Significance of renewing baptismal vows during Mass for me

[apromisemade]

Hey all.

So, I’m not Catholic. I’ve actually never been baptised before in my life. But I consider myself a Christian in that I love Jesus and try to emmulate him best I can.

I’m also a college student and the Newman House on my campus organizes a Catholic Mass that takes place every Sunday evening at 8 pm in the campus chapel. I’ve been attending almost every one for the last two years because it’s easy to just walk from one part of campus to another and it’s in the evening so I can sleep in. I also find the chapel itself very beautiful and the ceremonial atmosphere of the Mass very peaceful and meditative.

Don’t worry though, I’ve never gone to recieve the Eucharist or anything like that. I understand that sacraments are a no-no unless you are a certified Catholic and I want to be respectful.

Twice now I’ve gone to a Mass where the priest has gone through a ceremony that is, as I understand, meant to symbolize a renewal of baptisml vows. It involves him walking down the aisle and flinging water on the congregation with a rod.

So my question is this, does this ritual hold any significance for me since I’ve never been baptised before? Or since I’m not Catholic for that matter.

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

I can’t give you a definitive, “by the book” answer, but I believe that you could look on this as a “minor” blessing, somewhat akin to the blessing of the entire congregation at the end of the Mass. It does not in anyway “baptize” you, if that was part of your curiosity.

I suppose you might simply look at it as getting wet… but the water is, nonetheless, blessed, and the action of the priest sprinkling the people (with an aspergilium - that’s the “rod” you refer to) is intended to bless us, remind us of our baptism, and cleanse us of venial (“minor”) sin in the context of Mass. Without the question-answer format of “Do you believe…” prior to sprinkling, it is not necessarily a baptismal “renewal” per se.

 

[Bookcat]

The water is holy water…blessed…and in fact “easter water” blessed especially at easter…

So the sprinkling of you with the blessed water could be a seen as blessing for you…

and one could look to it as a sign for you…an invitation to you to towards being baptized into the Catholic Church…into Christ Jesus.…

May the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ guide us in seeking to know and love him more and more

Here are some readings that profoundly touch on Baptism:

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2006/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20060415_veglia-pasquale_en.html

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20070407_veglia-pasquale_en.html

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20080322_veglia-pasquale_en.html

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2006/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20060108_battesimo_en.html

Catechism: vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P3N.HTM

 

[MarkThompson]

So my question is this, does this ritual hold any significance for me since I’ve never been baptised before? Or since I’m not Catholic for that matter.

For one thing – I see that you list your religion as Christian – the Catholic Church recognizes any baptism carried out with the Trinitarian formula as valid. Some alleged Christians (I forget who, the UCC? the Jehovah’s Witnesses?) don’t do this, but mainline Protestant sects validly baptize. People who join the Catholic Church from, say, the Presbyterian or Lutheran churches do not get re-baptized, only confirmed. As the Nicene Creed says, “I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins,” so the Church does not look on non-Catholic, Trinitarian-formula baptisms as ontologically different from what we do. Depending on your history, you may actually be baptized.

If not, you are free to look on the Asperges (which is the name of the sprinkling rite ceremony) not as a reminder of baptism, but as a foretaste of baptism.

 

[apromisemade]

Thank you everyone for such detailed and informative responses. It all makes much more sense. Though I really should try to learn some of these “official” names for the different rituals and their respective items.

 

[TheresaThoma]

Before I became officially Catholic this Easter I also felt a little odd about all of the sprinkling rites. How I handled it was taking it as invitation to really think about what baptism means and almost kind of a “preview” (probably not the best word but I think it gets the point across).

On a side note something you might consider checking out is RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) since you mentioned wanting to find out more. In the early stages it is really about just introducing you to the Catholic faith. Might be worth checking out.