AT THE DOOR OF THE CHURCH [The child or adult to be baptized is recognized as a catechumen -- not yet a full member of the Church. The sacrament begins outside the body of the Church since the one to be baptized is not yet a member. The explanations below explain it.]
Reception of the Child
{Having versed himself in all the preparatory rules given above, the priest meets the child at the entrance or in the narthex of the church. It must be kept in mind that the formulary for baptism of a child is simply an abridgment of that for an adult. In olden times baptism of adults was not administered in one continuous ceremony but in stages spread out over a period of time, and not all of these took place within the sacred edifice. The first five steps given here reproduce in outline the onetime ceremonies of enrolling a catechumen.}
1. The priest says the greeting: Peace be with you.
He then asks the name of the child (if several are to be baptized he asks the name of each one):
Priest: What is your name?
Sponsors: N. [Sponsors answer for the child and make the promises for him. They make the affirmation of faith for the child who will answer for himself at Confirmation.]
{From the beginning the Church has proclaimed to men the good news of salvation in Christ. And from one who wants the benefit of the good news the response of faith is demanded. To ask for baptism is first of all to ask for the faith of the Church. [Faith, as Fr. John Hardon often said, is an absolute requirement for salvation. Humility is another. Only little, humble, faith-filled individuals go to heaven.] In the following brief dialogue between priest and subject is summed up the chief content of Christian life, of which faith is the foundation, everlasting life the goal, and love of God and of neighbor the means. The priest's role in the sacrament is pointed up here, that of representative of Christ and the Church, the role he plays from start to finish of the sacramental action.}
P (to each): N., what are you asking of God's Church?
Sponsors: Faith.
P (to each): What does faith hold out to you?
Sponsors: Everlasting life.
Without faith, everlasting life is impossible. Every Catholic needs to study and know the faith; or his faith is a sham. How can you believe and profess something if you are ignorant about it. Father recommended several books this morning including This is the Faith by Canon Francis Ripley. Hundreds of others are out there from the Baltimore Catechism, the Catechism of the Council of Trent, works of the saints like Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis deSales. Personllay, I'm a big fan of Fr. Leo Trese. His book, The Faith Explained, is easy to read and engaging. I'll quote the first paragraph so you can see what I mean:
Is man just a biological accident? Is the human race just another stage in the process of blind and purposeless evolution? Is this human life just a brief flash of light between the long darkness that preceded the womb, and an everlasting darkness that will follow the grave? Am I just a meaningless speck in the universe, tossed off by the creative poser of an uncaring God much as a baseball fan might toss a peanut shell over his shoulder? Is there any design or plan to life, any significance? Where did I come from, anyway? And why am I here?
Struggling with those questions could form the basis of an entire retreat.
Faith isn't the only thing necessary for salvation, however. After all even the devil has faith, more than faiths in fact. He knows for a fact that God is God and all powerful. He knows that he, the former light-bearer turned black as night through pride and envy, is not God. He wanted to be equal to God, but learned very quickly that no creature outshines his master. And, in the process of his war against God, his light was snuffed out.
In his rebellion, Lucifer was thrust from heaven by St. Michael and his faithful warrior angels. Lucifer, in his evil hatred of God, exercises his vengeance on those who bear God's image. He knows he can't do a thing to hurt God so he goes after God's people and tries to convince us that it is better "to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven." Those who join his rebellion turn themselves into the image of Satan. They will not be recognized by God on Judgment Day unless they cast off Satan's ugly image, repent, and put on the image of Christ? Devotion to the Holy Face can help each of us to grow in our likeness to Jesus and thrust the devil from us.
There's a lot more to say about baptism. The ancient rite makes it clear that exorcism is central to the sacrament and that baptism is the first step on the Great Quest of the soul. Sadly, that reality has mostly been lost in the Novus Ordo sacrament which treats the event more as welcoming the child into the community than freeing the child from Satan's grasp. What a tragic loss! Without the sense of the horrendous consequences of sin, beginning with original sin, many shrug and treat God like the Pillsbury Doughboy holding a tray of cinnamon rolls at the pearly gates where an "All Are Welcome" sign hangs. But only those who love God and accept His love by following Him will enter heaven. He doesn't hold a lightening bolt to zap us, His arms are outstretched on the cross welcoming those who embrace His holy will and respond to His love. All who love Him are welcomed. All those who don't love Him will turn to the one they have "loved" -- Satan.
We have the opportunity every day to love God with our whole heart, mind, and strength; and we have the Sacraments to help us. Will we take advantage of all the graces God offers? Or will we cling to all the temptations and allurements of the world that Satan uses to lead us away from God. It's our choice, our free will. How will each of us choose to use it?
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