Saints LightAfter the Water: How Do I Live My Baptism Every Day?
Live your Baptism through small daily signs, a yearly celebration, prayer, Sunday Mass and Confession. They are how the life given at the font grows.
Baptism happens once, but it is meant to be lived every day. St Paul tells the baptized to consider themselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. That is the Christian life: becoming in practice what Baptism has already made you (CCC 1694).
Holy water. Most churches have a small font of holy water by the door. Dipping your fingers and making the Sign of the Cross as you walk in is a small renewal of your Baptism. Holy water is a sacramental, a sign blessed by the Church that prepares us to receive grace (CCC 1667-1668). Keep some at home; many families bless their children with it at bedtime. On some Sundays the priest sprinkles the people with water, a reminder of the font.
Your baptismal anniversary. You know your birthday. Learn your baptismal day too, and celebrate it. Light the baptismal candle at dinner, renew your baptismal promises, look at the photos, eat something sweet. For children, this one custom teaches more than many lectures: the day I became God's child is worth a party.
Prayer. A child of God talks with the Father. Begin and end each day with a short prayer, even one minute long, and start it with the Sign of the Cross. Those are the very words of your Baptism, traced on your body, dedicating the day to God (CCC 2157).
Sunday Mass. Baptism leads to the altar. The Eucharist completes Christian initiation and feeds the life that began at the font (CCC 1322). That is why the Church asks every Catholic to take part in Mass every Sunday and holy day of obligation (CCC 2042). Bringing a baby to Baptism and then disappearing leaves the gift unopened. Keep coming, even when the baby fusses.
Confession. Baptism does not make us unable to sin. When we fall, Christ gave a way back: the sacrament of Penance, which early Christians called a second plank to hold onto after a shipwreck (CCC 1446). It restores the grace of Baptism lost through serious sin. Regular confession, even of smaller sins, keeps the white garment clean and helps us grow (CCC 1458).
None of this is a burden added to Baptism. It is how the seed planted at the font grows (CCC 1254). Start small, and keep going.
Key points
- Baptism is given once, but it is lived every day as dying to sin and living for God.
- Holy water, the Sign of the Cross and the baptismal anniversary are simple daily and yearly reminders of Baptism.
- Sunday Mass feeds the life begun at the font, and is asked of every Catholic.
- Confession restores baptismal grace after serious sin and helps us grow.
The Word of God
So do you also reckon, that you are dead to sin, but alive unto God, in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Therefore, if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above; where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God: Mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth. For you are dead; and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.
Catechism paragraphs for this lesson
- CCC 1254
- CCC 1322
- CCC 1446
- CCC 1667-1668
- CCC 1694
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Live it this week
Find out your baptismal date (or set the date of your child's Baptism) and put it in your calendar as a yearly celebration. This week, bring a small bottle to church, fill it with holy water, and use it to bless yourself or your children at bedtime.
Check yourself: three questions
1. What is the point of blessing yourself with holy water as you enter church?
- It is a good luck charm that protects you automatically
- It forgives mortal sins without the need for Confession
- It is a small renewal of Baptism, a sacramental that prepares us for grace
- It is required before anyone may receive Communion
Show the answer
It is a small renewal of Baptism, a sacramental that prepares us for grace. The lesson explains that holy water is a sacramental that recalls Baptism and disposes us to grace (CCC 1667-1668), not magic and not a substitute for Confession.
2. Why is Sunday Mass so closely tied to Baptism?
- Because Baptism leads to the altar, and the Eucharist completes initiation and feeds the new life
- Because only those who attend Mass weekly are truly baptized
- Because Mass is where Baptism is repeated each week
- Because Baptism must be renewed weekly or it wears off
Show the answer
Because Baptism leads to the altar, and the Eucharist completes initiation and feeds the new life. The Eucharist completes Christian initiation and nourishes the life given in Baptism (CCC 1322), which is why the Church asks us to keep Sunday (CCC 2042).
3. A baptized Catholic commits a serious sin. What does the lesson say is the way back?
- Being baptized again
- Waiting until the next Easter to renew baptismal promises
- Simply blessing oneself with holy water
- The sacrament of Penance, which restores the grace of Baptism
Show the answer
The sacrament of Penance, which restores the grace of Baptism. Penance is the way back for those who have lost baptismal grace through serious sin (CCC 1446). Baptism itself is never repeated.
Words to know
- Sacramental
- A sacred sign blessed by the Church, such as holy water, that prepares us to receive grace.
- Baptismal anniversary
- The yearly date of a person's Baptism, celebrated as the day they became a child of God.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
For catechists: a one hour class plan
Goal. Send each person home with a simple, realistic plan for living Baptism at home, at church and through the year.
Opener. Ask: How do you keep a promise or a friendship alive over many years? What small habits help? Let several people answer, then explain that Baptism is kept alive the same way, through small habits.
Discussion questions
- Which of these habits do you already have, and which would be easiest to start? [Encourage starting small. One habit kept is better than five abandoned.]
- What gets in the way of Sunday Mass for young families, and what helps? [Be practical and kind: cry rooms, sitting near the aisle, going together, not giving up.]
- How might celebrating a baptismal anniversary change the way a child sees their faith? [It makes Baptism a joyful identity, not a past event.]
- Why might regular Confession matter even for people who are not in serious sin? [It forms conscience and helps us grow (CCC 1458).]
Activity. Give each family or person a blank one-year calendar page or a card titled Our Baptism Plan. Ask them to fill in: our baptismal date and how we will celebrate it; one daily habit (prayer, holy water, Sign of the Cross); our Sunday Mass time; and the next time we will go to Confession (adults). Hand out small bottles for holy water if the parish has them, and fill them together at the font before people leave.
Closing prayer. Father, you raised us with Christ in Baptism. Help us seek the things that are above, keep our baptismal garment clean, and let the light we received at the font shine in our homes and in the world. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Timing. 0 to 5 minutes: welcome and opener. 5 to 20: teach the five habits from the lesson. 20 to 35: discussion. 35 to 50: Baptism Plan and filling holy water bottles. 50 to 55: questions. 55 to 60: closing prayer.
Related lessons
- Holy Water, Medals and Scapulars: Are They Magic? (The Sacraments)
- the forgiveness of sins (The Creed, free)
- What Will Happen at the Easter Vigil? (Becoming Catholic, free)
- After Easter: How Do I Not Drift Away? (Becoming Catholic, free)
Keep your place in the app
Preparing for Baptism is free in the Saints Light app too, where you can mark each lesson done, take it as a guided class and keep notes.
Every course is open free for your first 14 days. After that, one payment of $14.99 unlocks every course. There is no subscription.