Celebrate Baptism ~ Mary Reed Newland, How to Raise Good Catholic Children

by Mary Reed Newland, How to Raise Good Catholic Children

Celebrate Baptism

The best way to teach children about Baptism is with babies, either an infant brother or sister, or an infant neighbor. Then they learn about Baptism in terms of someone, not just something.

A newborn baby is not in the state of grace; he’s marked by Original Sin, which he inherited from his first parents. To a child who understands what the state of grace is, this is a terrible shock.

“But Mother, that’s not fair. It isn’t his fault they committed Original Sin.”

So God looks mean, or the Church looks mean, and an older sister will make a private reservation that they may say he isn’t free of sin, but he must be.

It doesn’t help to answer, “Well, he is. You’ll have to believe it because it’s true.” Too many answers like this can add up to future apostasy, all because truths that could be explained (if we would bother to explain them) were not explained.

Many of the mysteries cannot be explained, but it isn’t hard to explain Original Sin.

Explain the reason for Baptism

Suppose God had given Adam a stack of money. “Now you are rich,” He would have said. “Take good care of the money. Don’t lose it, because one day you will have a big family, and they will need it. It will buy them food and clothes, keep a roof over their head, and all these things will keep them happy and well.

“If you lose the money, your children will have a very hard time. They will be cold and hungry and naked, and have no home, all because of a wasted inheritance you might have left them.”

Now, suppose Adam paid no attention to God and wasted his money instead. He would have had none to pass on to his children. Even if it wasn’t their fault, the inheritance would be gone. Nothing could bring it back. So they would suffer because of their father’s wastefulness.

God didn’t give Adam money. He did give him sanctifying grace. That was the wealth Adam could have passed on to his children. But he lost it, and what he did not have, he could not pass on. Because he disobeyed God by committing Original Sin, the only thing he could pass on to his children was his sin. That’s why even the dearest new baby is born with his soul stained by sin.

Only two people were conceived without Original Sin, and we must teach our children about this. One was Christ, the Son of God, who was like men in every way except sin, and the other was His Mother.

Logically, God could never had permitted His Son to be born of a mother stained by sin, and Sacred Scripture proves it: if Mary had inherited Original Sin, the angel Gabriel could never honestly have addressed her as “Full of grace.”

 A third person was born free of Original Sin, although his soul was stained by it at his conception: St. John the Baptist. He was sanctified in his mother Elizabeth’s womb at the moment of her meeting with Mary, at the Visitation: “For behold, the moment the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy.”

 This is why our Lady’s birthday and St. John’s birthday are the only two birthday parties for saints in the entire liturgical calendar. The other feasts of the saints celebrate events in their lives, or their deaths — the day they were born to eternal life in Heaven.

How Christ instituted Baptism

Far too many people fail to realize that this is made very clear in the Gospels. If we are to teach our children convincingly about Baptism, we will have to use the Gospels as our source.

The Church teaches what Christ taught about Baptism, and He made it so clear that it isn’t possible to misunderstand His words.

Rites like Baptism, ceremonies that include washing in different ways to symbolize purification, have been part of almost every religion ever since the beginning. A

t the time of our Lord, St. John the Baptist was baptizing crowds of people who came to hear him preach repentance for sin and the coming of the Messiah. This baptism was not a sacrament. It was a symbolic ritual, which signified that those who asked for baptism had repented of their sins and resolved to live a holier life.

John baptized them by submerging them completely in the water, then raising them up again. Disappearing under the water was a sign of their death to sin, a symbol of descending into the grave. Rising out of it was a sign of their desire to live a new life.

Now, St. John had not seen his Cousin since He was a little boy, so he had no way of knowing Him. But the Holy Spirit revealed to him that Christ would come one day, and that there would be a sign for John by which Christ would be known.

So one day, when a crowd of people came to be baptized by John in the river Jordan, Jesus came with them. Although St. John said later that he didn’t recognize Christ, still he must have wondered, and he asked Him: “I ought to be baptized by Thee, and comest Thou to me?”

Our Lord told him to baptize Him just the same, because there was a reason. So John baptized Jesus, and the heavens opened, and he saw a dove descending and heard the voice of God the Father saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

 Certainly Christ had no need of baptism, but by submitting to the rite, He sanctified the waters of Baptism and gave an example to those who would follow Him. Even at this time, however, He did not affirm the absolute necessity of Baptism.

One night not long after, a sincere Pharisee named Nicodemus went secretly to Jesus to question Him about His role as a worker of miracles. And to Nicodemus, Jesus said, “Unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Now, surely Nicodemus knew that Christ did not mean literally “born again.” But to find out what He did mean, he asked, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb?”

And then Jesus described the necessity of Baptism. “Unless a man be born of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

 We should memorize this and teach it to our children. It’s one of the doctrines about which Catholics are most often questioned.

Between that time and the post-Resurrection period, both Jesus and His disciples baptized, but not until after the Resurrection did He command His Apostles to baptize.

With this, it is clear that Baptism is to be a sacrament. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded of you.” We should know and love these words.

“But suppose someone were dying and wanted to be baptized, and there was no water?”

Water is always necessary, even if it’s not clean. The water used by the priest for Baptism is especially blessed, but in case of an emergency, where a layperson must baptize, if there’s no plain water, liquids composed of water with some flavoring added could be used.

Tea, coffee, carbonated beverages, even beer, may be used in an emergency. Milk, vinegar, wine, or any other liquids may not be used.

Unless a child should ask about these exceptions, it would be more confusing than helpful to mention them, but it’s always good to know the facts.

There are two other kinds of Baptism, baptism of blood and baptism of desire, and they show God’s infinite mercy.

Baptism of blood is received by those unbaptized who die as martyrs for the love of God or for some Christian virtue.

Baptism of desire is received by those unbaptized who, sorry for their sins, die desiring either Baptism or the complete will of God, so far as they are able to know it.

This answers the question of children who worry about pagans who die without any knowledge of Baptism (although only God knows who receives these kinds of Baptism).

Even a pagan, if he believes sincerely in one he thinks is God, tries to do his will perfectly, and is sorry for his sins, probably dies with baptism of desire. Such a pagan, put to death for the one he believed was God, would probably receive baptism of blood.

God’s demand for Baptism is just, and we must help our children understand this. Sentimental substitutes for it are no good. We should be satisfied that His mercy provides for those faithful souls who are unable to receive Christian teaching about it in time.

“When you find your heart growing sad, divert yourself without a moment’s delay; make a visit, enter into conversation with those around you, read some amusing book, take a walk, sing, do something, it matters not what, provided you close the door of your heart against this terrible enemy. As the sound of a trumpet gives the signal for a combat, so sad thoughts apprise the devil that a favorable moment has come for him to attack us.” — St. Francis de Sales

“Where is there a virtue that spreads around itself so many blessings as that of chastity? But it is a very tender virtue, most like a tender flower which is injured by the slightest touch and by the least breath of cold. Therefore it is that according to the will of God the Christian home must serve as its sheltering place and protection; there it ought to be carefully guarded; there, especially by the vigilance of the mother, everything ought to be refused entrance that could injure it; there it must be fostered and cherished…” If you enjoy this video , please Like and Subscribe.

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