CAT HOLIC PAENT PAENT KNOW HOW Sa m D pl o N ot v p i ro w du O c nly KNOWHOW CATHOLIC P E PA I N G YO U C H I L D F O Baptism YO U Q U E S T I O N S answrd X1811_CPKH_Baptism.indd 1 5/5/16 12:04 PM
Baptism Is th Sacramnt of a Liftim Dar Parnts, On day a catchist askd a littl boy, Whn did you first larn about God? Th littl boy had a prplxd look on his fac, so th catchist thought that prhaps h didn t undrstand th qustion. Sh trid again, Who first taught you about God? Again h lookd puzzld a momnt, but thn smild brightly and said, I can t rally answr your qustion. I v always known God! That child is xtrmly tunat. H must liv surroundd by a family and parish community that is aliv with God s lov and isn t afraid to talk about it, to liv it. And your child is tunat, too! That is why you ar asking Baptism your child bcaus you ar aliv with God s lov. Thr is no miracl as moving as th birth of a child. Th ntranc of a child into our livs crtainly nvr lavs us th sam, and th clbration of Baptism should nvr lav th child, family, or parish community th sam. As I hav bn privilgd to walk with my own family and with countlss othrs in my ministry I hav bcom mor awar that th rituals and sacramnts w hav in th Church ar so powrful and rich, and w can t just go through th motions. CATHOLIC PAENT KNOWHOW D You ar asking Baptism your child bcaus you ar aliv with Christ s lov. Samp S W can t just say: Baptism is on mor thing I nd to do on my list of things to gt don this child. OK. That on s ovr and don with. W nd to giv ourslvs tim lots of it to prpar rituals and sacramnts, to rally clbrat thm, to O rmmbr and rflct on what w did, to liv thir ralitis, s, and thn to kp on asking ourslvs how and why w ar doing what w r doing yars to com. So, this booklt is not just about th momnt of Baptism, bcaus Baptism is not just about on momnt. Baptism is a liftim sacramnt. It happns only onc (it cannot b rpatd), but it is about th rst of our livs. What w do and say in thos fw momnts is livd ach day th rst of our livs. For th first yars of your child s lif, yours will b th most important influnc in his or hr undrstanding of lif as a followr of Jsus and lif as a mmbr of th Catholic Church. At Baptism your child is a Christian, but your child bcoms a Christian as th yars unfold. What a challng, but what a privilgd rsponsibility you hav in that! or mpl o Bapt om viw w y No ot m produc u Jant Schafflr, O.P. Nihil Obstat: vrnd Michal Hintz, Ph.D. Cnsor Librorum Imprimatur: Kvin C. hoads, Bishop of Fort Wayn South Bnd Th Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur ar official dclarations that a book is fr from doctrinal or moral rror. It is not implid that thos who hav grantd th Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur agr with th contnts, opinions, or statmnts xprssd. Scriptur slctions takn from th Nw Amrican Bibl, rvisd dition 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 by th Confratrnity of Christian ctrin, Washington, D.C., and ar usd by licns of th copyright ownr. All rights rsrvd. No part of th Nw Amrican Bibl may b rproducd in any m without prmission in writing from th copyright ownr. English translation of th Catchism of th Catholic Church, scond dition, Unitd Stats of Amrica copyright 1994 and 1997, Unitd Stats Catholic cth c Confrnc, Inc. Librria Editric Vaticana. Usd by prmission. All rights rsrvd. Evry rasonabl ft has bn mad to dtrmin copyright holdrs of xcrptd matrials and to scur prmissions as ndd. If any copyrightd matrials hav bn inadvrtntly usd in this work without propr crdit bing givn in on m or anothr, plas notify Our Sunday Visitor in writing so that futur printings of this work may b corrctd accordingly. Copyright 2016 by Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. All rights rsrvd. With th xcption of short xcrpts critical rviws, no part of this work may b rproducd or transmittd in any m or by any mans whatsovr without prmission in writing from th publishr: For mor inmation, visit: www.osv.com/prmissions. Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. 200 Noll Plaza Huntington, IN 46750 ISBN: 978-1-68192-067-2 (Invntory No. X1811) Dsign by: Amanda Falk Covr photo by: obrt Mulln/Th Catholic Photographr PINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMEICA Photos: Shuttrstock X1811_CPKH_Baptism.indd 2 5/5/16 12:04 PM
Baptism 3 What it s all about: Th it & Symbols of Baptism Photos: Shuttrstock Hav you vr givn a gift bcaus it said th right thing? Hav you vr spnt tim with somon who simply ndd your prsnc? Symbolic actions lik ths oftn say mor than our words can xprss. Our sacramnts ar symbolic actions. Th mystry and wondr of God s lif and lov and our giftd rlationship with God can nvr b containd in just words. Thy ar clbratd in symbolic actions. In th it of Baptism w clbrat th rality of bing immrsd in God s lif through: living lif as a followr of Jsus can b challnging. Latr, th oil of chrism (a prfumd oil) is rubbd on th had. It is a sign of strngthning to liv as a followr of Jsus a lif that is pristly, prophtic, and royal: bringing God to a ndy world, boldly spaking th truth of God s lov and srving th poor and afflictd with compassion. In th prayr th whol Church xprsss its hops your son or daughtr. As parnts you hav takn on th rsponsibility to provid shltr, food, and clothing your child. This symbol is also a rmindr to wrap your child in th car and compassion of Christ. Th Lightd Candl: Your child s baptis- mal candl is lit from th parish s Eastr (Paschal) candl, a sign of th isn Christ. O(Paschal OThis symbol rminds all that your child is wlcomd into th Church to participat with hr in bing th light of th world (Matthw 5:14). Th candl is a visibl rmindr that this light of Christ is to b dkp kpt burning all through lif, a light shining in what is somtims a dark world. Th symbols of th lightd candl and th whit garmnt captur in a uniqu way th challng of Baptism as w har St. Ptr say, You ar a chosn rac, a royal pristhood, a holy nation, God s own popl, that you may dclar th wondrful dds of him who calld you out of darknss into his marvlous light (1 Ptr 2:9). Watr: Watr, of cours, is th ssntial sign of Baptism. It can b a sign of both lif and fruitfulnss as wll as dath and Th Gathrd Assmbly: Th community gathrd th clbration rprsnts nc th powr of watr both to nourish th whol Church, wlcoming this nw and to dstroy lif. Watr givs lif, savs dstruction. In natur w clarly xpri- mmbr and affirming th profssion of lif, and taks lif away. Using watr in our faith. Baptism rminds us of this powr and hlps us to xprinc our dying with Th Signing of th Cross: Parnts, god- Christ and our rising with him to nw lif parnts, family mmbrs, and parishionrs (omans 6:3-4). join th prsidr in tracing th Sign of thm(o Cross on th child s had. A sign on Th lif of th isn Christ is ours. somthing shows its origins or ownrship. Bcaus of Baptism, sin is dstroyd, nw lif mrgs; all is clan, rfrshd, and mad nw. Th Sign of th Cross shows that w blong to Jsus. It is th mmbrship badg or idntity sign of th Christian. By tracing Th Baptismal Garmnt: A whit it rvrntly, w wlcom th baby into garmnt is placd on th nwly this worldwid community that has mad baptizd, a sign of nw status. th cross its distinguishing sign. It s anothr way of saying that from now on this lit- put on nw lif as a child of God It symbolizs that sh or h has tl child will nvr hav to carry th cross (Galatians 3:27) and is now a nw alon, or walk alon. It s also a promis cration. of th liftim guarant that w shar in In th first cnturis, th arly Christ s rsurrction, which coms to us Christians wor nw cloths aftr through th cross. thir Baptism to proclaim thir nw Anointing: Th first anointing, with th lif in Christ. Th whit baptismal oil of catchumns, on th brast, calls garmnt is a continuation of that on Christ to strngthn th child bing practic. W promis to put on baptizd, spcially th tims whn Christ throughout our livs. Sampl S sf w viw w y produc Baptism touchs our ntir lif. Th bginning and what sms to b th nd at last th nd of our arthly lif ar intrtwind. Many of ths symbols rcur in th funral liturgy. At th door of th church, th prsidr sprinkls th coffin with holy watr and rcalls th watrs of Baptism. Thn th pall, a symbol of th baptismal garmnt, is placd on th coffin. Th body is brought into th midst of th assmbly, just as th child was at th tim of Baptism. Th Eastr candl burns bsid th coffin. This symmtry and rlationship rmind us that our Christian idntity, bgun in our Baptism, undrlis all othr dscriptions of who w ar. X1811_CPKH_Baptism.indd 3
4 Catholic Parnt Know-How Th Church s Svn Sacramnts God shars his vry lif with us through th svn sacramnts. Thy ar rootd in th lif and ministry of Jsus and th Tradition of th Church. As th Church grw, Catholics cam to rcogniz th actions in which Jsus had rvald thm God s grac: his wlcoming, his giving of th Holy Spirit, his giving and haling, his slf-gift in th Eucharist, his choosing and snding of discipls, and his challng to marrid prsons, indd to all, to plac th kingdom of G o dfi r s t. Ths svn actions of Jsus wr ritualizd through th ags, bcoming th official sacramnts of th Catholic Church (at th Fourth Latran Council in 1215), hlping th Church clbrat continually and constantly his risn prsnc among us. Th sacramnts ar not simply rituals of human making; thy ar diffrnt than all othr rituals with which h w ar familiar. Catholics bliv: Jsus himslf acts in and through th sacramnts. Through th Spirit, th grac of Jsus actions mpowrs us. Th sacramnts can chang us, and our world, bcaus of God s powr. W must b prpard and activly participat in th sacramnts if th grac of God is going to mpowr us. Thy cannot work without us. Th sacramnts ar fficacious signs of grac, institutd by Christ and ntrustd to th Church, by which divin lif is dispnsd to us. Th visibl rits by which th sacramnts ar clbratd signify and mak prsnt th gracs propr to ach sacramnt. Thy bar fruit in thos who rciv thm with th rquird dispositions (Catchism of th Catholic Church, 1131). O Our svn Sacramnts Th thr Sacramnts of Initiation Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist initiat nw mmbrs into th community. In Baptism, w di to all that is sinful and thn ris to lif in Christ. Confirmation pfo focuss attntion on th gift of th Spirit first rcivd at Baptism and strngthns our bond with th Church. In Eucharist, w rciv th Body and Blood of Jsus, in ordr to go th and b th Body of Christ in th world. conciliation and Anointing of Sick, Sacramnts of Haling, clbrat th Church s mission of givnss and its rsolv that all ar includd. conciliation cntrs on spiritual haling; it givs our failings and sins. In th Anointing of th Sick, th Church anoints and prays haling thos who ar suffring. Sampl S viw w Sa prod roduc In th Sacramnts of Srvic Holy Ordrs and Matrimony th Church rminds us of our call to b a popl othrs. Th Sacramnt of Holy Ordrs ordains mn to srv th Church as dacons, prists, and bishops. Matrimony clbrats th lov btwn a woman and a man, as wll as thir vow to srv ach othr, rflcting to th whol Church God s lov all humankind. X1811_CPKH_Baptism.indd 4
8 Ways to Fulfill Our Baptism Baptismal Promiss ( Yars to Com) 5 Th rligious mation of a child bgins at birth. Your child has bn cratd in th imag and liknss of God. Evrything that you do and with your child will hlp to continu to dpn that imag and liknss. God rvals himslf to us as a loving parnt, which h placs grat rsponsibility on parnts in ming a child s undrstanding of God. It is through your lov, patinc, and car that your child will first larn th lov, patinc, and car of God. It is through your givnss that your child will first larn about God s gift of givnss and haling. It is by praying with you that your child will larn to pray. Mak a list of your family mmbrs 1 Baptism dats and mark thm on th calndar. n t gt th Baptism dats of th adults in th family. Ths ar spcial dats. Considr clbrating baptismal 2 annivrsaris as spcial family days mayb njoy spcial dssrts on thos vnings. Tll your child how you cam to choos his or hr nam. Tak out th photos, th baptismal gown, baptismal crtificat, and th candl. Light th baptismal candl and invit all to rnw thir baptismal promiss. Tll your childrn about thir godparnts 3 and why you chos thm. Encourag thm to go to thir godparnts as wll as to you whn thy hav qustions rlating to thir faith and thir undrstanding of God. Talk togthr. thr. Tll storis about your God 4 tims. Us Scriptur storis or wondrful childrn s litratur. Answr thir qustions, vn th ons thy r not asking! Pray as a family oftn and as a natural 5 part of family lif: at maltims, bdtims, happy py tims, worrisom tims, aftr an argumnt, whn somon is in troubl, and always on spcial occasions (Thanksgiving, birthdays, baptismal days). Mak Mass a family vnt. Sit nar th front. 6Po Point out on or two things ach wk your child to watch. Talk about th homily on th way hom. B Mass, talk with your family about who you want to pray during th Gnral Intrcssions and what you want to thank God during th Eucharistic Prayr. Sampl S hild r ha viw w O y td an 6 produc Grow togthr in apprciation of God s 7 Word. On Saturday vnings, rad th Scripturs you will har at Mass. What is God saying to your family this wknd? Th Catchism of th Catholic Church 8 rminds us that Eucharist commits us to th poor (s 1397). Togthr prpar a mal a nighbor in nd, sort through toys and clothing gifts to th poor, visit a nursing hom, or add pnnis to a charitabl donation. As you shar your faith with your child, your rlationship with God will also dpn. As you pray with your family, attnd Mass, and shar your Christian valus, your family will grow closr togthr in lov on anothr and God. Your child s lif of faith is only th bginning! Photos: Shuttrstock, EyPix, DsignPics X1811_CPKH_Baptism.indd 5
6 Catholic Parnt Know-How Som Qustions You May Hav Why dos th it of Baptism bgin with th naming (whn that s alrady bn don on th birth crtificat)? It dos, two xtrmly important rasons. As with many things, naming is rootd in faith, not just somthing lgal! Scriptur strongly rminds us of God s intimat prsonal lov ach of us: I hav calld you by nam, you ar min (Isaiah 43:1). Scond, and vry crucial, w also tak on th nam of Christian th rst of our livs. This is a privilg, which has rights as wll as rsponsibilitis. Th sacramnt isn t just about us as individuals; it is about our idntification with Christ. Why dos th rit talk about sin, spcially whn a baby is bing baptizd? Sin dos xist in th world. Of that w hav no doubt. Scriptur tlls th story of Adam and Ev. From th bginning of human history, popl hav rjctd God s fr offr of lov and grac. Sin still marks human history. Childrn ar born into this human condition. Thy, as all of us, ar affctd by th sinful world in which w liv. This Church taching of original sin (s CCC, 388-389) dscribs th human condition of bing born as part of an imprfct popl whr th ffct of sin in th world, from th vry bginning, cannot scap us. Th human tndncy of slfishnss, of m first, is vr-prsnt. Thr is somthing going on insid us that, as St. Paul said, maks us choos th vry things w do not want to choos (omans 7:15). It is not that w ar born vil but that w ar born with th possibility of choosing vil. Th rality concrning original sin tachs that vry human bing nds th salvation offrd by Christ. What th it of Baptism rcognizs is that w nd God s grac and on anothr s support and witnss in our Catholic community in this liflong task of bing hald of this tndncy. On our own w can t mak it (s CCC,, 396-409). What dos a nw lif in Jsus s Christ man? This ssntial maning ng of Baptism is dscribd d nar th bginning of th rit: th prist prays that Jsus Christ look lovingly on th child and, by th mystry of Jsus dath and rsurrction, bath th child in light, giv him or hr th nw lif of Baptism, and wlcom th child into mt th holy Church. Nw lif in Christ is a lif filld with th SpD Spirit, a lif committd to following Jsus. It is a lif that is filld with and livd according to th valus of Jsus, oftn diffrnt than th valus of today s cultur. It is frdom, yt challng. How can I b mor awar and hlp my child b mor awar of th gift of God s grac? Baptism (as all sacramnts, as all lif) is about grac. On of th limitations of th past was that somtims w spok of gtting grac as though it wr a thing. Grac is rlationship with God, th way God shars lif with us. Grac is God s own lif, God s nrgizing lov, God s powr within us, which nabls us, unitd with God, to kp growing ach day to bcom mor and mor th prson God cratd us to b. Bcaus God is prsnt to us in so many ways, grac, God s lif, is vrywhr. But th svn sacramnts ar uniqu clbrations of Jsus prsnc with us. Grac, God s lif, is dpnd and rnwd within us in distinctiv ways in th clbrations b of th sacramnts (s CCC, C,, 1129, 1131). Awarnss can b dpnd with rflction and shard discussion within your family of th tims ach on has awar of th simpl and profound Obn ways God works in his/hr lif. Sampl viw w OwO andn produc Why dos my parish hav a class parnts b Baptism? Childrn ar baptizd in th faith of th Church: of parnts, godparnts, th local parish, th Church throughout th world, th saints. Somtims, this sns of th Church bcoms a faint backdrop to what is sn as primarily a privat family vnt. Thus parishs bring parnts togthr to discuss and pray with ach othr looking at th vast rality of what Baptism mans thm, thir child, th parish, and th Church. Bcaus this is so important, parnt sssions wr mandatd by th it of Infant Baptism in 1969, aftr th Scond Vatican Council. Th Church wantd to assist parnts in many ways but spcially to hlp thm s this big connction: Baptism conncts us lif to a worldwid family that givs us privilgs and rsponsibilitis. Why ar Baptisms oftn at Sunday Mass? It is this sam rason that Baptisms ar oftn clbratd at Sunday liturgis: so that th largr parish community can b prsnt. Whn a nw baby ntrs a family, th lif of vry mmbr is changd! It is vry similar in our Christian family. X1811_CPKH_Baptism.indd 6
Baptism 7 Thos who ar alrady part of our Church family ar affctd by this brand-nw mmbr and hav rsponsibilitis: thy ar calld to b witnsss, to shar thir faith, to guid him or hr in th way of Jsus, to offr support in difficult tims, to shar prayr and worship, and to always giv good xampl. Wlcoming ach nw mmbr, thr, is th rsponsibility of all thos who hav bn baptizd. It is not a privat affair. Who can b a godparnt? Th godparnts ar th link btwn th family and th Church. In addition to rprsnting th Christian community, godparnts hlp parnts to bring up thir childrn in th faith by thir witnss and prayrs. To b a godparnt is a privilgd srvic in th Church and a spcial ministry. Church law (s Cod of Canon Law, 872-874) says that a godparnt b at last sixtn yars of ag, hav rcivd th Sacramnts of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist), and lad a lif of faith in harmony with th duty h or sh is undrtaking. Th godparnt may not b on of th parnts of th prson bing baptizd. on godparnt is rquird Baptism and a maximum of two (on mal and on fmal) can b rcordd rdd in th baptismal rcord. Whn pastoral circumstancs warrant it, on of ths sponsors may b a baptizd non-catholic Christian as a witnss of th Baptism. ss Scriptur adings Suggstd Us in th Clbration of Baptism Childrn Th following ar som of th radings from Scriptur that ar options th Clbration of Baptism Childrn. Bcaus Baptism is a sacramnt that w liv our whol lif, th radings ar appropriat parnts (and familis) to us prayr and rflction months and yars to com. Exodus 17:3-7 (Watr from th ock) Ar thr things that you ar thirsting a sns of pac, a rconcild rlationship, an answrd prayr, a fling of God s prsnc? Can you trust lik Moss did that God will supply th watr this thirst? Samp ampl uf nshn DM Mark 1:9-11 (Th Baptism of Jsus) vi viw produc duc Aftr Jsus was baptizd, h hard a voic from havn saying, You ar my blovd Son; with you I am wll plasd. What would you lik to har God say to you? How hav you flt affirmd by God s lov throughout your lif? Galatians 3:26-28 (Bing clothd in Jsus in Baptism, all ar on) Paul said, Thr is nithr Jw nor Grk nithr slav nor fr nithr mal nor fmal; you ar all on in Christ Jsus. What would h say today? With whom do you fl unitd? s Baptism call you to widn your circl of unity? 1 Ptr 2:4-5, 9-10 (Th Living Ston and a Chosn Popl) This Nw Tstamnt lttr indicats how privilgd God viws us: in God s sight chosn and prcious, a royal pristhood, and God s own popl. How clos do you lt God com to you? How affctionat is your rlationship with God? Photos: Spncr Grant, Shuttrstock, nata Sdmakova / Shuttrstock.com X1811_CPKH_Baptism.indd 7
Prayr our family Gracious God, you hav mad us a family. Thank you choosing us to b togthr. ing viw W want to listn mor closly, to car mor tndrly, to act mor couragously, so that t w may do our part in building your Kingdom, bringing pac and compassion. ambri Sampl rf vi FD produc duc Filld with your Spirit, snd us th to b th Body of Christ to all w mt. W ask this in Jsus nam. Shuttrstock Invntory No. X1811 US $1.95 www.osv.com www.tachingcatholickids.com 1-800-348-2440 X1811_CPKH_Baptism.indd 8