My earliest recollection of baptism was as a teenager back in the mid sixties in a rather empty, somewhat cold church on a Sunday afternoon. Less than ten people were present: the baby, her parents, my family and the priest. That wasn’t much of a congregation yet that scenario was rather common in Catholic churches for years until the bishops meeting at Vatican II asked themselves, “What’s wrong with this picture?”
Back then, baptism’s purpose was seen simply as washing away original sin. While that remains true, that isn’t the whole point of this important sacrament. Until St. Augustine arrived on the scene in the fifth century, the notion of original sin wasn’t even an issue in the early church. Jesus certainly had no need to be freed from original sin, so what did baptism mean back then?
In doing its homework, the council fathers recovered three truths about baptism that had been forgotten or downplayed over time: baptism is an initiation into the Christian community, a call to discipleship, that is, a way of life, and a commissioning.
Through this ritual, the newly baptized is now numbered among the people of God, the Church. Once baptized, that person assumes a new identity as a child of God, joining others who are baptized on common journey of faith. I have met people who call themselves Christians but they were never baptized. That would be like immigrants who think of themselves as being American even though they have yet to be naturalized.
The council fathers at Vatican II decided since baptism is an initiation rite into the faith community, the sacrament should be celebrated openly. In older churches where fonts were once placed outside the nave, they were then placed where they could be seen. Some churches, like ours and Saint James cathedral, placed their fonts in the entry way.
In a pastoral letter, Archbishop Hunthausen argued that the primary symbol of baptism is community, not water, and for this reason, he directed that the sacrament should be celebrated in the presence of the faith community.
Secondly, baptism is a call to discipleship. In the early Church, baptism took years of preparation. During that time, the candidates had to prove their sincerity to live as Jesus did by prayer, good living, and works of charity. Baptism was seen as a turning point in a person’s life and signaled an adult choice to commit one’s life to God, figuratively and sometimes literally, for being a Christian in ancient Rome sometimes meant martyrdom.
Once Emperor Constantine was baptized, the Church was allowed to exist in the open. In fact, you were expected to be baptized. As more and more people were baptized, the age of baptism began to shift from adults to infants and the standards dropped. As time passed, the focus shifted from being a disciple to being freed from original sin. Instead of being viewed as a call to discipleship, baptism for many became a cultural event.
Consequently, many have never realized that baptism isn’t just a christening, it is also a commissioning. We have been empowered by baptism to do the work of Jesus Christ and “to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly and devoutly…so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.”
According to the church calendar, the Christmas season officially closes today but by no means are we finished with Christmas. There is much to be done in the days ahead. The good news of the angels of peace on earth continues to unfold. The most wondrous part of this story has yet to be revealed. The same spirit that anointed the Messiah on the banks of the Jordan calls on us to complete the work of Christmas: to seek out the lost, to heal the sick and the broken-hearted, to feed the hungry, to liberate the imprisoned, to rebuild families and nations, to bring peace to peoples everywhere by treating them with dignity. To complete the Christmas story is the commission given to us at our baptism.
Baptism means for us what it meant for Jesus. In the waters of the Jordan, he was initiated, called and commissioned to build the kingdom of God. The same holds true for us. Just as the Spirit empowered Jesus that day, the Spirit empowers us to carry out our baptismal promises this day. As you bless yourself with holy water when you leave here, remember what being a disciple is all about. Carry out your mission whenever the opportunity arises. Live the Catholic way of life to make a difference in the world around you so that without reservation, God can say to you, “You are my beloved with whom I am well pleased!”