Christian Preparedness Guides Part 2
Baptism is the most important sacrament, and is the precondition of all the other sacraments. It makes the recipient member of the Catholic Church and washes away all sin and punishment due to sin. In this article, I am only going to give a few details about this Sacrament and how to confer it.
“Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: ‘Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and in the word.’” (CCC 1213)
It is so important, that Our Lord Jesus Christ, when he addressed the Apostles after His Resurrection, gave the mission for His Church as follows:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28:19)
Under regular circumstances, the minister of the sacrament is a bishop, a priest or a deacon. However, given that Baptism is the most important sacrament, God has given us a way to receive it even when there is no priest available.
Father Laux writes in his excellent 1928 textbook “Mass and the Sacraments”: “In case of necessity, any person, even a heretic or a pagan, can baptize validly, provided he or she baptizes in the way required by the Church, and with the intention of doing what the Church does.” [emphasis removed] (p. 15)
Conferring the sacrament is simple. The person administering it should pour clean water three times over the head of the recipient and say:
“N., I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (see CCC 1240)
The only thing required for a valid Baptism is to pour the water (on the head), say the words and intend to confer Baptism.
If one is unsure whether the recipient has already been baptized, one can confer a conditional Baptism: “If you are not baptized, N., I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
The Didache, the earliest Christian book dating back to AD 70, already laid out the basic principles of Baptism:
“After the foregoing instructions, baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in living [running] water. If you have no living water, then baptize in other water, and if you are not able in cold, then in warm. If you have neither, pour water three times on the head, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Didache 7:1-3, quoted here) The Didache is the earliest Christian book, older than John’s Gospel.
Of course, it is also important to baptize babies, since their original sin should be washed away:
“Have you an infant child? Do not let sin get any opportunity, but let him be sanctified from his childhood; from his very tenderest age let him be consecrated by the Spirit” (St. Gregory Nazianzen, Oration 40 On Baptism 17 [A.D. 381]) (source).
From the book “Parishes Without a Priest”
VII. “If you lack priests who are faithful to the Church, have your children baptized by faithful lay people.” (Bishop of Paderborn)
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According to the teaching of our Holy Church, baptism administered correctly by a layperson, whether male or female, Catholic or non-Catholic, Christian or non-Christian, is valid and, in case of need, permitted and even required. However, three things are necessary for the valid administration of the sacrament:
1) that the right matter and
2) that the right form is used,
3) that one has the intention of doing what the Church does.
The matter of baptism is blessed baptismal water, in its absence holy water (*) and, if neither is available, ordinary, pure, natural water. […]
2. The form, that is, the words with which baptism is administered, is: “I baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” Nothing may be omitted. […]
The matter and form must be correctly connected with each other. One and the same person must pour the water and say the words. It would be invalid if one person merely poured the water and another said the baptismal formula. The pouring and saying of the words must take place at the same time, so that both form a single act. If water were to be poured first and then the words spoken after a noticeable interruption, the baptism would be invalid.
3. The intention. The person baptizing must have the intention to do what the Church does. This intention need not be expressly evoked at the moment of the act, but it is sufficient that it has been evoked beforehand and still continues in force. The will to confer the Sacrament of Baptism is sufficient, since the intention to do what the Church does is inherent in it.
The act of baptism
[…] The godfather or godmother holds the child during the baptism, while the other godparent places their right hand on the child. The person baptizing takes the vessel with baptismal water, holy water or natural water, pours it three times over the child’s head in the shape of a cross and speaks the words slowly, clearly and attentively once during the pouring:
“N. (here he gives the child’s name), I baptize thee in the name of the Father † (here he pours for the first time) and of the Son † (here he pours for the second time) and of the Holy † Ghost.” (here he pours for the third time).
Three pourings and the cross shape are not required for validity, but are prescribed by the Church. The water must touch the skin of the head or the forehead and flow off. If it is baptismal water or holy water, it is collected in a vessel and poured into the fire.
[…] Very appropriately, the baptismal covenant can be renewed by all those present on this occasion. The name of the child, the day and hour of birth, the name and place of residence of the parents, the day of baptism, the name of the person being baptized and the godparents should be carefully recorded.
[…] Only those persons may be taken as godparents who (in the absence of the parents) offer full guarantee for the moral and religious upbringing of the child. If there is reasonable doubt as to whether a baptism has been validly conferred, it is to be repeated conditionally: one baptizes as usual, but says the words: “If thou art not yet baptized, then I baptize thee in the name…”
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