circumcision which traditionally occurs on the 8th day. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ultimate new beginning. In the perfect Wisdom of God, it occurred on Sunday, simultaneously the First Day and the Eighth Day of the Week. It is the temporal equivalent of the Octave, established from the foundation of the World to teach us forever the glory of the resurrected Lord of the Universe. This is reiterated yet again in Christ's appearance to Thomas on the Eighth Day after his resurrection. There is a strong typological association between Noah's Flood which washed away the wicked people of the world and Baptism which is the symbol of the washing away of our wicked sins. The correlation is simply astounding - it is a typological prophecy that everyone can see fulfilled in Christian Baptism. Of particular beauty is the correlation with the Baptism of Christ when the Holy Spirit descended upon Christ in the form of the Dove - there very animal released by Noah from the Ark as the sign of the new beginning! We have multiple independent converging lines of association between Baptism, Salvation through the Flood, Resurrection, and the Number Eight that points clearly to the deliberate design and Teaching of God's Wisdom. It is for this reason that the Church has traditionally designed baptismal fonts as octagons. (I Peter 3.18f)
Some are 3-sided as a reminder of the Holy Trinity Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. They are often placed at or near the entrance to a church's nave to remind believers of their baptism as they enter the church to worship, since the rite of baptism served as their initiation into the Church. There are some fonts where water pumps, a natural spring, or gravity keeps the water moving to mimic the moving waters of a stream. This visual and audible image communicates a "living waters" aspect of baptism.

Godparent
A godparent is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather and a female godparent is a godmother. The child is a godchild.
At a Roman Catholic Baptism, there is always a Godparent or Godparents present if possible. A Godparent is much like a patron saint on earth, who prays for the newly baptised, looks after them spiritually and gives them guidance. The Catholic Church sees Baptism as an entry into the Kingdom of God, and entry into the Church. It is not something which is just between the person and God, but a whole-Church event wherein the Holy Spirit dwells. Traditionally, the godparents were counted informally responsible for ensuring that the child's religious education was carried out, and for caring for the child should he/she be orphaned.
The Roman Catholic Church also requires that the godparents have undergone Confirmation. In the US, a non Roman Catholic cannot become a godparent but is technically known as a Christian Witness.
Roman Catholic dogma holds that it is a grave sin to baptize a person who has already been baptized. In case of uncertainty about whether a person has been baptized, that person may be baptized conditionally. Such uncertainty may result from questions about whether a church from which someone is converting to Catholicism baptizes in a valid manner. For some Protestant denominations, Catholics do not raise such questions.
In cases where an emergency baptism is performed, if impure water is used the validity of the baptism may be in question. In that case a conditional baptism is later performed by an ordinary minister of the sacrament with certainly valid matter.
In a typical baptism, the minister of the sacrament (usually a deacon or a priest, but sometimes, especially when the baptized is in imminent danger of death, a lay person) says
I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
or words to that effect, explicitly naming the three Persons of the Trinity, while pouring or sprinkling water upon the head of the baptized, or immersing them in water. In a conditional baptism, the minister of the sacrament says
If you are not yet baptized, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Oil of Catechumen is the oil used in some baptisms to show the strength to turn away from evil, temptation and sin.
The catechumen, the person prepared for baptism, is also anointed as a symbol of being the heir of the Kingdom of God, as kings and queens were anointed at coronations. The oil used is specially blessed by a bishop at the Chrism Mass on Maundy Thursday.
Oil as a Symbol

We are all familiar with oil, in one form or another, in all aspects of our daily lives. We use it for cooking, heating, lubricating, and in a thousand and one other ways. Without it there would be no industry, no transport, and we would have to do without many of the 'plastic' goods we take for granted.

Oil has always been the 'life-blood' of society, a fact of which the Jewish people of the Old Testament were very aware. The oil which the Jews knew, and which is still in use today, is olive oil and it is the same oil which we use in Church. For the Jews a plentiful supply of oil, along with corn and wine, was a sign of God's favor. Oil was, and still is, a sign of God's blessing because it represents all that is best in life, God's generosity to the people He loves.
Sacramental Oil
Oil as a symbol reminds us of God's boundless generosity towards us, and of His never-ending love of us. When we use it to anoint people in Church, it is more than merely a symbol, or reminder. It becomes one of the channels by which God's power comes into the world, by which He blesses us with His Holy Spirit.
The oil is essentially no different from any other olive oil, but it is made special by being set aside specially for God's purposes. God takes the ordinary things of this world, in this case olive oil, and makes them holy. He works through material things to show Himself to the world and to bring people back to Himself.

The Three Oils
The oils used for anointing are specially blessed for this purpose by the Bishop at the Chrism Mass on Maundy Thursday, so called because one of the oils used is called 'Chrism.'

1. The oil of the sick. In the letter of St. James (5:14) we read, "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the Lord will raise him up." The rite of anointing the sick in mind or body, those about to undergo surgery, those nearing death, is one of God's gifts available to His people through His priests.
This kind of anointing is itself a Sacrament. Those who receive it can be confident that God will respond to the prayer of faith.

2. The oil of catechumens. A 'catechumen' is somebody who is preparing to become a Christian, and so this oil is used to accompany the Rite of Baptism. Anointing at Baptism is a symbol which points to the gift of the Holy Spirit, which comes to the newly baptized person as it did upon Christ at His Baptism in the Jordan. In Baptism we are "born of water and the Spirit" (John 3:5), the Holy Spirit which is the gift of Christ to His Church.
This anointing also reminds us at Baptism that we are made inheritors of the Kingdom of God. The head of the person is anointed with the oil of Chrism. (Kings and Queens are anointed at their coronations.)

3. The Holy Chrism. Holy Chrism is the oil used to anoint people at their Confirmation, and is also used to anoint priests at their ordination. It is also used in the consecration of altars and Church buildings. 'Consecration' means making holy or setting apart for God's purposes. It differs from the other two oils in that it alone is not pure olive oil. A scented balsam is mixed with the oil to make the Chrism.

How the Oil is Used
The oil is almost always applied using the right thumb, or occasionally is poured on. When applied with the thumb, it is usually applied in the form of a cross. This is to remind us that all blessing come from the crucified Christ, the source of all healing and life for the world.

When anointing accompanies Baptism, the cross is marked in oil on the baptized person's forehead. In this way they are 'sealed' with the Holy Spirit as a reminder of Revelation 7:3 in which the servants of God are "sealed . . . upon their foreheads." In Baptism we are made servants of God.

Confirmation candidates and the sick are anointed in the same way on their foreheads, and for the same reasons. The sick are also anointed, as the need arises, on the infected part of their bodies. In this way their prayer is acted out.

In the Sacraments of Confirmation and Ordination the anointing is in addition to the action of "Laying-on of Hands'. In the Sacrament of Unction the anointing with prayer is at the heart of the rite, and although accompanied by the 'Laying-on of Hands', is itself the essential element.
The trinitarian formula is the phrase "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (original Greek εις το ονομα του πατρος και του υιου και του αγίου πνεύματος, eis to onoma tou patros kai tou huiou kai tou hagiou pneumatos), or words to that form and effect referring to the persons of the Holy Trinity.
Roman Catholic Holy Water
Holy Water is water that has been blessed and set apart for baptism. It is also used as a sacramental. Holy water is kept in the font, the church furnishing used for baptisms, which is typically located at either the entrance to the church (or sometimes in a separate room or building called a baptistery); its location at the entrance serves as a reminder of the centrality of baptism as the primary rite of initiation into the Christian faith. Smaller vessels, called stoups, are usually placed at the entrances of the church. As a reminder of baptism, Catholics dip their fingers in the holy water and make the sign of the cross when entering the church. The liturgy may begin on Sundays with the Rite of Blessing and Sprinkling Holy Water, in which holy water is sprinkled upon the congregation; this is called aspersion, from the Latin, to sprinkle. This ceremony dates back to the ninth century. An aspergill or aspergillum is a brush or branch used to sprinkle the water. An aspersorium is the vessel which holds the holy water and into which the aspergillum is dipped. Salt may be added to the water "where it is customary."
Sacramentals are things (sacramentalia) set apart or blessed by the Catholic Church to manifest the respect due to the Sacraments, and so to excite good thoughts and to increase devotion, and through these movements of the heart to remit venial sin, according to the Council of Trent (Session XXII, 15). When the term is used in the singular it is preceded by an article ("a sacramental" or "the sacramental") as sacramental is also an adjective describing the Sacraments.
The Catholic Church recognizes two differences between the Sacraments and the sacramentals:
The Sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ; most, but not all, of the sacramentals were instituted by the Church.
The Sacraments give grace of themselves and are always fruitful when the faithful place no obstacle in the way; the sacramentals excite pious dispositions, by means of which the faithful may obtain grace. It is not the sacramental itself that gives grace, but the devotion, the love of God, or sorrow for sin that it inspires, and the prayers of the Church that render sacramentals efficacious against evil.
Although the Church places restrictions on the reception by non-Catholics of Catholic Church-administered Sacraments, this is not true of the sacramentals. The pious use of sacramentals by non-Catholics is permitted. As blessed objects or rituals that represent sacred beliefs and persons, disrespect to sacramentals is considered a form of sacrilege.
EFFECTS OF BAPTISM
This sacrament is the door of the Church of Christ and the entrance into a new life. We are reborn from the state of slaves of sin into the freedom of the Sons of God. Baptism incorporates us with Christ's mystical body and makes us partakers of all the privileges flowing from the redemptive act of the Church's Divine Founder.
(1) The Remission of All Sin, Original and Actual
This is clearly contained in the Bible. Thus we read (Acts 2:38): "Be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins; and you shall receive the Holy Ghost. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, whomsoever the Lord our God shall call." We read also in the twenty-second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles (verse 16): "Be baptized, and wash away thy sins." St. Paul in the fifth chapter of his Epistle to the Ephesians beautifully represents the whole Church as being baptized and purified (5:25 sq.): "Christ loved the Church, and delivered Himself up for it: that he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the washing of water in the word of life: that he might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." The prophecy of Ezechiel (36:25) has also been understood of baptism: "I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness (inquinamentis), where the prophet is unquestionably speaking of moral defilements.
(2) Remission of Temporal Punishment
Baptism not only washes away sin, it also remits the punishment of sin. This was the plain teaching of the primitive Church. We read in Clement of Alexandria (Pædagog., i) of baptism: "It is called a washing because we are washed from our sins: it is called grace, because by it the punishments which are due to sin are remitted." St. Jerome (Ep. Ixix) writes: "After the pardon (indulgentiam) of baptism, the severity of the Judge is not to be feared." And St. Augustine (De Pecc. et Mer., II, xxviii) says plainly: "If immediately [after baptism] there follows the departure from this life, there will be absolutely nothing that a man must answer for [quod obnoxium hominem teneat], for he will have been freed from everything that bound him."
(3) Infusion of Supernatural Grace, Gifts, and Virtues
Another effect of baptism is the infusion of sanctifying grace and supernatural gifts and virtues. It is this sanctifying grace which renders men the adopted sons of God and confers the right to heavenly glory.
(4) Conferral of the Right to Special Graces
Theologians likewise teach that baptism gives man the right to those special graces which are necessary for attaining the end for which the sacrament was instituted and for enabling him to fulfill the baptismal promises.
(5) Impression of a Character on the Soul
Finally, baptism, once validly conferred, can never be repeated. The Fathers (St. Ambrose, Chrysostom, and others) so understand the words of St. Paul (Hebrews 6:4), and this has been the constant teaching of the Church both Eastern and Western from the earliest times. On this account, baptism is said to impress an ineffaceable character on the soul, which the Tridentine Fathers call a spiritual and indelible mark.
MINISTER OF THE SACRAMENT
The Church distinguishes between the ordinary and the extraordinary minister of baptism.
(1) Ordinary Minister
The ordinary minister of solemn baptism is first the bishop and second the priest. By delegation, a deacon may confer the sacrament solemnly as an extraordinary minister. Bishops are said to be ordinary ministers because they are the successors of the Apostles who received directly the Divine command: "Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." Priests are also ordinary ministers because by their office and sacred orders they are pastors of souls and administrators of the sacraments, and hence the Florentine decree declares: "The minister of this Sacrament is the priest, to whom it belongs to administer baptism by reason of his office." As, however, bishops are superior to priests by the Divine law, the solemn administration of this sacrament was at one time reserved to the bishops, and a priest never administered this sacrament in the presence of a bishop unless commanded to do so, How ancient this discipline was, may be seen from Tertullian (De Bapt., xvii): "The right to confer baptism belongs to the chief priest who is the bishop, then to priests and deacons, but not without the authorization of the bishop." Ignatius (Ep. ad Smyr., viii): "It is not lawful to baptize or celebrate the agape without the bishop." St. Jerome (Contra Lucif., ix) witnesses to the same usage in his days: "Without chrism and the command of the bishop, neither priest nor deacon has the right of conferring baptism." Deacons are only extraordinary ministers of solemn baptism, as by their office they are assistants to the priestly order. St. Isidore of Seville (De Eccl, Off., ii, 25) says: "It is plain that baptism is to be conferred by priests only, and it is not lawful even for deacons to administer it without permission of the bishop or priest." That deacons were, however, ministers of this sacrament by delegation is evident from the quotations adduced. In the service of ordination of a deacon, the bishop says to the candidate: "It behooves a deacon to minister at the altar, to baptize and to preach." Philip the deacon is mentioned in the Bible (Acts 8) as conferring baptism, presumably by delegation of the Apostles. It is to be noted that though every priest, in virtue of his ordination is the ordinary minister of baptism, yet by ecclesiastical decrees he can not use this power licitly unless he has jurisdiction. Hence the Roman Ritual declares: The legitimate minister of baptism is the parish priest, or any other priest delegated by the parish priest or the bishop of the place." The Second Plenary Council of Baltimore adds: "Priests are deserving of grave reprehension who rashly baptize infants of another parish or of another diocese." St. Alphonsus (n. 114) says that parents who bring their children for baptism without necessity to a priest other than their own pastor, are guilty of sin because they violate the rights of the parish priest. He adds, however, that other priests may baptize such children, if they have the permission, whether express, or tacit, or even reasonably presumed, of the proper pastor. Those who have no settled place of abode may be baptized by the pastor of any church they choose.
(2) Extraordinary Minister
In case of necessity, baptism can be administered lawfully and validly by any person whatsoever who observes the essential conditions, whether this person be a Catholic layman or any other man or woman, heretic or schismatic, infidel or Jew. The essential conditions are that the person pour water upon the one to be baptized, at the same time pronouncing the words: "I baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." Moreover, he must thereby intend really to baptize the person, or technically, he must intend to perform what the Church performs when administering this sacrament. The Roman Ritual adds that, even in conferring baptism in cases of necessity, there is an order of preference to be followed as to the minister. This order is: if a priest be present, he is to be preferred to a deacon, a deacon to a subdeacon, a cleric to a layman, and a man to a woman, unless modesty should require (as in cases of childbirth) that no other than the female be the minister, or again, unless the female should understand better the method of baptizing. The Ritual also says that the father or mother should not baptize their own child, except in danger of death when no one else is at hand who could administer the sacrament. Pastors are also directed by the Ritual to teach the faithful, and especially midwives, the proper method of baptizing. When such private baptism is administered, the other ceremonies of the rite are supplied later by a priest, if the recipient of the sacrament survives.
Baptismal Name
From the earliest times names were given in baptism. The priest is directed to see that obscene, fabulous, and ridiculous names, or those of heathen gods or of infidel men be not imposed. On the contrary the priest is to recommend the names of saints. This rubric is not a rigorous precept, but it is an instruction to the priest to do what he can in the matter. If parents are unreasonably obstinate, the priest may add a saint's name to the one insisted upon.
The "laying on of hands" (Heb. 6:2) is the key that solves this apparent enigma. The Holy Spirit is given to a person by prayer and the laying on of hands of God’s ministry following baptism. Notice the sequence: first repentance; then water baptism; next the laying on of hands; then the receipt of the Holy Spirit as a result of the laying on of hands. And as we just learned, the receiving of God’s Spirit "immerses" or "plunges" the person into the Church (the spiritual body of Christ) and into the divine Family of God.
THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM
1213 Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua),4 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.
Baptismal Robe
A white garment is worn by all who receive the Sacrament of Baptism. This signifies our new life in Christ. It is an out word sign of our redemption by the blood of our savior and Lord. Those who are brought into the full communion with the Church during Easter Vigil and receive Baptism will wear their white garment until Pentecost. Infants usually are dressed in white gowns, oftentimes adorned with lace and the like. Sometimes a liturgical garment (like a Baptismal bib) is made and given at the Baptism.
Baptismal Vows
In the Baptismal Vows or Promises, one promises to reject Satan and be a faithful servant to God. After renouncing Satan and all his empty promises, the person being baptized (or the parents speak for the baby) professes the Faith by responding to questions asked by the celebrant. This is much like the Rite of Baptism was bestowed in the early Church.
Baptism of Blood & Baptism of Desire
If, for some reason, a person isn’t able to receive baptism of water, the same sanctifying grace and benefits can come through Baptism of Blood, which is when martyrdom is suffered for the Catholic Church or some virtue, or through Baptism of Desire, when a person has repented and has the intention of being faithful to God, and desires a life in Christ.

Rite of Baptism for One Child
1. What name do you give your Child?
2. What do you ask of God’s Church for Name…?
Baptism.
3. You have asked to have your child baptized. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of training him/her in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring him/her up to keep God’s commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly understand what are you undertaking?
We do.
4. Are you ready to help the parents of this child in their duty as Christian parents?
We are.
5. N. the Christian community welcomes you with great Joy. IN its name I claim you for Christ our Savior by the sign of His Cross on your forehead, and invite your parents and Godparents to do the same.
Word of God & Intercessions Prayer of Exorcism and Anointing before baptism , Blessing of water, Renunciation of Sin:
6 Do you reject Satan?
I do.
7. And all his works?
I do.
8. And all his empty promises?
I do.
Then Profession of faith Do you believe…. I do.
This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. WE are proud to profess it, in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
9. Is it your will that N….. should be baptized in the faith of the Church, which we have all professed with you?
It is.
Baptism. N….. I baptize you in the name of the Father+ and of the Son+ and of the Holy Spirit+
Amen.
Anointing with the Chrism on the crown of the head. & clothing with the white garment, Lighted candle. Our Father. Final Blessing.