Birth & Initiation

KEY READINGS

Goldberg Textbook - Religion: Contexts and Expressions pg. 262 - 267
Baptism PDF Reading
Eucharist PDF Reading

Copy of Baptism.pdf

Copy of Eucharist.pdf

Sacraments

In the Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican traditions, there are seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the sick, Marriage and Holy Orders. In most Protestant churches there are only two sacraments: baptism and Eucharist. The Salvation Army and the Society of Friends do not have any sacraments

Birth and Initiation

Baptism

Adherents enter the life of Christ and become members of his Church

Confirmation

Conforms the Christians in the life of Christ through the gift of the Holy Spirit first received in Baptism

Communion

The third sacrament of initiation and completes the initiation process. Christians now express the fullness of belonging to the body of Christ, the Church, by receiving the Body of Christ in communion with the whole Church

Baptism

What is baptism?

Baptism is the introduction of a person into the Church community. Through the waters of Baptism the person enters into the life of God - Father, Son and Spirit. He or she is dedicated to God and all that is good. Many Christians believe that baptism is important because Jesus was baptised, and after his resurrection he told his disciples that they should be baptised too. In the New Testament, the significance of baptism is seen more clearly. John the Baptist was sent by God to spread the news of the coming Messiah—Jesus Christ. John was directed by God (John 1:33) to baptize those who accepted his message. John’s baptizing is called “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Mark 1:4 . Those baptized by John acknowledged their sins and professed their faith that through the coming Messiah they would be forgiven. Baptism then is significant in that it represents the forgiveness and cleansing from sin that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

Baptism is practised by nearly all Christian denominations as it is seen as an instruction from God and a way of following Jesus’ example. However, the denominations practise baptism in different ways.

Children of God

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3: 26-28

Nature & Purpose of Baptism

Baptism is seen as a statement of faith. When children are baptised, the parents or godparents speak on behalf of the child. This also indicates the commitment of the parents and godparents to bring the child up within the faith and to teach the child the fundamentals of Christianity. In the baptism ceremony, the profession of faith, based on the Creed, is generally presented as a series of questions and answers.

The central symbol of baptism is water and the child has water poured over his/her head as the priest says, ‘I baptise you (name of child) in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit’. Sometimes the water is poured at three separate intervals, linking it to the Trinitarian formula of Father, Son and Spirit. Baptisms are most commonly performed in churches at a baptismal font using blessed water.

Symbols of Baptism

(Click to expand)

Water

- Primary symbol of baptism.
- John the Baptist used water (Mt 3:11; Mk 1:8a; Jn 1:33; 3:23), as did Jesus (Jn 3:22). Jesus is living water (Jn 4:10), and when Jesus died, the water that flowed from his pierced side serves as a wellspring of his life and grace (Jn 19:34).

Oil

Two kinds are used.
The Oil of the Catechumens is used after the prayer of exorcism and applied to the chest.
- It represents salvation as well as the strength and power that come from Christ .
Sacred Chrism is used to anoint the crown of the head after the water has been poured
- It represents salvation, participation in the priesthood of Christ, membership in the body of Christ and a share in eternal life.

Baptismal garment

A white garment either worn from the beginning of the ritual or given after pouring or immersion.
It is an outward sign of the person’s Christian dignity.
Signifies that the person has become a new creation and has been clothed with Christ.

Baptismal Candle

Lit from the Easter Candle.
The candle represents the risen Jesus, who is the light of the world (Jn 8:12). Jesus is the light that guides every baptized person.
It also represents the flame of faith, which is to be kept burning brightly.

Dove

Symbol of the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus was baptized, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove, and every person who is baptized receives the same Holy Spirit.

Confirmation

In the early Christian church, confirmation was part of baptism, but later it became a separate ceremony. Confirmation, meaning ‘to make firm’, provides the opportunity for the child to speak for him or herself. In essence, an adherent is saying 'yes' to the gift of faith bestowed to them at the time of their baptism. For adherents, confirmation is an opportunity to publicly stand up and declare that they believe in the Holy Spirit. Because of this, confirmation should not be considered a automatic rite of passage that all Catholics participate it.

In the Catholic Church, the time for confirmation varies: some children are confirmed prior to their first communion; others are confirmed around the age of 12 or 13. If confirmation is administered at 13, then it is likely that the rite is considered as a rite of passage to adulthood within the tradition. In the Catholic tradition, confirmation is usually performed by a bishop, although it is not a requirement of the sacrament itself.

Where is Confirmation in the Bible?

Confirmation as the sacrament performed today is not in the Bible, instead it is a ritual inspired by events from the Gospels.

"The feast of Pentecost is the third most important holy day celebrated within the Church, with the first most important being Easter and the second being Christmas. It is considered to be the birthday of the Church because it was on this day that the Holy Spirit descended upon the Church and empowered the Apostles and the other disciples of Jesus to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world. In essence, Pentecost is ultimately the celebration of the Holy Spirit Himself because of who He is, what He does for us as individuals, and what He does for the Church as a whole." (Brittain, 2015)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that the Sacrament of Confirmation increases and perfects the graces already received by Christians through faith and baptism (1303). It also describes the “seal,” or “spiritual mark” indelibly left upon the soul of the confirmandi: Confirmation imprints a spiritual mark or indelible character on the Christian’s soul; for this reason one can receive this sacrament only once in one’s life. (1317)

How is Confirmation celebrated?

The sacrament is celebrated through the anointing with Chrism on the forehead, and the laying on of hands, and the Words: Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.

You Stand or Kneel before the Bishop
Your sponsor lays one hand on your shoulder and speaks your confirmation name
The bishop anoints you by using oil of Chrism (a consecrated oil) to make the Sign of the Cross on your forehead while saying your confirmation name and “ Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”
You Respond, “ Amen”
The bishop then says “Peace be with you.”
You respond, “And with your spirit”

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Wisdom – importance of others & the importance of keeping God centre in our lives
Understanding: discover the meaning of our faith and to live according to its teaching. Helps us to know more clearly the mysteries of the faith
Knowledge: ability to think about and explore God’s revelation. Learning the things we must do in order to do God’s will
Right judgement: to see the best way to follow God’s plan when we have choices on how to live our faith
Courage: overcome obstacles to loving God and Others, especially when it is difficult
Piety: help us to pray to God in true and loyal devotion
Reverence: the feeling of amazement before God, who is ever-present and whose friendship we do not want to lose

These Gifts are supernatural graces given to the soul. The origin of these gifts is found in Isaiah where the qualities of the Messiah are foretold.

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Isaiah 11:1-4

Symbols of Confirmation

Oil

Oil is the essential element of the ritual.
It imparts the gift of the Holy Spirit, seals the recipient in God’s grace, and gives a new, indelible character.

The laying on of hands.

The laying of hands on the head has represented the conferral of the Holy Spirit from the first generation of the Church.

Dove

Represents the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove when he was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist (Mt 3:16; Mk 1:10; Lk 3:22), and the Holy Spirit descends upon each person who is confirmed.

A flame or a tongue of fire

When the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles on Pentecost, “tongues as of fire parted and came to rest upon each of them” (Acts 2:3).

Eucharist

Eucharist is the final stage of initiation into the Catholic Church.

The Eucharist, which is also called the Holy Communion, Mass, the Lord's Supper or the Divine Liturgy, is a sacrament accepted by almost all Christians. Christians don't say that they 'do' or 'carry out' the Eucharist; they celebrate it.

For Catholics, the Eucharist, or Mass, is the most powerful way we encounter the real presence of Jesus Christ. Sunday after Sunday (some, of course, gather everyday), Catholics gather to celebrate the Eucharist, the ritual in which, by the power of the Holy Spirit, bread and wine are transformed through the process of transubstantiation into the Body and Blood of Christ. We who celebrate are also transformed, becoming Christ’s presence to others, and recognising the presence of Christ in others.

The Eucharist is a re-enactment of the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus Christ shared with his disciples before his arrest, and eventual crucifixion. It is a symbol of God's new covenant with humanity and a demonstration of agape written about by the Greek scribes who translated early biblical texts.

Just as the covenant brought by Moses not only established the bond between God and his people but turned twelve tribes into one nation, so in the Eucharist, Christian are not only joined with God but are formed together into one community. The Eucharist truly makes the church. By signing a covenant with God, in sealing it again and again each time Christians celebrate the Eucharist, they are joined to one another and to God. The Eucharist makes the many into a people and so enable humanity to be the people of God. The Eucharist makes adherents who they are. It is the sealing of the New Covenant, celebrated again and again and again.

Background - The New Covenant

It was a common expectation that this new covenant would be sealed at the celebration of the old covenant, that is, at Passover. Therefore, when on one Passover evening in Jerusalem, in an upper room, a group of people gathered together under the leadership of a wandering rabbi from Galilee whom they had come to believe might be the messiah, and head that rabbi say to them,

“I have eagerly desired to eat the Passover with you” (Luke 22:15), they certainly must have thought, “At last! This is the moment. Now Jesus will give us the new covenant.”

And that is exactly what Jesus did at the Last Supper. The sign of this new covenant established between God and his people is that they love one another. The covenant sign has moved from being the rainbow, to the physical change of circumcision, to a changed form of behaviour, living the law, to a changed motive for living the law.

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

The sign of discipleship, the sign of membership in the new covenant, is that we love one another as Jesus has loved us.

What happens during the Eucharist?

The Eucharist (Eucharist is a Greek word that means “thanksgiving”) is the whole ritual that has come to be known as the Mass. The Eucharist is therefore a holy moment which includes the consecration of the body and blood of Jesus.

The Eucharist includes:

the sharing of the Word from scripture
offering of prayers
doing what Jesus did at the Last supper taking, blessing, breaking and sharing his body and blood
being sent forth to live and proclaim the Good News

Symbols of Eucharist

Bread – Wheat is grown and ground, transformed by human work to make bread. Bread is a staple food of life.
Wine – Grapes are grown and crushed, transformed by human work to make wine. Wine symbolises joy and celebration.

Bread and wine symbolise the Creator who gives life, the one who nourishes us. At the Last Supper Jesus gave himself in the form of bread and wine.

Catholic Australia - Preparing for Communion

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