Dear Internet user, after knowing the origin of the word “sacraments” and discovering the importance of what we know as “matter” and “form”, the time has come to talk more specifically about each sacrament. We will therefore begin with Baptism. If you haven’t watched the , I suggest you do so. This way, you will have a broader basis to more deeply understand this, and all other sacraments.
The sacrament of Baptism is the first of these. It is the foundation of the entire Christian life and the door that opens access to the other sacraments. In this sense, Baptism is in the category of sacraments of Christian initiation.
The verb “baptize” is of Greek origin and means “to dive”. Once baptized, we are freed from all sins. Furthermore, through this wonderful sacrament, we become children of God and members of Christ, in other words, we are incorporated into his Church and made participants in his mission. Gregory of Nazianzen, a great Catholic theologian of the fourth century, stated that Baptism is the most beautiful and magnificent of God’s gifts because it is bestowed on those who bring nothing.
We find several passages in the Bible that talk about Baptism, for example, in the Gospel of Matthew we see an order made directly by Jesus: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28, 19).
The matter and form of the sacrament of Baptism
The material of the sacrament of Baptism is natural water, therefore, it is not worth baptizing with any other type of liquid, for example, saliva, wine, fruit juice, anything that is not true and natural water. In this regard, Saint Thomas Aquinas says something very interesting: since Baptism is the most necessary of the sacraments, it was convenient that its material could be easily found everywhere, natural water.
The form of the sacrament is constituted by the following words on the part of the one who administers it: “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. If we pay attention to this formula, we will notice five essential things: the person who baptizes (“I”); the person baptized (“te”); the action of baptizing (“baptizo”), the unity of the divine nature (“in name” in the singular) and, finally, the distinction of the three divine Persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
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Baptism provides us with the remission of original sin and, in adults, the remission of all personal sins, whether mortal or venial. Through this sacrament all penalties due to sin are also forgiven. For those regenerated by Baptism, there is nothing that can prevent them from entering the Kingdom of God.
The baptismal character
The Church teaches us that validly received Baptism leaves an indelible spiritual mark on the soul, that is, an inerasable, permanent inscription. It is the inextinguishable signet of God engraved “ad aeternum” on our souls. Since this sacrament imprints character, it cannot be repeated; it is therefore baptized once.
Just for information, in case of extreme need, any person, even if not baptized, can baptize another person, as long as they have the required intention and using the Trinitarian baptismal formula. It is worth noting that this type of Baptism is permitted for extreme situations and can never replace that conceived within the ordinary procedures carried out by the Church.
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God bless you and see you next time!