Baptism: New Life and Ways of Living
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1213-1284
Through symbolic immersion in the waters of baptism, you are “grafted into the paschal mystery of Christ.” In a mysterious way, you “die with him, are buried with him, and rise with him (Constitution on the Sacred liturgy, 6).”
As a baptized Christian, you are an adopted son or daughter of God in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son. You are “hid with Christ in God,” but a visible member of his Body.
Having died to sin (both original sin and personal sins are cleansed away in the waters of baptism), you have entered the community of the Church “as through a door.” Your indelible baptism into Christ was the beginning of a unique lifelong vocation.
Many people exercise their baptismal calling through parish activities. Assisting their parish priests, they serve as extraordinary ministers of Communion, lectors, commentators, choir leaders, ushers, servers, members of the parish council, the Legion of Mary, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the social justice committee, and many other parish groups.
Some serve the spiritual and community life of their parishes by teaching religion and taking part in adult education programs, Scripture study, prayer groups, and family enrichment groups, such as Marriage Encounter. Many find their baptismal faith revitalized by praising God together as charismatic Catholics. They are only some of the ways in which baptismal members of Christ’s Body live out the mystery of their baptismal vocation.
A major way of living the life of baptism is called the religious life. Heeding a special grace from God, some people enter religious orders and congregations and become religious brothers, sisters, and priests.
As consecrated religious, these people dedicate themselves to God by vowing to live the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience. As Vatican II explains, their lives are devoted to God’s service: ‘This constitutes a special consecration, which is deeply rooted in their baptismal consecration and is a fuller expression of it (Decree on the Up-to-Date Renewal of Religious Life, 5).”
Through your baptism, you share with others “the sacramental bond of unity among all who through it are reborn (Decree on Ecumenism, 22).” Your baptism can never be repeated because it binds you to God forever. The bond is unbreakable. It is possible for you to lose grace and even faith, but you cannot lose your baptism. You are marked as one of God’s very own. That same bond links you to all other baptized persons in a sacramental way. You are one of us and we are all “sacrament persons.” Together we are called to live until death the baptismal mystery into which we have been plunged.
Our parish rejoices with you in the birth of your child(ren)! They are signs to us that we are growing in numbers and holiness.
Baptism is the gateway to the rest of the sacraments of the Church, and as such, we want to ensure that families are adequately disposed to introduce their child(ren) to the sacramental life.
We encourage families to start the process at least six (2) months before the desired date for baptism.
To learn more, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our parish office at (973) 779-6200.