The beginning of man's earthly life takes place at birth; the beginning of his spiritual life takes place at Baptism. It was under the figure of a spiritual birth that Our Lord spoke of Baptism, when He said: "Unless a man be born again of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3, 5). Through Baptism one begins to live the divine life of a child of God.
Our Lord Himself received a baptism from St. John the Baptist, but this ceremony was not a sacrament. It was only a foreshadowing of the sacrament. However, it was probably about this time that Our Savior instituted the sacrament; and perhaps administered it to the apostles with His own hands. At any rate, they must have been baptized before the Last Supper, for they then became priests, and the character of the priesthood can be given only to one who possesses the character of Baptism. Before His Ascension into heaven Christ deputed the apostles to go and baptize all men; and on Pentecost Sunday the apostles began the task, telling those who heard the Gospel and were converted: "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts, 2, 38). As the apostles went to various lands and made converts, they announced the reception of Baptism as the chief condition of becoming a follower of Christ and a member of His Church. In the words of St. Paul: "All you who have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ" (Gal., 3, 27) ... "We were all baptized into one body" (I Cor, 12, 13).
The Catholic Church has always emphasized the importance of Baptism, and has always taken the greatest care that no child depart from this world without receiving this sacrament. The children of nonCatholics can lawfully be baptized even against the wishes of their parents, if they are in danger of death, for this sacrament is necessary for salvation, and in such a case the right of the child to eternal salvation takes precedence over parental rights.
The child of Catholic parents should be baptized soon after birthif possible, within two weeks. In the event that the child is in danger of death, it should be baptized immediately, in the way described in this lesson. A lay person who baptizes a child in such circumstances should not make the validity of the sacrament depend on a future condition _ for example, he should not intend to give the sacrament only on condition that the priest does not come in time, but should have the intention of baptizing absolutely and unconditionally. When a child has been baptized privately, it should afterward be brought to the church in order that the various ceremonies of solemn Baptism may be supplied.
The essential ceremony of Baptism is the washing of the recipient with water. Our Savior prescribed this washing in a general way, but He did not designate the particular mode in which it is to be performed. Hence at different times the Church has used different modes. In the beginning complete immersion was practiced, and this is still used in the Oriental rites. The Latin Church commonly employs the method of pouring, or infusion; and even sprinkling the baptismal water is a valid way of baptizing, provided the water touches the skin of the recipient's head and flows over it. The words required for Baptism, pronounced by the minister, explain what is being done _ "I baptize thee" _ then the words assert that the power of the sacrament comes from the three divine Persons _ "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost". To these divinely established elements of the sacrament the Church has added many beautiful ceremonies for the solemn administration of Baptism, which can be performed only by a priest or (as an extraordinary minister) a deacon, such as the anointing of the breast and shoulders with oil and the giving of a lighted candle. Catholics should study the meaning of these ceremonies, particularly if they are invited to serve as godparents at Baptism.