Thursday, June 21, 2012
256. In what does the essential rite of Baptism consist? (part 1)
(Comp
256) The essential rite of this sacrament consists in immersing the candidate
in water or pouring water over his or her head while invoking the name of the
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
“In brief”
(CCC
1277) Baptism is birth
into the new life in Christ. In accordance with the Lord's will, it is
necessary for salvation, as is the Church herself, which we enter by Baptism. (CCC 1278) The essential rite of Baptism consists in
immersing the candidate in water or pouring water on his head, while
pronouncing the invocation of the Most Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Spirit.
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 1229) From the
time of the apostles, becoming a Christian has been accomplished by a journey
and initiation in several stages. This journey can be covered rapidly or
slowly, but certain essential elements will always have to be present:
proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel entailing conversion,
profession of faith, Baptism itself, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and
admission to Eucharistic communion. (CCC 1204) The celebration of the liturgy,
therefore, should correspond to the genius and culture of the different peoples
(Cf. SC 37-40). In order that the mystery of Christ be "made known to all
the nations… to bring about the obedience of faith" (Rom 16:26), it must
be proclaimed, celebrated, and lived in all cultures in such a way that they
themselves are not abolished by it, but redeemed and fulfilled (Cf. CT 53): It is with and through their own
human culture, assumed and transfigured by Christ, that the multitude of God's
children has access to the Father, in order to glorify him in the one Spirit.
(CCC 1230) This initiation has varied greatly through the centuries according
to circumstances. In the first centuries of the Church, Christian initiation
saw considerable development. A long period of catechumenate included a series of preparatory rites, which were
liturgical landmarks along the path of catechumenal preparation and culminated
in the celebration of the sacraments of Christian initiation.
On
reflection
(CCC 1231) Where infant Baptism has become the form in which this
sacrament is usually celebrated, it has become a single act encapsulating the
preparatory stages of Christian initiation in a very abridged way. By its very
nature infant Baptism requires a post-baptismal
catechumenate. Not only is there a need for instruction after Baptism, but
also for the necessary flowering of baptismal grace in personal growth. The catechism has its proper place here.
(CCC 1232) The second Vatican Council restored for the Latin Church "the
catechumenate for adults, comprising several distinct steps" (SC 64). The
rites for these stages are to be found in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (Cf. RCIA 1972). The Council
also gives permission that: "In mission countries, in addition to what is
furnished by the Christian tradition, those elements of initiation rites may be
admitted which are already in use among some peoples insofar as they can be
adapted to the Christian ritual" (SC 65; cf. SC 37-40). [IT CONTINUES]
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