Christopher Wendt: Tonight, we have a great broadcast planned for you. It will be a catechism lesson, part one, on the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Without further ado, Your Excellency, could you please lead us in a prayer?
His Excellency: In Nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Pater noster, qui es in cælis, sanctificetur nomen tuum, adveniat regnum tuum, fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo et in terra.
Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
In Nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Christopher Wendt: Thank you, Your Excellency. Please go ahead and begin your lesson. Thank you.
His Excellency: Today, we will speak about the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.
The word ‘baptism,’ as is well known, is of Greek derivation and is used in Sacred Scripture to express not only the ablution, which forms part of the sacrament, but also every species of washing and, sometimes figuratively, to express sufferings. Yet, it is employed by the Church to designate not every sort of bodily washing, but that which forms part of the sacrament and is administered with the prescribed form of words.
In this sense, the Apostles frequently use the word in accordance with the institution of Christ the Lord. The sacrament is also designated by other names by the Holy Fathers of the Church. St. Augustine informs us that it was sometimes called the “sacrament of faith” because, by receiving it, we profess our faith in all the doctrines of Christianity. By others, it was termed ‘illumination,’ because by the faith we profess in baptism, the heart and mind are illuminated. For as the Apostle also says, alluding to the time of baptism, “Call to mind the former days, in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great fight of afflictions”.
St. John Chrysostom, in his sermon to the baptized, calls baptism ‘purification’ because through it, we purge away the old life, so that we may become a new creation. He also calls it “burial,” “planting,” and “the cross of Christ”. The reason for all these terms can be gathered from the Epistle to the Romans. An ancient ecclesiastical author calls baptism the beginning of the most holy commandments, for this is the obvious reason: baptism is, as it were, the gate through which we enter into the fellowship of the Christian life and begin thenceforth to obey the commandments of God.
As for the definition of baptism, many can be given from Sacred Scripture. Nevertheless, the one that can be gathered from the words of our Lord, recorded in the Gospel of John and in the Epistle to the Ephesians, seems the most appropriate. As our Lord says in the Gospel of John, A man must be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
And speaking of the Church, the Apostle Paul says, “cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life.” Thus, it follows that baptism may be rightly and accurately defined as follows: the sacrament of regeneration by water and the word.
By nature, we are born from Adam as children of wrath, but by baptism, we are regenerated in Christ as children of mercy. For Christ gave power to men to be made the sons of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God.
Now, let us see the constituent elements of baptism. The sacrament consists of ablution, or washing, necessarily accompanied, according to the institution of Our Lord, by certain solemn words. This is the uniform doctrine of the Holy Fathers of the Church, as is proven by the following most explicit testimony of St. Augustine: “The word is joined to the element, and it becomes a sacrament.”
The matter or element of the sacrament is any sort of natural water, which is simply and without qualification commonly called water, be it seawater, river water, water from a pond, a well, or a fountain.
For the Savior said that unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. The Apostle also says that the Church was cleansed by the laver of water. And in the Epistle of St. John, we read these words: “There are three that give testimony on earth: the Spirit, and the water, and the blood.”
However, when John the Baptist says that the Lord will come, who will baptize in the Holy Ghost and in fire, this is by no means to be understood as referring to the matter of baptism. Rather, it should be applied either to the interior operation of the Holy Ghost, or at least to the miracle performed on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles in the form of fire, as was foretold by Christ our Lord in these words.
John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
The figures, symbols, and prophecies about the sacrament are numerous. According to St. Peter in his First Epistle, the Deluge, which cleansed the world because the wickedness of man was great upon the earth and all the thoughts of their hearts were bent upon evil, was a figure and image of the water of baptism.
Then there is the figure of the cleansing of Naaman the Syrian, and the admirable miracle of the pool of Bethesda, and many similar types and figures, manifestly symbolic of the mystery of the sacrament of baptism. For example, the passage through the Red Sea, according to St. Paul in his Epistle to the Corinthians, was also a typical symbol of the same water of baptism.
Let us now consider the prophecies. With regard to the predictions, the waters to which the prophet Isaiah so freely invites all who thirst to come, and those which Ezekiel in spirit saw issuing from the temple, and also the fountain which the prophet Zechariah foresaw for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem for the washing of sinners and of the unclean woman these were no doubt intended to indicate and express the salutary waters of baptism.
Water is the most fitting matter for the sacrament, which is necessary for all unto salvation.
Furthermore, water is best adapted to signify the effect of baptism. It washes away uncleanness and is therefore strikingly illustrative of the virtue and efficacy of baptism, which washes away the stains of all sins. While in cases of necessity, simple water, unmixed with any other ingredient, is sufficient for the matter of the sacrament, yet when baptism is administered in public with solemn ceremonies, the Catholic Church, from all times guided by apostolic tradition, has uniformly observed the practice of adding holy chrism to the water.
Though it is still valid without it, this use of chrism in the older rite of baptism continues today. This addition more fully signifies the effect of baptism. The people should also be taught that although it may sometimes be doubtful whether this or that water is genuine, such as the perfection of the sacrament requires, it can never be a subject of doubt that the only matter from which the Sacrament of Baptism can be formed is natural water.
Now let us see the form of baptism, the words. The true and essential form of baptism is: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
For so it was delivered by our Lord and Savior, when, as we read in St. Matthew, He gave to His apostles the command: “Go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
By virtue of the word baptizing, the Catholic Church, instructed from above, most justly understood that the form of the sacrament should express the action of the minister. And this takes place when he pronounces the words: “I baptize you.”
Besides the minister of the sacrament, the person to be baptized and the principal efficient cause of baptism should also be mentioned. So the pronoun you, and the distinct names of the Divine Persons are added. Thus, the complete form of the sacrament is expressed in the words already mentioned: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
But baptism is the work not of the Son alone, of whom John says, “He it is who baptizes,” but of the three Divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity together. By saying, however, “in the name”, not “in the names”, we distinctly declare that in the Trinity there is but one name and one divinity.
The word name here refers not to the persons but to the divine essence, virtue, and power, which are one and the same in the three Divine Persons. It is, however, to be observed that of the words contained in this form of baptism, some are absolutely necessary, so that the omission of them renders the valid administration of the sacrament impossible, while others, on the contrary, are not so essential as to affect its validity.
Let us look more closely. Of the latter kind is the word ego (“I”), the force of which is included in the verb baptizō, “I baptize.” The Greek Church (Byzantine Church) adopted a different manner of expressing the form, being of the opinion that it is unnecessary to make mention of the minister. The Greek Church omits the pronoun “I” or together.
The form universally used in the Greek Church and the Byzantine rite is this:
“Let this servant of Christ be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”.
It appears from the decision and definition of the Council of Florence that those who use this form administer the sacrament of baptism validly, because the words sufficiently express what is essential to the validity of baptism, that is, the ablution which then takes place. This was the form used by the apostles.
There were some times in the New Testament that mentioned baptism in the name of Christ. So, these expressions used sometimes seem rather doubtful if we accept the opinions of some Fathers, eminent for sanctity and authority, who interpret baptism in the name of Jesus Christ to mean the baptism instituted by Christ our Lord. The Holy Fathers explain these expressions of baptism in the name of Jesus Christ simply as baptism instituted by Christ, distinguished from the baptism of John. They say that the apostles did not depart from the ordinary and usual form, which includes the distinct names of the three persons. These, said the Holy Fathers of the Church. St. Paul, in his epistle to the Galatians, seems to have expressed himself in a similar manner.
When he says, “As many of you as have been baptized in Christ have put on Christ,” he means that they were baptized in the faith of Christ, but with no other form than that which the same Savior, our Lord, had commanded to be observed in the Gospel.
Baptism may be administered in three ways: by immersion, by infusion, and by aspersion. Whichever of these rites is observed, we must believe that baptism is rightly and validly administered. In baptism, water is used to signify the spiritual cleansing that it accomplishes. On this account, baptism is called by the Apostle a labor of washing.
Now, this ablution is not more truly accomplished by immersion which was, for a considerable time, the practice in the early ages of the Church than by infusion, which we know to be generally used in the Roman Church, or by aspersion, which there is reason to believe was the manner in which Peter baptized when, on one day, he converted and gave baptism to about three thousand souls.
It is a matter of no importance whether the ablution is performed once or twice, for it is evident from the epistle of Pope Gregory the Great to Leander, Bishop of Seville in Spain, that baptism is formally and may still be validly administered in the Church in either way, as St. Gregory the Great says: by one or two ablutions.
So the baptismal ablution is not to be applied indifferently to any part of the body, but principally to the head, which is the seat of all the internal and external senses. Also, the one who baptizes is to pronounce the sacramental words, which constitute the form of the sacrament, not before or after, but while performing the ablution, whether by immersion, aspersion, or the third form, infusion.
Baptism was instituted by Christ the Lord. With regard to its institution, it is clear that the sacrament was instituted by our Lord when, having been baptized by John, He gave to the water then the power of sanctifying. This was the teaching of the Fathers of the Church. St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Augustine testify that water was, by the baptism of Christ in the Jordan, imparted the power of regenerating to spiritual life. In another place, St. Augustine says, from the moment that Christ is immersed in water, water washes away all sins. And again, he said, the Lord is baptized not because He had need to be cleansed, but in order that, by the contact of His pure flesh, He might purify the waters and impart to them the power of cleansing.
A very strong argument to prove that baptism was then instituted by our Lord may be found in the fact that the Most Holy Trinity, in whose name baptism is conferred, manifested its divine presence. On the occasion of the baptism of Christ in the Jordan, the voice of the Father was heard, the person of the Son was visibly present, the Holy Ghost descended in the form of a dove, and the heavens, into which we are enabled to enter by baptism, were opened at that moment. When our Lord was baptized, water, by contact with His most holy and pure body, was consecrated to the salutary use of baptism.
This happened in such a way, however, that although baptism was instituted before His holy Passion, we can believe that the sacrament derives all its virtue and efficacy from the holy Passion of our Lord, from the Cross, which is the consummation of all the actions of Christ on earth.
Baptism was made obligatory after Christ’s resurrection. The second period to be distinguished is the time when the law of baptism was made and promulgated. According to the Holy Scriptures and the Fathers of the Church, they are unanimous in saying that after the resurrection of our Lord, when Christ gave to His apostles the command to go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, the law of baptism became obligatory on all who were to be saved.
This is inferred from the authority of the apostle Peter, when he says, “Who has regenerated us into a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Also, St. Paul says, “He delivered Himself up for the Church, that He might sanctify it, cleansing it by the labor of the water in the word of life”.
By both apostles, Peter and Paul, the obligation of baptism seems to be referred to the time which follows the death of our Lord.
Hence, we can have no doubt that the words of the Savior, “Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God,” refer also to the same time which was to follow after His Passion, when He solemnly promulgated the obligation of baptism.
Let us now consider the ministers of baptism. According to the tradition of the Church, bishops and priests are the ordinary ministers. The faithful are therefore to be informed that among those who administer baptism, there are three gradations, according to the older tradition of the Church.
Bishops and priests hold the first place. To them belongs the administration of the sacrament, not by an extraordinary concession of power, but by the right of office. For them, in the persons of the apostles, was addressed the command of our Lord: “Go, baptize.”
Bishops, it is true, in order not to neglect the more weighty charge of teaching, the magisterium, have generally left the administration of baptism to the priests. But the authority of the Fathers of the Church and the usage of the Church prove that priests exercise this function by their own right, so much so that they may baptize even in the presence of a bishop.
Ordained to consecrate the Holy Eucharist, the sacrament of peace and unity, it was fitting that the priests be invested with the power to administer all those things which are required to enable others to participate in the sacrament of the Eucharist, the sacrament of peace and unity.
According to the tradition of the Church, until the new Code of Canon Law, deacons were extraordinary ministers of baptism. So, next among the ministers were the deacons.
For whom, as numerous decrees of the Holy Fathers of the Church attest, it was not lawful, without the permission of the bishop or of the priest, to administer the sacrament.
Now, who are the ministers in case of necessity? This is the third category. Those who may administer baptism in case of necessity, but without its solemn ceremonies, hold the last place. In this class are included all people, even the laity, men and women. This office, in cases of necessity, extends even to heretics and infidels, provided, however, that they intend to do what the Catholic Church does in the act of administering baptism.
The Council of Trent condemns those who dare to say that baptism, even when administered by heretics in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, with the intention of doing what the Church does, is not true baptism. The Council of Trent, therefore, rejected the opinion that heretics have not been baptizing validly when they use the proper matter and form and have the intention to do what the Church is doing.
Here, indeed, we may also see the goodness and the wisdom of our Lord. Seeing the necessity of the sacrament for all, the Lord not only instituted water, than which nothing can be more common, but also placed its administration within the power of all people. In its administration, however, as we have already observed, not all are allowed to use the solemn ceremonies of baptism. This is not because rites and ceremonies are of higher dignity, but because they are less necessary than the matter and form, which alone constitute the sacrament.
Let us now consider the sponsors of baptism. Besides the ministers who confer baptism, another class of persons, according to the most ancient practice of the Church, is admitted to assist at the baptismal font. In former times, these were commonly called, by the tradition of the Church, the sponsors or receivers, and are now called godfathers and godmothers.
The propriety of the practice of having sponsors at baptism will appear evident to all if they recall that baptism is a spiritual regeneration by which we are born as children of God. For St. Peter says, “As newborn infants, desire the rational milk without corruption.”
As therefore everyone, after birth, requires a nurse and instructor, by whose assistance and care he is brought up and formed to learning and useful knowledge, so too, those who, by the waters of baptism, begin to live a spiritual life should be entrusted to the fidelity and prudence of someone from whom they may learn the precepts of the Christian religion and be brought up in all justice, and thus grow gradually in Christ. Until, with the Lord’s help, they at length arrive at perfect manhood.
So, the sponsors at baptism, the godfathers and godmothers, contract what is called spiritual affinity. The Church, therefore, in her wisdom, has ordained that not only the person who baptizes contracts a spiritual affinity with the person baptized, but also the sponsor, the godfather or godmother, with the godchild and the child’s natural parents. Because of this spiritual relationship, marriage cannot be lawfully contracted between any of them. Although dispensations may be granted, it remains an impediment.
Let us now consider the duties of sponsors. St. Augustine says, “I must especially admonish you, men and women, who have acquired God’s children sponsors, you through baptism, to consider that you stood before God and gave a guarantee for those whom you received at the sacred font as godfather and godmother.”
Speaking of the same duty of sponsors, St. Augustine sums up in a few words the lessons of instruction which they are bound to impart to their spiritual children. He says they ought to admonish them to observe chastity, love justice, cling to charity, and, above all, they should teach them the Creed, the doctrine of faith, the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the rudiments of the Christian religion.
Therefore, besides the natural parents, who, to mark the great difference that exists between the spiritual and the carnal upbringing of children, are not permitted to undertake this charge, the natural parents are not at the same time to be the godfathers or godmothers. Heretics and non-Christians are also, on no account, to be admitted to the office of sponsor, godfather, or godmother, since their faults and errors are continually employed in darkening the true faith.
Now, regarding the number of sponsors: the number of sponsors is limited by the Council of Trent to one godfather or one godmother, or at most to one godfather and one godmother. This is because a greater number of teachers may confuse the order of discipline and instruction. It was also necessary to prevent a multiplication of spiritual affinities, which would impede a wider diffusion in the celebration of lawful marriage.
Now, let us consider the necessity of baptism. This law extends not only to adults but also to infants and children, and the Church has received this practice from apostolic tradition. This is confirmed by the unanimous teaching and authority of the Fathers of the Church. Besides, it is not to be supposed that Christ the Lord would have withheld the sacrament and grace of baptism from children, of whom He said, “Suffer the little children to come to me, and do not forbid them to come to me, for the kingdom of heaven is for such.” He also embraced them, upon whom He imposed His hands and gave His blessing, little children.
Moreover, when we read that an entire family was baptized by Paul, it is sufficiently obvious that the children of this family must also have been cleansed in the saving font of baptism. Circumcision, too, which was a figure of baptism, affords a strong argument in proof of the practice of infant baptism. It is universally known that children were circumcised on the eighth day. If, then, circumcision, made by hand and involving the despoiling of the body of the flesh, was profitable to infants, it is clear that baptism, which is a spiritual circumcision of Christ, not made by hand, is also profitable for infants and children.
As the Apostle teaches: “If, by one man’s offense, death reigned through one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life through one, Jesus Christ.”
If, then, through the transgression of Adam, children inherit original sin, there is still stronger reason to believe that, through Christ our Lord, they can attain grace and righteousness, be freed from original sin, and reign in life and receive justice. This, however, cannot be accomplished or received through any other means than by baptism.
In baptism, infants receive the gifts of faith, not through personal belief with the essence of their minds, but they are established in the faith of their parents. If the parents profess the true faith, for the sponsors, to use the words of St. Augustine, the children, those infants baptized, are established in the faith of the universal society of the saints of the Church. They are rightly presented for baptism, which, for all those to whom their initiation in that sacred rite is a source of joy, is a moment of great significance. By whose charity they are united to the communion of the Church, the Mystical Body.
Therefore, we must also remind the faithful to take care that their children be brought to the Church as soon as it can be done with safety after birth to receive Holy Baptism. Since infant children have no other means of salvation except baptism, one can easily understand how detrimental it is to permit infants to remain without the grace of the sacrament longer than necessity may require, especially at such a tender age, and also when an infant is sick.
So, with regard to those of adult age, who enjoy the perfect use of reason, the practice of the primitive Church indicates that a different manner of proceeding should be followed. To them, the Christian faith is to be proposed, and they are earnestly to be exalted, persuaded, and invited to embrace the faith if converted to the Lord. They are then to be admonished not to delay or defer the Sacrament of Baptism beyond the time necessary. For, as it is written, “Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day.” They are to be taught that, in their case, perfect conversion consists in regeneration by the sacrament of baptism.
Furthermore, the longer they delay baptism, the longer they are deprived of the graces of the other sacraments, by which the Christian religion is practiced, since the other sacraments are accessible only through baptism. Thus, adults are also deprived of the abundant fruits of baptism, the waters of which not only wash away all the stains and defilements of past sins, but also enrich us with divine graces, enabling us to avoid sin in the future and preserve righteousness and innocence, which constitute the sum of a Christian life.
However, the Church has not been accustomed to confer the Sacrament of Baptism on adults immediately, but has ordained that it be deferred for a certain time. The delay is not attended with the same danger as in the case of infants, as previously mentioned. Should any unforeseen accident make it impossible for adults to be washed in the salutary waters of baptism, their intention and determination to receive baptism, their desire for baptism, and their repentance for past sins will avail them of the grace of baptism and righteousness. This is called a baptism of desire.
Furthermore, the candidate for baptism is thus better instructed in the doctrine, which he will profess, and in the practices of Christian life.
Finally, when baptism is administered to adults, with solemn ceremonies, in the past, in the first centuries of the Church, adult baptism was often conferred during the days of Easter and Pentecost. However, in other cases, it was necessary to administer baptism on other days. In cases of necessity, an adult person may be baptized immediately. Sometimes, however, when the necessary conditions exist, such as in the case of imminent danger of death, baptism is not to be deferred for adults, particularly if the person to be baptized is well instructed in the mysteries of faith. This is exemplified by Philip the deacon with the Ethiopian eunuch, and by the Prince of the Apostles, St. Peter, when he baptized Cornelius as soon as he expressed his desire to embrace the faith.
Christopher Wendt: Thank you, Your Excellency, for all the great material about the minister of baptism, the formation, and the difference between infant baptism and the baptism of desire for adults. Thank you for that. We could ponder that for a long time.
There are also many questions that have been asked in the past. I refer you to those previous questions, such as: what if a priest were to say, “We baptize you in the name of the Father” instead of “I baptize you”? Would you like to take up that question? It came up recently.
His Excellency: Yes, it was recently decided by the Holy See that the formula “we baptize” is not valid. In this case, because the minister is the one who administers the sacrament, which is confirmed by Christ, there must be a proper minister of the sacrament. According to the tradition of the Church, the sacrament must be administered by one minister. This is expressed in the formula “I baptize you”, or, in the Greek Orthodox or Greek Catholic Churches, it is expressed in a passive form: “The servant of God is baptized”. In this case, both formulas are approved by the Church, but not the plural form. The Holy See has already ruled that the plural form is not valid.
Christopher Wendt: Yes, and in the case of baptism, because it is such a foundational sacrament, the basis of all the sacraments, if a priest were baptized using that invalid formula, it would affect his ability to validly receive or administer all the other sacraments. I believe this situation occurred in the U.S. in the Midwest at one point.
Thank you, Your Excellency. Could you please close this with a prayer?
His Excellency: In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen
O Immaculate Heart of Mary, holy Mother of God and our tender Mother, look upon the distress in which the whole of mankind is living, due to the spread of materialism, godlessness, and the persecution of the Catholic Faith.
In our own day, the Mystical Body of Christ is bleeding from so many wounds, caused within the Church by the unpunished spread of heresies, the justification of sins against the Sixth Commandment, and the seeking of the kingdom of earth rather than the Kingdom of Heaven.
There are horrendous sacrileges against the Most Holy Eucharist, especially through the practice of Communion in the hand, and the Protestant shaping of the celebration of the Holy Mass.
Amidst these trials appeared the light of the consecration of Russia to thy Immaculate Heart by the Pope, in union with the world’s bishops.
In Fatima, thou didst request the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays of the month. Implore Thy Divine Son to grant a special grace to the Pope, that he may approve and promote the practice of the First Saturday Communion of Reparation.
May Almighty God hasten the time when Russia will be converted to Catholic unity, mankind will be granted a time of peace, and the Church will be renewed in the purity of the Catholic Faith, the sacredness of divine worship, and the holiness of Christian life.
O Mediatrix of all graces, O Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and our sweet Mother, turn thine eyes of mercy towards us, and graciously hear this, our trusting prayer. Amen.
Dominus vobiscum.
Christopher Wendt: Et cum spiritu tuo.
His Excellency: Et benedictio Dei Omnipotentis: Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, descendat super vos et maneat semper. Amen.
Christopher Wendt: Thank you, Your Excellency, and thank you all for joining us. The next broadcast will be on March 13th, and it will be a Q&A session. We look forward to answering your questions then.
