Sacrament of Baptism, is what we will talk about throughout this article, where we will discover what this sacrament consists of and why it is so important for Catholics. So I suggest you keep reading to learn more about it.
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Sacrament of Baptism
El sacrament of baptismIt is not just a rite that many of us never remember, for the Christians who receive it and for everyone it is a sacrament. The sacraments are an evident symbol of God in the person who receives them.
When we come to speak of baptism the symbol visible to man is the water that is poured on the heads of babies. But this has a greater meaning that we will explain in detail below.
What is baptism?
Baptism is a ceremony that is for everyone, where we are welcomed into the church and say goodbye to original sin. All human beings have the capacity to receive sacrament of baptismEven if not baptized, it can be received at any time in the life of a human being, from a newborn or even to a person who is already an adult.
When the sacrament of baptism is celebrated, the welcome to the church is celebrated, the church being the family of the baptized, since according to tradition we are all born with the stain of original sin and this is eliminated through baptism.
The meaning of the word baptism is to immerse and that action carried out in the water can mean several things, which we will mention below:
- When the person is drowned in the water it is a symbol, since he is drowning in the death of Jesus.
- When it is taken out of the water, it represents the resurrection of our Lord.
- When it comes to a baby or an adult by spraying the water, it represents the same symbolism as explained above.
- Since a new birth is taking place by the water and the spirit of God.
What Happens After Baptism?
From that moment on, what is sought is the growth of faith and grace, through the love of God, which is received in the course of life. In this path of spiritual growth to call it in some way, it should continue with other sacraments such as:
- The Sacrament of Penance.
- The Sacrament of Confession.
- The Eucharist.
- The sacrament of Communion.
- And the sacrament of confirmation.
All of them with the objective of strengthening faith in the human being, since the duty of every human being is to grow in faith throughout life, it is for this reason that the promises that are made during the sacrament of baptism They are renewed every year during the Easter Vigil. Because that desire to grow in union with God is renewed once a year.
In this course where faith in God begins to mature, the figures of the godfather and godmother of baptism play a very important role. Since these are chosen by the parents or the catechumen (who is the person who will receive baptism) to accompany him throughout his life and help him keep that faith in God alive throughout his life.
This same function is fulfilled by the parents, but they get to have help with the baptism godfather and godmother. That is why the work of parents is of vital importance in the lives of their children, since they guide them on the right path, in addition to helping them cultivate that faith in God, since he himself gave us that blessing of having our children and we must cultivate love for our heavenly father.
If you found this post interesting, we invite you to read our article on: Sacrament of Matrimony.
Importance of the sacrament of baptism
El sacrament of baptism It has great importance in the human being, since it represents for the Christian the representation that you begin to follow God and his teachings. In fact, Jesus was also baptized with water, with this action he invites us all to follow his path and everything that he came to teach us.
Characteristics of the Sacrament of Baptism
El sacrament of baptism It has some particular characteristics that we will detail below:
- This sacrament began with the apostles.
- This sacrament has several names such as: bath of regeneration and renewal of the holy spirit, illumination since the baptized person becomes a child of light, but always having the same objective.
- All persons who are baptized, be they children or adults, can renew their baptism every year at the Easter vigil.
- Any person who is not baptized can baptize, as long as they comply with the baptismal formula.
- Baptism would be the permanent mark, that we belong to our Lord the creator and that he blesses us.
Elements of the Sacrament of Baptism
El sacrament of baptism It has a series of elements that are of vital importance for this celebration to be achieved:
- We are told about matter in the sacrament of baptism where it is represented by water.
- As for how this ritual is performed, in the West these words are used "I baptize you in the name" and in the East it is "The servant of God is baptized."
- For this to be carried out, there must be a minister, who has been the bishop, priest or deacon.
- There must be a person to be baptized.
- It must have a godfather and a godmother.
- And finally the goal of baptism is the forgiveness of sins.
To conclude this article, we can say that the sacrament of baptism apart from being a symbol of God's blessing before us, which is represented according to the ritual of baptism. And where it is sought that the person in the course of his life to strengthen his faith in God and in the church.
This is why we explain in detail what the sacrament of baptism, which happens after being celebrated with the baptized person and the following sacraments that we must fulfill. In addition, we made them aware of the importance of this sacred sacrament within the Catholic Church and its characteristics, as well as the elements that are part of this important sacrament of the church.
I hope that all of the aforementioned serves as a reminder of the importance of this step, to put it in some way, for all human beings, where they receive God's blessing through their representatives in the church. And then the importance of continuing to cultivate that love for God, as well as following the teachings that he left us to be better human beings before God.