Our Baptism : Thought for the day

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OnAJourney said:
I suppose all that matters these days is that I’m going to RCIA and trying to get baptized
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Blessings on your journey @OnAJourney , a journey we are always on , so I cannot say “I have arrived” .

I’m very conscious of the reality of baptism as a beginning which stretches out to extend to the whole of one’s life .

As Pope Benedict said : " What happens in baptism is the beginning of a process that embraces the whole of our life . "
 
" Incorporated into Christ by Baptism, the person baptized is configured to Christ. Baptism seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark ( character ) of his belonging to Christ. No sin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation. Given once for all, Baptism cannot be repeated." (from CCC)
 
" The Holy Spirit has marked us with the seal of the Lord for the day of redemption. Baptism indeed is the seal of eternal life. The faithful Christian who has kept the seal until the end, remaining faithful to the demands of his Baptism, will be able to depart this life marked with the sign of faith , with his baptismal faith, in expectation of the blessed vision of God - the consummation of faith - and in the hope of resurrection." (from CCC)
 
" The fruit of Baptism, or baptismal grace, is a rich reality that includes forgiveness of original sin and all personal sins, birth into the new life by which man becomes an adoptive son of the Father, a member of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit. By this very fact the person baptized is incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ, and made a sharer in the priesthood of Christ." (from CCC)
 
When mom was expecting me she went to a baptism where the kid was screaming through the whole baptism rite, so when I was born, I was baptised (Lutheran) when I was only 4 days young at the hospital where I was born. Up until I became Catholic I had found it very hard to accept that I wasn’t given a Christian upbringing and thought it was sad that my grandparents weren’t present at the baptism but came to visit when I was 3-4 weeks old. The baptism could have taken place then.

During the time it took to be received into the Catholic Church, being baptised became very important to me. Easter Sunday, the year I was received into the Catholic Church, was also the same date that I had been baptised many, many years prior. In hindsight I understand why it took so many years for me to become Catholic and I didn’t expect the great surprise God gave me when I saw the date on the copy of the baptismal record.
 
Prayer of Exorcism

Almighty and ever-living God,
you sent your only Son into the world
to cast out the power of Satan, spirit of evil,
to rescue man from the kingdom of darkness,
and bring him into the splendor of your kingdom of light.
We pray for this child:
set him (her) free from original sin,
make him (her) a temple of your glory,
and send your Holy Spirit to dwell with him (her).
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
 
Almighty God,
you sent your only Son
to rescue us from slavery of sin,
and to give us the freedom
only your sons and daughters enjoy.

We now pray for this child
who will have to face the world with its temptations,
and fight the devil in all his cunning.

Your Son died and rose again to save us.
By his victory over sin and death,
cleanse this child from the stain of original sin.
Strengthen him (her) with the grace of Christ,
and watch over him (her) at every step in life’s journey.
We ask this through Christ our Lord
 
We anoint you with the oil of salvation
in the name of Christ our Saviour;
may he strengthen you with his power,
who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
 
Father,
you give us grace through sacramental signs,
which tell us of the wonders of your unseen power.

In baptism we use your gift of water,
which you have made a rich symbol of the grace
you give us in this sacrament.

At the very dawn of creation
your Spirit breathed on the waters,
making them the wellspring of all holiness.

The waters of the great flood
you made a sign of the waters of baptism,
that make an end of sin and a new beginning of goodness.

Through the waters of the Red Sea
you led Israel out of slavery,
to be an image of God’s holy people,
set free from sin by baptism.

In the waters of the Jordan
your Son was baptized by John
and anointed with the Spirit.
Your Son willed that water and blood
should flow from his side as he hung upon the cross.

After his resurrection he told his disciples:
“Go out and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Father,
look now with love upon your Church,
and unseal for her the fountain of baptism.
By the power of the Spirit
give to the water of this font the grace of your Son
so that in the sacrament of baptism
all those whom you have created in your likeness
may be cleansed from sin
and rise to a new birth of innocence by water and the Holy Spirit.

The celebrant touches the water with his right hand and continues:

We ask you, Father, with your Son
to send the Holy Spirit upon the water of this font.
May all who are buried with Christ in the death of baptism
rise also with him to newness of life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
 
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s only Son,
for you offered yourself on the cross,
that in the blood and water flowing from your side,
and through your death and resurrection,
the Church might be born.
 
Praise to you, God the Holy Spirit,
for you anointed Christ at his baptism in the waters of Jordan,
so that we might all be baptized in you.
 
Make this water holy, Lord,
so that all who are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection by this water
may become more perfectly like your Son.
 
You have become a new creation,
and have clothed yourself in Christ.
See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity.
With your family and friends to help you by word and example,
bring that dignity unstained
into the everlasting life of heaven.
 
The God of power and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
has freed you from sin,
given you a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit,
and welcomed you into his holy people.
He now anoints you with the chrism of salvation.
As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King,
so may you live always as a member of his body,
sharing everlasting life.
 
Parents and godparents,
this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly.
This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ.
He (she) is to walk always as a child of the light.
May he (she) keep the flame of faith alive in his (her) heart.
When the Lord comes, may he (she) go out to meet him
with all the saints in the heavenly kingdom.
 
The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak.
May he soon touch your ears to receive his word,
and your mouth to proclaim his faith,
to the praise and glory of God the Father.
 
Dearly beloved, this child has been reborn in baptism.
He (she) is now called the child of God, for so indeed he (she) is.
In confirmation he (she) will receive the fullness of God’s Spirit.
In holy communion he (she) will share the banquet of Christ’s sacrifice,
calling God his (her) Father in the midst of the Church.
In the name of this child, in the Spirit of our common sonship,
let us pray together in the words our Lord has given us:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
 
God the Father, through his Son, the Virgin Mary’s child,
has brought joy to all Christian mothers,
as they see the hope of eternal life shine on their children.
May he bless the mother of this child.
She now thanks God for the gift of her child.
May she be one with him (her)
in thanking him for ever in heaven,
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
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